(Insert gloating, yuppy tone of voice here.) Is your lawn organic? I bet your lawn isn't even safe to eat.
Well mine is. Ha, I have you there. If an emergency occurs in the middle of summer --you know that short little, three month span of time when it's actually not snowing in Colorado-- that somehow prevents us from being able to get to the store and we are all out of food in our pantry, and well at least my family can always resort to eating our grass. Yeah. That's one benefit of not fertilizing our lawn, like ever, er maybe.
I just find it funny that the same people that buy into society's unwritten code of conduct that you must have a perfectly, manicured green lawn in order to be a respectable member of society, are the same ones who feel that they must feed their families all organic groceries. I just read a news story recently about someone who was in the news for committing a crime and the news writer pointed out that the offender seemed to be a good person because their lawn was in such good condition. Oh, okay, well if that's all it takes to keep people from being suspicious of you, I will make sure to sign up for a lawn service before I embark on a life of criminal activity. I sometimes feel that we're all part of a huge conspiracy theory kind of like in the Truman show. Our job as part of a suburban community, is to play the part of a good neighbor who keeps a manicured, green lawn and spends the rest of our spare time watching NFL, MLB, NBA or whatever sport is in vogue at the moment and to disengage from everything else that is going on around us in the world and in our government. It's just a little thought I have sometimes; it's probably ridiculous.
I have a really hard time being that neighbor with the lush, thick, green lawn that spends all their spare time and money keeping their lawn looking presentable for everyone else. If I spend my time making my lawn look like it should be on the cover of a magazine, who really benefits from the view? My neighbors across the street, primarily. Sorry, but I'm just not that interested in making my lawn sparkle for my neighbors' enjoyment.
I prefer to let my lawn grow without excessive water, come what may. Some years, like this one where we've had lots of rainfall, that might work out well for my neighbors. Other years, not so much. But, my method of lawn care is is better for the environment and also for my sanity. I don't really want to dump chemicals on my yard; I don't want to pay for them; and I don't really have a desire to conform to have my lawn look like everyone else's. My dream house is one that sits on about 1/2 acre with no front yard and has lots of evergreen trees and natural landscaping in the back. It's a yard that would not require regular mowing in order to keep the neighbors happy. Yes, I've come to that conclusion after living the last several years in my house that has most of its lawn in the front yard, complete with a beautiful slope that has amazing curb appeal and could easily be the best looking lawn on the street if only we were a different kind of homeowner, i.e. one who will expend effort to keep up appearances.
And I will be the first to say that it's a really good thing that I do not live in a "covenant controlled community."
My kids all help out to keep our lawn looking natural. They've been known to throw banana peels, apple cores, rotten strawberries and lots of paper onto our lawn. They help to provide "natural fertilization" and it's all for free. And my 14 year old likes to make sure it grows extra tall before he decides to mow it. This attitude keeps us from having to pay for his services, so it's kind of a perk for us as well.
This year in Colorado has been exceptionally rainy so my lawn's stayed greener than usual. It usually has a golden glow about this time of year. Sometimes, like the year when GoogleMaps photographed our home, it even has a cool-looking crop circle from where we limitingly watered only the middle of our lawn. My hubs was just saying that he can't take any credit for how nice the lawn looks this year because it's rained so much. "Yes you can," I told him "the same as I because neither one of us put anything on it to get rid of the weeds." So we can take credit for the dandelions, the little weed trees, the clover grass, even the wild flowers that are randomly sprouting up in places. There's something growing out there that looks a lot like baby's breath and it's sitting right at the top of my yard, but only in one tiny little corner of the yard.
So, as they sing at the end of the Lorax, be earth-conscious and "Let it grow." You never know what will grow in your own, beautiful natural landscape. You will be surprised.
Well mine is. Ha, I have you there. If an emergency occurs in the middle of summer --you know that short little, three month span of time when it's actually not snowing in Colorado-- that somehow prevents us from being able to get to the store and we are all out of food in our pantry, and well at least my family can always resort to eating our grass. Yeah. That's one benefit of not fertilizing our lawn, like ever, er maybe.
I just find it funny that the same people that buy into society's unwritten code of conduct that you must have a perfectly, manicured green lawn in order to be a respectable member of society, are the same ones who feel that they must feed their families all organic groceries. I just read a news story recently about someone who was in the news for committing a crime and the news writer pointed out that the offender seemed to be a good person because their lawn was in such good condition. Oh, okay, well if that's all it takes to keep people from being suspicious of you, I will make sure to sign up for a lawn service before I embark on a life of criminal activity. I sometimes feel that we're all part of a huge conspiracy theory kind of like in the Truman show. Our job as part of a suburban community, is to play the part of a good neighbor who keeps a manicured, green lawn and spends the rest of our spare time watching NFL, MLB, NBA or whatever sport is in vogue at the moment and to disengage from everything else that is going on around us in the world and in our government. It's just a little thought I have sometimes; it's probably ridiculous.
I have a really hard time being that neighbor with the lush, thick, green lawn that spends all their spare time and money keeping their lawn looking presentable for everyone else. If I spend my time making my lawn look like it should be on the cover of a magazine, who really benefits from the view? My neighbors across the street, primarily. Sorry, but I'm just not that interested in making my lawn sparkle for my neighbors' enjoyment.
I prefer to let my lawn grow without excessive water, come what may. Some years, like this one where we've had lots of rainfall, that might work out well for my neighbors. Other years, not so much. But, my method of lawn care is is better for the environment and also for my sanity. I don't really want to dump chemicals on my yard; I don't want to pay for them; and I don't really have a desire to conform to have my lawn look like everyone else's. My dream house is one that sits on about 1/2 acre with no front yard and has lots of evergreen trees and natural landscaping in the back. It's a yard that would not require regular mowing in order to keep the neighbors happy. Yes, I've come to that conclusion after living the last several years in my house that has most of its lawn in the front yard, complete with a beautiful slope that has amazing curb appeal and could easily be the best looking lawn on the street if only we were a different kind of homeowner, i.e. one who will expend effort to keep up appearances.
And I will be the first to say that it's a really good thing that I do not live in a "covenant controlled community."
My kids all help out to keep our lawn looking natural. They've been known to throw banana peels, apple cores, rotten strawberries and lots of paper onto our lawn. They help to provide "natural fertilization" and it's all for free. And my 14 year old likes to make sure it grows extra tall before he decides to mow it. This attitude keeps us from having to pay for his services, so it's kind of a perk for us as well.
This year in Colorado has been exceptionally rainy so my lawn's stayed greener than usual. It usually has a golden glow about this time of year. Sometimes, like the year when GoogleMaps photographed our home, it even has a cool-looking crop circle from where we limitingly watered only the middle of our lawn. My hubs was just saying that he can't take any credit for how nice the lawn looks this year because it's rained so much. "Yes you can," I told him "the same as I because neither one of us put anything on it to get rid of the weeds." So we can take credit for the dandelions, the little weed trees, the clover grass, even the wild flowers that are randomly sprouting up in places. There's something growing out there that looks a lot like baby's breath and it's sitting right at the top of my yard, but only in one tiny little corner of the yard.
So, as they sing at the end of the Lorax, be earth-conscious and "Let it grow." You never know what will grow in your own, beautiful natural landscape. You will be surprised.
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