LOL - we had a similar issue in Rural Utopia - LDH used to talk about the moral economy of snowblowing, and the race to get out there first to shovel after a storm. Everyone else on the block had every motorized lawn care implement known to man - funnily enough they cut us a lot of slack b/c we were the "young things just moved into their new home and didn't have any of those tools" (yet, was the implication - we never did get them! We had a push mower instead.)
But luckily there was a house down the street that looked like, as a friend said, "our own little piece of Appalachia," so we were off the hook too!
Here in Small City, we have a small front lawn and a big back lawn to deal with, and it has taken me a couple of years to figure out exactly what "dealing with" a lawn even means. And now I know...I don't like it! I don't really mind mowing the lawn, but other kinds of maintenance (edging, trimming the hedge, etc.) annoy me, and artistic flourishes such as flowers are completely beyond me. And it's always my last priority, which means that in spring, when the grass explodes just at the busiest moment of the semester, I just let the lawn grow out of control until I have time that I want to devote to it.
(cont'd)
Also, unfortunately, we've now learned that D. is terribly allergic to working out in the yard (she wheezes constantly for a couple of days afterward)--something we had no way of knowing until we actually had a yard--which means that I'm stuck doing all the work myself. I'd had visions of the two of us companionably planting flowers, but it just feels lonely schlepping around in the yard by myself. I've started having penthouse fantasies--not the sexy kind, but the kind that involve no lawn maintenance!
Fortunately, like you and NK, we have a neighbor who makes us look good. Two doors down lives an older couple who delight in "decorating" their yard with an array of seasonal figurines, flags, and lighted paraphernalia. When we order food for delivery, we tell them to look for the tacky, lighted yard; it's a clear beacon!
Ah, yes, our across the street neighbors are really into the lawn decorations. But their grass is always short, and the flowers neatly planted. I guess the one cancels out the other...
We bought a house with no yard on purpose. Because I hate feeling yard shame.
That's one good thing about living in California. If anyone gives you grief about your "lawn" you can claim that you are saving water.
As an environmentalist, I tend to be anti-lawn, which dove-tails nicely with my inherent laziness. When I have a yard, I will probably end up with either (a) dirt or (b) "prairie restoration", with gazing balls and bottle trees. (But no deer, gnomes, Granny Fannies, or kissing cherubs.)
Rana
One of my odd jobs in grad school was lawn care, one summer. And the little building where I shared an office had old flowerbeds, so I planted nasturtiums (which are wonderfully colorful and incredibly easy), along with some other stuff. Not in orderly rows or anything, but the color was a lot of fun. My office mate grew vegetables out back, too.
Commenting by HaloScan
