Lawn Rant

I'm not a big fan of lawns.  There is a time and a place and I believe that all of the chemicals applied to chemlawns are doing a great deal of harm to us and the environment.  But that isn't what this Rant is about.

This Rant is about a neighbor.  A house kitty corner across the street just got rented out (it's been empty since the owner died and his son can't bring himself to sell the house he (the son) grew up in).  In the past three weeks the new neighbor, who shall be named Carl, has mowed the lawn FIVE TIMES.  FIVE TIMES.  Did you get that?  FIVE.

To put it in prospective we have mowed the grass here at The Edge, oh, let's see, zero times in the same time period.  In fact if you count all the neighbors whose property abuts ours (including the kitty corner properties) only one neighbor has mowed at all and she mowed once.  So that's five properties with one mowing, divided by one property with five mowings and that equals irritated neighbors!

Our Rainfall for June was near normal.  But most of it fell during the first week of the month.  Our rainfall for July is about half what we normally get.  And it's been abnormally hot here.  The grass isn't growing.  It looks like, well, dormant grass.  And that is not grass that needs mowing.  

But wait...  My Rant isn't over.  There's more.  He uses a very, very noisy riding mower.  

No, still not done.  It takes him longer to mow his property with a riding mower than it takes for either The Husband or myself to mow our whole lawn, starting with picking up after the dogs, rolling up the hoses and moving the various and sundry stuff than ends up sitting on the lawn in the Dogs' Lawn.  True we don't have as much grass but when I say he takes longer I'm talking two or three times what I estimate it would take me to mow his property with my push mower.  And he has a very, very noisy riding mower.

UPDATE:  Tonight's mowing started at around 5:30 and was still going when I went out at 7:45.  Our lots are standard sized lots, around a quarter of an acre.  WTF???  When I headed out Carl was mowing BACKWARDS (the lawn mower was going backwards).  OMGWTF???

The Husband thinks he's trying to get the neighbors to all chip in and pay for lawn service for him.  

Whew.  Thanks for letting me get that out.  I needed to Rant.  And I really need for him to stop mowing so I can watch reruns of The Daily Show.

PS.  Clueless Gardener just posted an article she wrote in her local paper about lawns.  She's much calmer than I am.  And I really don't see where she gets calling herself Clueless!

Stay tuned.  Tomorrow is my summer pot party!  I will be sure and post embarrassing pictures of Houseplants with Naked Roots.