grass

Years ago, in southern rural areas, nobody that possessed normal intelligence had grass growing around their house. Every sprig of any green growth - except shade trees - was meticulously hoed down and scraped away and the remaining bare ground was carefully raked.

This was not only considered neat, but also served to detect the slithering passage of those creatures that are created without shoulders. It was entirely undesirable to tread upon one of these cold-blooded presences during a necessary nightly journey in a dark house.

So what insanity dictated that we should all have immaculately trimmed green lawns with zero weeds and perfectly manicured shrubbery and flowers or else we are considered a lowlife redneck. If erosion is a main concern, a good healthy weed will hold the topsoil in place very well.

It has to be a huge plot cooked up by grass seed companies in cahoots with fertilizer and chemical plants. Then there are the lawn machinery suppliers with equipment for every imaginable job in the yard, which costs and arm and a leg, leaving only one with which to run your mower, trimmer, edger, etc, ad infinitum.

What's wrong with an au natural landscape? Let things grow where and when they want to, and since nature abhors a vacuum, it will fill up with all sorts of plants whose seeds have been carried in by the winds of passage. But, alas, my beloved spouse doesn't share these natural sentiments, so I will continue mowing - - at least twice a year, whether it needs it or not.