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Yards

By Meg | May 21, 2007

Riding my bike around the neighborhood the other day I took time to look at our neighbors’ yards. Some are packed full of well-maintained flowerbeds, others have well-manicured lawns, some are a bit sandy, some have overgrown weeds, and one neighbor has planted local drought-resistant plants with wood chips in between. Unfortunately, I do not know my neighbors very well, but I wonder what their yards tell about them. Clearly some have more time, skill and/or money than others. But it’s more than that. Some are more eco-friendly, some seem to like a lot of structure, others seem to like a more natural look.

My mom works very hard on her yard and has for as long as I can remember. Growing up I dreaded working outdoors in the heat. It wasn’t something I was very interested in. She takes pride in it, though, and I remember how the other kids at the bus stop thought that we must be rich (which we weren’t) because of how nice the yard and house looked. Many of my friends’ yards were a mess. It wasn’t just that they didn’t have the time or money. Some of them left toys and even garbage in their yards. People would park anywhere and eventually there would be no grass left at all. Meanwhile, my mom got on to anyone who drove across her yard.

What I learned from my mom was that what mattered most when it came to keeping up appearances was not money, or time, or skill, but rather pride. She takes care of what is hers so that we can be proud of it, and she expects people to show her the common courtesy that she shows others - despite the number of neighbors that still toss garbage out of their cars as they drive through the neighborhood.

My husband and I’ve had our house now for several years. We’ve both been so busy that we have a long list of to-do’s when it comes to the house and yard. The yard has been a sore spot for me since I know that it’s the first impression neighbors get of us. I wouldn’t say that I’m embarrassed to show the place to friends, but I’d like to think that the weeds don’t reflect our personalities. Now that I have more time I’ve finally gotten around to doing some landscaping in our front yard. It’s about time that we traded in the wild expanse of weeds for something a bit more colorful and structured (but not too structured). I’m a beginner at this sort of thing, so I can’t promise the results will be that great at first, but it’s a start. I know that whatever the results, I’ll be proud of my hard work. I’m curious, too, to see what our yard ends up saying about us.

What does your yard or other outdoor space say about you?


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