They're Not Weeds
Or, Speaking of Poppies....
So, yesterday I was putting Marigold down for a nap. We were halfway to Dreamland when there was an abrupt knock at the front door. Thinking it was a friend of mine, who I'd promised some swiss chard, I got up and went to the door, Marigold close behind.
It was not my friend. It was the city Code Enforcement officer. He was stopping by because my yard was overgrown with "weeds" and grass. Well, it is true that the lawn needed mowing. It had been about 2 weeks, one week having been unusually busy for both me and Apollo, and the next week having been very rainy (something that contributed to the height of the grass, I think). And I had very nearly mowed the lawn during a break in the rain, but Apollo told me not too, because the grass was wet. Apollo seems to regard the lawn has 'his' expertise (though I'm the one who's been mowing it this year), so I let it go. However, had I followed my instincts, I might not now be facing Mr. Code Enforcement. To whom I frankly admitted that the lawn needed mowing and told him that I would take care of it. (I did, just as soon as Marigold fell asleep.)
Of course, the other problem was the presence of 3 foot "weeds" in my park strip and around the yard. Well, it happens that I have a taste for wildflowers and I've been trying to live my environmentalist convictions by "ripping my strip" and creating a more waterwise yard. Each time he gestured toward my weeds, I told him, "those aren't weeds, they're wildflowers." I even named them for him. But he persisted in calling them weeds, even after admitting that he was 4 days new on the job, having been transferred from the police beat, and that he wasn't sure which plants were allowed in park strips.
To be fair, he was very nice about the whole thing. Part of his niceness seemed to stem from the fact that he had apparently been in the posse that responded when our dog bit Marigold in the face last year and he felt bad for us--he certainly remembered all the details... AND our house. Sigh. Anyway, the form he gave me was not technically a 'warning' nor was it in any way a citation. You might call it a 'friendly reminder from your neighborly city code enforcement department'. And we parted with me promising to take care of the lawn and him planning to look up the details of my "weeds". (They're not weeds, they're wildflowers.) (!!!) He also told me that if I didn't hear back from him within a couple of days, to give him a call and remind him. Right-o. I'll put that at the top of my to-do list.
He left, I put Marigold down for her (rather late) nap, and I went outside and mowed the damn lawn. Front and back. Now maybe I can be a respectable citizen again.
So, yesterday I was putting Marigold down for a nap. We were halfway to Dreamland when there was an abrupt knock at the front door. Thinking it was a friend of mine, who I'd promised some swiss chard, I got up and went to the door, Marigold close behind.
It was not my friend. It was the city Code Enforcement officer. He was stopping by because my yard was overgrown with "weeds" and grass. Well, it is true that the lawn needed mowing. It had been about 2 weeks, one week having been unusually busy for both me and Apollo, and the next week having been very rainy (something that contributed to the height of the grass, I think). And I had very nearly mowed the lawn during a break in the rain, but Apollo told me not too, because the grass was wet. Apollo seems to regard the lawn has 'his' expertise (though I'm the one who's been mowing it this year), so I let it go. However, had I followed my instincts, I might not now be facing Mr. Code Enforcement. To whom I frankly admitted that the lawn needed mowing and told him that I would take care of it. (I did, just as soon as Marigold fell asleep.)
Of course, the other problem was the presence of 3 foot "weeds" in my park strip and around the yard. Well, it happens that I have a taste for wildflowers and I've been trying to live my environmentalist convictions by "ripping my strip" and creating a more waterwise yard. Each time he gestured toward my weeds, I told him, "those aren't weeds, they're wildflowers." I even named them for him. But he persisted in calling them weeds, even after admitting that he was 4 days new on the job, having been transferred from the police beat, and that he wasn't sure which plants were allowed in park strips.
To be fair, he was very nice about the whole thing. Part of his niceness seemed to stem from the fact that he had apparently been in the posse that responded when our dog bit Marigold in the face last year and he felt bad for us--he certainly remembered all the details... AND our house. Sigh. Anyway, the form he gave me was not technically a 'warning' nor was it in any way a citation. You might call it a 'friendly reminder from your neighborly city code enforcement department'. And we parted with me promising to take care of the lawn and him planning to look up the details of my "weeds". (They're not weeds, they're wildflowers.) (!!!) He also told me that if I didn't hear back from him within a couple of days, to give him a call and remind him. Right-o. I'll put that at the top of my to-do list.
He left, I put Marigold down for her (rather late) nap, and I went outside and mowed the damn lawn. Front and back. Now maybe I can be a respectable citizen again.
posted by Artemis | 1:08 PM
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