Sunday, Aug. 15, 2010

Look for life, not tall grass

Your first "newcomer" column could use more than the good trim and some edging that my lawn needs. No one likes to hear the newcomer start things off with a "do your part to make things nice." It comes off as condescending, and if there is one thing I have learned here in my short time is that southerners do not like to be looked down at.

But I feel your frustration. Having not been here long myself, I too was shocked by the state of the grass. But this is the South. We got rain this year and in August that means the grass grows fast. Real fast, freakishly fast. Come October a little length in the blade won't be such a big deal, especially since all the unraked leaves will cover it up nicely.

Even in the best Midtown neighborhoods, lawn care says little about the quality of the community. Most of theses homes were built in an era when the average amount of hours spent working at a job was significantly less. Nowadays, with two jobs, over-scheduled activities for the kids and a million-mile-an-hour weekends, your typical Midtown family is much less into the mow. Don't let long grass in August be your barometer for midtown attractiveness. A little bit of unsolicited advice: Find the neighborhood where the toys are strewn about, where you see people playing in the streets and buy a house there. You will be better off in the long run living in a spot that isn't as tidy, but full of life.

Damon Circosta

Raleigh