up to code
Jul. 31st, 2006 07:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gurdonarkThe sunflowers moved from bloom to seed. Birds visit the drooping flowers, and pick the seeds from the faded blooms. We remain at Stage 3 drought alert, which translates to limiting our outdoor watering to once a week. The prospect exists that we will escalate to phase 4, in which one can only water foundations and trees by hose. Watering foundations is our regional past-time, as our clay soil provides that blessed assurance that one will one day have foundation issues, and it is only a question of how soon.
I heard from family members one of those satisfying stories, the Saga of the Code Enforcing Neighbor. It goes like this: "Once upon a time, there lived in a particular tract home suburb a
Code Enforcing Neighbor. Whenever a neighbor erected a structure, allowed a trace of paint to peel, or mis-parked a car, the Code Enforcing Neighbor called the town's Building Code Enforcement personnel, who would appear and write a ticket for fifty dollars against the offending party. The Code Enforcing Neighbor became quite unpopular as a result of his zeal.
One day, two of his neighbors went to his home to try to reason with him. They wanted him to stop being a Code Enforcing Neighbor. They were not getting anywhere, though, as he declined to desist.
As they prepared to leave, the man's sprinkler came on. The problem was that this was a violation of the most serious code of all--the Drought Code. The two visitors called the Drought Code Enforcing Unit, who promptly issued a ticket for two thousand dollars to the Code Enforcing Neighbor.
They all lived happily ever after. No more fifty dollar tickets were written, while the Code Enforcing Neighbor discvoered a new hobby called "libertarianism", which kept him out of trouble (and office) for life".
I heard from family members one of those satisfying stories, the Saga of the Code Enforcing Neighbor. It goes like this: "Once upon a time, there lived in a particular tract home suburb a
Code Enforcing Neighbor. Whenever a neighbor erected a structure, allowed a trace of paint to peel, or mis-parked a car, the Code Enforcing Neighbor called the town's Building Code Enforcement personnel, who would appear and write a ticket for fifty dollars against the offending party. The Code Enforcing Neighbor became quite unpopular as a result of his zeal.
One day, two of his neighbors went to his home to try to reason with him. They wanted him to stop being a Code Enforcing Neighbor. They were not getting anywhere, though, as he declined to desist.
As they prepared to leave, the man's sprinkler came on. The problem was that this was a violation of the most serious code of all--the Drought Code. The two visitors called the Drought Code Enforcing Unit, who promptly issued a ticket for two thousand dollars to the Code Enforcing Neighbor.
They all lived happily ever after. No more fifty dollar tickets were written, while the Code Enforcing Neighbor discvoered a new hobby called "libertarianism", which kept him out of trouble (and office) for life".
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Date: 2006-07-31 03:59 pm (UTC)Three years ago, I planted a bunch of sunflowers in my garden out back. The boys really wanted them, and I thought it would be a hardy summer plant here in Texas. They were WONDERFUL and grew to 8 or 9 feet. That fall, I yanked them out and piled the stalks up in a corner of the yard to dry out and break down a bit more.
Last year, I realized what this did for me. My garden started sprouting WAY more sunflowers than anything else. The corner where I had originally laid the stalks also started sprouting. Areas around the garden, where seeds had fallen, started sprouting. I kept it under control, and let those in the garden stay, along with a couple of hearty ones in the corner of the yard.
This year? The whole back fence was LINED with large sunflowers. These plants have gotten up to 10 feet tall. I tried to pull out a few before they went to seed, but I've just piled them in the yard again.
I think sunflowers will always be with us in the backyard now, but I don't mind a bit.
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Date: 2006-07-31 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-31 09:24 pm (UTC)In our subdivision, not the one in the story, it's the home-owner's association manager writing the "if you don't get the bermuda grass out of your flower bed, we will take it out at your expense". We hired a lawn service, so we never get that one, but it's still an irritant as a matter of principle, particularly as the kind of grass, Bermuda, the developer installed is so very invasive, and the local native, caterpillar, is not.
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Date: 2006-07-31 09:15 pm (UTC)By the way, when you write about watering foundations, do you mean house foundations? Why do you have to do that?
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Date: 2006-07-31 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-01 04:22 am (UTC)