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Dear Reader,
In addition to our Neighborhood Watch Program I'm thinking of trying to generate interest in a Neighborhood Weed Program. My flower gardens desperately need a good weeding, but I seem to be more taken with my neighbor's weeds than my own. Isn't that the way it is with things? The traits that irritate me the most in other people are things I should be attending to myself.
When I was out for my morning stroll yesterday, I caught myself bent over ready to dislodge a misplaced weed standing tall in the middle of my neighbor's yellow Lantana. But before I did the deed, some of their white Penta caught my eye. The green leaves were brown and straggly--you have to cut Penta way back periodically even though it's still flowering or they look ragged--what a mess.
Well slap my hand! Just who did I think I was, intending to pull a weed that didn't belong to me and on top of that, I was critiquing my neighbor's flower gardens when there were numerous weeds--entire weed families (including extended weed family members) thriving in my own yard? What a hypocrite. It wasn't with any intentional malice or ill-will that I so desperately wanted to pull my neighbor's weeds instead of my own; my neighbor's weeds just seemed to motivate me more. Maybe it's something left over from childhood? I would have rather cleaned up anybody's room but my own.
The concept behind my Neighborhood Weed Program idea is really very simple--exchange one-weed-for-another. My neighbor would be responsible for pulling the weeds in my yard and I in turn would take care of theirs. Guilt and embarrassment would provide sufficient motivation. And if that wasn't inspiration enough, we could post signs, "This yard is taken care of by my neighbors Millie and John (two doors down)." I'll be sure to bring this up at the next neighborhood meeting. Who wouldn't love the idea?
And since I'll be presenting that idea, I might as well bring up something else I've noticed in our neighborhood lately...fences that are falling apart...'Oh dear, well at least I'm consistent.' (The traits that irritate me the most in other people are things I should be attending to myself.)
Signing off to go pull some weeds and repair a fence--in my own yard!
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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