The American Obsession with Lawns

[hunter]

7. I'm sorry you have to live in such a place.

The quality of a front lawn has no relationship to social status where I live. Someone with a perfect well irrigated and chemically treated lawn might even be considered a bit selfish and obsessive.

Our next door neighbors just neatened up their front yard. Apparently the only tools the had were an old chainsaw and weedwacker. Love the sound and smell of two-stroke gas engines in the morning... no, I don't.

The first thing my wife and I did when we bought this house was to rip up the front lawn and replace it with drought tolerant stuff. Later, serious droughts here in California inspired others to do the same.

http://www.water.ca.gov/turf/

I'm not terribly fond of some of some neighbor's concrete and other hardscape masterpieces, I prefer plants, but it's preferable to running out of water when the next drought comes along.