Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Are We Neighborhood Trendsetters?

Let me begin this post by saying that really don't know our neighbors well. We live on a street that is just two blocks long. We know our next door neighbors to the west fairly well, but as for the rest of the 20 or so houses on the street, we only know a few of those folks, and only well enough for small talk in passing.

In other words, we haven't discussed with anyone on the street the things we've been doing to our yard and garden. Yet this summer, three neighbors have added new front decks and a couple of others have done some noticeable landscaping and planting. At least two others have planted small gardens for the first time in the five summers we've lived here.

We can't say it's because they've been inspired by the gardening and landscaping we've been doing, but we can't say it isn't. Like some of the plants themselves, the gardening bug tends to spread.  We're the last family who would advocate "keeping up with the Joneses", if we're the ones who've infected our neighborhood with this bug, then we're glad.

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July Grocery/Pantry Challenge:

Items Purchased Today (store brand unless indicated):  None

Amount Spent Today (including tax):
$0.00

Amount Spent To Date in July (including tax): $149.92






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10 comments:

Sheila said...

I bet your street is looking nice.
Maybe y'all are starting a new trend--curb appeal your own block--sort of like the HGTV show!!

Sonya Ann said...

Hey, move in next door to me and maybe it will inspire Den! But we would probably be in too much trouble to get anything done!

slugmama said...

We are the scourge of our community!
Why?
Because we don't spend every free moment preening our LAWN...mowing 3 times a week(if it needs it or not), throwing on chemicals or blowing stray leaves off of it. With the lack of rain we had, quite a few of the neighbors have killed their lawns by over mowing. They now have big brown areas instead of lawns...I LOVE it!lolol
We plant veggies in our flower beds when they all have shrubs and our lawn is overrun with clover and broad leaf grasses.
So far, we haven't set a trend....we just get dirty looks.lolol

Lisa B. said...

We live too far apart from our "neighbors" to really see what they do or vice versa.

BUT I bet you're right. Spreading the gardening bug is a great thing. With all the money saving & grow your own harping in our area media lots of people tried growing some of their own veggies this year.

I love the taste of fresh picked veggies! Just posted my harvest pics from yesterday.

McVal said...

Everyone needs inspiration! Good for you to inspire your neighborhood!
We're usually the ones that mow because the neighbors just did and now ours looks shabby...
It would be nice to get some outside work done on our house... You may have inspired me... but with the heat index going above 100 today, maybe not...

Annie Jones said...

Sheila: As a whole, the street still needs a lot of work. I'm happy to see improvements at a few houses, though.

SonyaAnn: Yep, I bet we could get in a heap o' trouble.

Sluggy: Notice that nowhere in my post did I use the word LAWN. Ours is a mess. We put a little weed-n-feed on the front, which kept the dandelions at bay, but in the back it's a free for all. Shane mows once a week if it needs it, less if it doesn't, and he cuts it long so it doesn't die like our neighbors' who insist on a close cut. Eventually the lawn will look good, too, but for now, we've been focusing on veggie and flower beds, perennials, trees, etc.

Lisa B: I think the media hype has a lot to do with it, too. And maybe even the economy...if people don't have money for vacations this summer, maybe they're able to scrape a little together to do some simple home improvements.

McVal: We try not to let our lawn get too a lot taller than everyone else's, but at the same time, it's not our No. 1 priority. Tending the veggie gardens, spending family time together, certain errands/chores and the weather can all postpone a needed cutting around here.

Frances said...

What a great bug to spread. Maybe if you end up with excess produce, you could trade with some neighbors for something you didn't grow.

Anonymous said...

We moved this last year and are renting until our house sells. We cannot plant anything - and it is killing me! I so miss planting, growing, improving my environment! Sigh! I'm glad your neighbors are enjoying it! You, too!

Annie Jones said...

Frances: Trading is a good idea. We've given away some of our produce to a neighbor, to Shane's boss, and to family members. Shane also worked out a trade with a guy at work: several of our ripe tomatoes for a slab of ribs the guy had smoked the night before. :)

Bluecottonmemory: Thanks for stopping by. I'll be around to check out your blog soon!

Unknown said...

I don't think anyone has copied us in planting veggies this year, mind you they've probably heard me out in the garden swearing at the rocket and it's put them off :-)

I've seen a woman in my local bakery swapping her excess for baked goods, they make seasonal breads during the summer and take her extra toms and what not and she gets to pick what she likes from the counter. I'm not a good enough gardener yet to have any excess, apart from the rocket but that stuff's like triffids it gets everywhere.