Looks like we're about to piss off the neighbors
Half of the 10 X 5 raised bed is done; weeds pulled, dirt poured in and seeds planted. Rob's convinced the corn is going to piss off the neighbors, what with it eventually growing to 8 feet high and looking like, well, like corn. Not that he cares if they get their panties in a wad, nor do I, but I remember the fuss in my parent's neighborhood when someone decided to turn their front yard into a vegetable garden rather than a vast expanse of St. Augustine lawn. The neighborhood consensus was that vegetable gardens are messy and untidy and that they should be hidden from public view. I remember thinking at that time that life is pretty damn messy and untidy and all those manicured lawns were just a way of people fooling themselves into thinking they had some sort of control over the chaos. Can't change the fact that your boss at work is a jerk and treats you like shit? Go zap some dandelions and pretend to be in charge of your own domain, at least until the cinch bugs hit. And I've never figured out the appeal of neighborhoods where all the houses look the same, the yards look the same and even the people look the same. This neighborhood started out that way 50 years ago. Every house built at the same time as ours has an identical floor plan, with a few minor differences in lot and front door placement. Our house is actually the odd man out with the kitchen located where the dining room usually sits (a really stupid idea, but we've learned to live with it.) However, after 50 years of remodels, additions and a variety of unusual individuals coming and going, the street no longer looks like a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Interestingly enough, my parent's neighborhood, where every house was custom built and no two are alike, looks much more homongenized even though it was built at the same time as ours. Except for the couple who moved in after the veggie garden folks and decided to raise wild flowers in all those wonderful raised beds. Talk about messy and untidy, but hey, more power to them. It's a hell of a lot more interesting than a boring expanse of grass.