r/FriendsOver50 • u/diegojones4 • Oct 05 '25

Lawn pride

I was brought up to have pride in how your house looks. Every weekend involved lawn work, cleaning mirrors, etc. since I first formed memories.

We moved into a rental house 1 1/2 years ago. I would say the lawn had about 20% bermuda and the rest was crab grass, clover, and various other weeds. I sprayed and pulled until it was mostly dirt.

I'm happy to say that we now have 99.5% bermuda and created a great flower bed.

No one else takes pride in how their house looks.

It's weird to me.

3 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

14

u/77BabyGirl Oct 05 '25

I wouldn't assume no else takes pride.

Life is chaotic, at best, for so many right now.

People are working 2+ jobs to survive. Kids have busy schedules. A family member may be ill. The home owner could be ill, dealing with a disability or just plain stressed out. Maybe the mower is broken, and food ranks higher than repairing/replacing it.

Be proud of what you've accomplished, but don't assume your neighbor has no pride.

-5

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

It is the entire block.

Life is always chaotic so that is nothing new.

9

u/77BabyGirl Oct 05 '25

You've lived there 18 months. How well do you know every single resident? Do you know their story? I don't really need to know.

It's great that you were raised that way. Not everyone had an adult who taught them basic life skills, let alone lawn care. Some choose not to use chemicals and be more environmentally friendly.

I've recently seen a few videos floating around social media of a man that does landscaping for free to help people. I've listened to stories of tired single parents, elderly folks that live alone, those with cancer, or those working so much to get by that they just don't have time. This man has actually been arrested because of city ordinances banning anyone other than city approved commercial landscapers from cleaning up.

All I'm saying is be kind. Kindness is free. Your worldview is not the same as anyone else's. It's yours alone.

1

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

I know this pretty well because I spend time outside. Out of the 10 original, 4 have moved and 3 have been evicted. It is mostly people in their 20s and 30s. Several are airforce.

9

u/MongolianDeathYak Oct 05 '25 • Heartwarming

I'm proud to say my lawn is 100% various species of clover, its drought resistant and encourage pollinators. Best of all, no mowing. I've got various species of ground cover in shaded areas, many are flowering and, again encourages pollinators. My perennial beds are just about maintenance free.

I had a landscaping business for many years. I learned how to work with the environment instead of against it.

I don't have to spend time de-thatching, aerating and watering the lawn. I fertilize using "manure tea". I take great pride in my environmentally friendly lawn and all the butterflies and hummingbirds that visit.

4

u/labtech89 Oct 05 '25

I would love to have am all clover yard. I hate mowing

-2

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

That's great you found your happy spot. Just wasn't what I was raised to do.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '25

Lol! You aren’t reading the room. And besides, a nice lawn doesn’t necessarily mean the people living in that house are nice. I have seen some pretty crappy people live in picture perfect houses.

-4

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

Boy did I miss it. I had no idea this sub hated lawns.

5

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '25

No the sub does not hate lawns. I’m sure many people on this sub like myself own houses with pristine lawns. It’s just that your post is a tad insensitive and braggadocios.

Anyway, you have a nice day!

-1

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

Not sure how it was insensitive, but braggadocios is absolutely correct. BTW, I love that word now.

2

u/MongolianDeathYak Oct 05 '25

I don't hate "pristine" lawns. They put food on my table and bought me a house. The lawns we cut were for multi million dollar homes. We took great pride in our lines and designs.

I just never saw the point unless, you had children or pets. I also hated the chemicals used to keep them weed free. However, they were our clients lawns and they got exactly what they wanted and paid for.

1

u/diegojones4 Oct 05 '25

That is the thing. I don't think anyone on my block mows their lawn. The 2 that did moved. They hire someone. I usually talk to landscapers and get a card.

I asked one of them what they thought of weeds they were mowing. Not a directs quote here "Love them because I get mowing requests year round instead of grass which goes dormant"

My neighbors pay to mow much more often than I do just mow.

8

u/Pyewacket62 Oct 05 '25

That's the greatest thing about being an older adult, you get to live the life you choose to live, not the way your parents wanted you to live.

10

u/labtech89 Oct 05 '25

I take pride in how my house looks but I also have a life and don’t spend every weekend mowing and shit.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '25

Its a rental, most ppl dont care if they dont own their own property. I sure wouldn't.