Explaining Lawns to God
"Winterize your lawn," the big sign outside
the garden store commanded.
I've fed it, watered it, mowed it, raked it and
watched a lot of it die anyway. Now I'm supposed to winterize it? I hope
it's not too late.
Grass lawns have to be the stupidest thing
we've come up with outside of thong swimsuits! We constantly battle dandelions,
Queen Anne's lace, thistle, violets, chicory and clover that thrive naturally,
so we can grow grass that must be nursed through an annual four-step chemical
dependency.
Imagine the conversation The Creator might
have with St. Francis about this:
"Frank you know all about gardens and nature.
What in the world is going on down there? What happened to the
dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a
perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil,
withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting
blossoms attracted butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I
expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green
rectangles."
"It's the tribes that settled there, Lord.
The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers WEEDS and went to great
extent to kill them and replace them with grass."
"Grass? But it's so boring. It's
not colorful. It doesnıt attract Butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs
and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these
Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?"
"Apparently so, Lord. They go to great
pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass
and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn."
"The spring rains and cool weather probably
make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy."
"Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it
grows a little, they cut it - Sometimes twice a week."
"They cut it? Do they then bale it like
hay?"
"Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it
up and put it in bags."
"They bag it? Why? Is it a cash
crop? Do they sell it?"
"No, sir. Just the opposite. They
pay to throw it away."
"Now let me get this straight. They
fertilize grass so it will grow.
And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay
to throw it away?"
"Yes, sir."
"These Suburbanites must be relieved in the
summer when we cut back on
the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the
growth and saves them a lot of work."
"You aren't going believe this Lord.
When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to
water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it."
"What nonsense! At least they kept some
of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself.
The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer.
In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep
moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot,
the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. Itıs a natural circle of
life."
"You better sit down, Lord. The
Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake
them into great piles and have them hauled away."
"No! What do they do to protect the shrub
and tree roots in the winter and keep the soil moist and loose?"
"After throwing away your leaves, they go out
and buy something they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around
in place of the leaves."
"And where do they get this mulch?"
"They cut down trees and grind them up."
"Enough! I donıt want to think about
this anymore. Saint Catherine, youıre in charge of the arts. What
movie have you scheduled for us tonight?"
"Dumb and Dumber, Lord. Its a real stupid
movie about..."
"Never mind I think I just heard the whole
story." |