30 YEARS IN

35 years ago we had two 1 acre lawns, one in the front and the other the back of the house. After a few years of family feuding over who will cut the lawn, fix the lawnmower, add gas to the lawnmower, etc. and after calculating that 8 hours a month was spent doing the totally mindless, idiotic activity of grass cutting, I decided it was time for a change. I had grown up with clover lawns alive with bumble bees, butterflies, little ants and countless other creatures, and did not know what lawn cutting was until my father stupidly planted grass seeds one year.

I lined up at the farm co-op and ordered clover seeds. The know it all elder clerk, man, said to me in a deep condescending voice "no maaam, you wanna grass seed" ..... "my dear sir, NO, I wanna clover seeds".............."maaaaammmm, who plants clover, everybody plants grass seed" ...... " my dear sir, I want to plant CLOVER seeds, that I do know".....
"well maaam, if ya wanna clover seeds, I'll give ya clover seeds:' ...."perfect, dear sir. One kg bag please." "maamm, what height do ya want? 6" or 8":?"

"wonderful dear sir,...I will take the 6:"....."no can do maaaammm. We are out of stock for 6"." ............"ok not so dear sir....I will take the 8"" Short thereafter I planted the clover seeds which took over the grass seed. Having such a long root and not needing watering, the clover overtook the stressed grass during the hot dry summer weeks. At the same time my family planted hundreds of lilacs and various fruit, conifers and deciduous trees throughout the yard. Then we let nature take its course. We eventually donated the lawn mover, and now take out the weed wacker about twice a year to wack out a few trails amongst the trees. Today the grass is gone, little of the clover is left as now the trees are mature, tall and the top canopy creates too much shade for most plants to grow under it. IF you would like to see what transformation looks like after reforesting a grass lawn, come to 1746 Unity road, Glenburnie. Look at the lawn to the right and left of 1746 then look at the grounds of 1746. At one time the two lawns and our now treed lot were just one big lawn. It is striking to see what a park like lot is next to the dead zone grass lots. Our air conditioner certainly does not work as hard, as soon or as long as our neighbours whose unprotected houses sit in the dead heat of the sun.