East Coast Kahuna

Hidden Costs of Home Ownership

When I was growing up in Hawaii, I remember my parents constantly tending the yard and plants outside the house. I thought that they did it because they liked doing it.

It was more that they were slaves to the burden of yard work. In Hawaii, conditions are always great for plants to grow. So they do. There are no seasons. The grass always grows and always needs to be mowed. The trees are always have leaves, which eventually will fall off and need to be raked up. If you have fruit trees, they will bear fruit - if you don't pick the fruit to eat or give away, they will fall on the ground and have to be cleaned up.

Now that I have my own house, I don't plant anything additional. We had tried gardening before, but living in the Northeast, too much maintenance is required. You have get your plants in at a certain time in the spring. You go through the winter and have to start afresh every year. You are always fighting off animals such as birds and deer who can get at your garden unless you protect it in a fortress of sort. I pretty much now just cut the grass, cut back on plant which endanger damaging the house or sidewalks, pull weeds when they are out of control. I don't even water the yard. It grows fine on its own. In the fall, all the leaves seem to fall at once (that's why the season is called "Fall" more often than "Autumn"). Although raking is a bigger task here in the Northeast, once it's done for the year, that's it. You don't need to mow anymore once you get to Fall - not until the other side of winter. Then the grass grows like gangbusters and you can see it grown back the day after you mow! As with the raking of leaves, mowing the lawn is much more intense, but you don't have to keep doing it all year.

I don't mind the trade-off. I much prefer having seasons. At least every year you get a sense of completion with the yardwork. In Hawaii, everything always grows. It's always hot and humid. You are a slave to your house and yard. There is no end...

posted by tjh14850 @ 6:52 AM