sore thumb

My general goal for maintaining our property isn't for it to look spectacular. It is just to not be the worst looking property in the neighborhood. I don't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

For example, with all the rain that we have had every house in my general neighborhood has been mowed recently with one exception. One house about two blocks from mine has grass that is probably eight or ten inches high. Since pretty much everyone else in the area mowed this past weekend, that yard looks hilariously out of place. I don't want to be the owner of that house.

As another example, one of our next door neighbors rents out his house. The last tenant just left a couple of weeks ago. Apparently that tenant did not tell her landlord that she got a letter stating that garbage is only picked up once a week now. There has been a large yellow garbage bag out by the curb since Sunday. It isn't an eyesore, but it is like a big flashing sign to the rest of the neighborhood that says, "I have no idea when garbage pickup is." I don't want to be the owner of that house.

After thinking this through, though, I might have a change of heart. I think I wouldn't mind ignoring the lawn and putting the garbage out whenever it is convenient for me. If I can just get past the embarrassment of having the most mismanaged property in the area, I could be even more lazy. Maybe it's worth letting my house look like that after all.