Thank God for Fall and the first hard freeze. Taking c=
are of a lawn must be the stupidest thing we’ve come up with in a long time=
! We constantly battle dandelions, Queen Anne’s lace, thistle, violets, chi=
cory, and clover that thrive naturally, so we can grow grass that must be n=
ursed through an annual four-step chemical dependency program.
Imagine the =
conversation God might have with St. Peter about this:
"Peter, you kno=
w all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in=
the South? 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 se=
ttled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers ‘wee=
ds’ and went to great extent to kill them and replace them with grass."=
;
"Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract bu=
tterflies, birds, and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental wi=
th temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing t=
here?"
"Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it an=
d keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning =
any other plant "that crops up in the lawn."
"My spring rain=
s 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?"
&n=
bsp;
"Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rak=
e it up and put it in bags."
&n=
bsp;
"They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop=
? Do they sell it?"
"No, sir. Just the opposite. They pay to thro=
w 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 i=
t away?"
"Yes, sir."
=
"These Suburbanites must be reliev=
ed in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That su=
rely 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 ou=
t hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and p=
ay 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 tre=
es 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 moist=
ure in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the le=
aves form compost to enhance the soil. It’s 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 shrubs and tree=
roots in the winter and keep the soil moist and loose?"
"After t=
hrowing away your leaves, they go out and buy something they call mulch. Th=
ey haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves."
"An=
d where do they get this mulch?"
"They cut down trees and grind t=
hem up."
"Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore."=
"St. Paul, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you schedule=
d for us tonight?"
=
"Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real silly movi=
e about…"
"Never mind I think I just heard the whole story.&q=
uot;
[Reprint from October 2000 Grif Net]
=
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
"J=
esus Knows Me, This I Love!"
=2Eavast.com