Summer is ever so slowly starting to make its appearance around here and with it comes the tell-tale signs and smells: wafting bbqs, dogs and children playing in yards, couples gardening and doing yard work together. Every summer, I have a brief moment of regret for not being a caretaker of my own little slice of maintenance hell.
I get over it rather quickly.
The thing is, I have been outside since...well, all year actually. I am outside all year long, summer or no. And because of that, I don't have the time or energy to put in to the maintenance of a yard *shudder*. If a day ever comes when I can't spend my weekend playing because I have to mow a lawn, it's a pretty guaranteed bet that I will be in the state mental hospital soon thereafter.
Don't get me wrong- I really appreciate everyone else's yards. I love coming to your house, holding a cold drink and enjoying a bbq. I love appreciating your flowering plants and vegetable garden. I love chilling out around a backyard campfire. I count those moments among my favorite summer evenings. And I love that I have friends that are in to their yards and create works of art with mere seeds. That, to me, is amazing.
Not having a yard means that we must make a considerable effort to get Hazel outside to play. This has been the biggest benefit of all of not having a yard. We live across the street from a football field-size expanse of grass, bordered by a river filled with huge boats and access to a fishing dock. A 7-minute block away is a neighborhood playground, teeming with kids. Hazel rides her tricycle in front of her neighbors' houses. We may not be friends with all of them, but now they all know her.
I read an article once which found that suburban kids are actually significantly more isolated than their urban counterparts. It makes total sense to me- suburban kids can just escape to their own backyard. They always have to invite playmates. They never have to share if they don't want to. Mom and Dad can just send them out the door to play while they make dinner, instead of physically taking them outside.
Yes, we give up a sense of a security. We don't get to choose Hazel's every playmate. We must always accompany her. And, sometimes there is trash in our very public backyard. I admit, it's not always perfect. There are days I want to retreat to my own private deck in the sun and ignore the rest of the world.
But then I think of that whole "maintenance" issue and the 30 days I skied this year and the 15 bike races I have done and the several camping trips already this spring and, it's a pretty easy decision. I grab my keys and head over to a friend's perfectly green backyard.
