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May. 26th, 2005 10:17 pmHmm: I played with the idea of experiencing, this situation first hand, but I wasn't really expecting it to actually occur.
We received a notice taped to our front door (the taper did not bother to see whether any tapees were present apparently) indicating that we are required to "cut grass and/or destroy weeds" around our domicile. Andrea and I had just mowed the lawn yesterday with our wonderful little human powered push mower (that I was going to write an entry about 'cause I love it so much), but it seems that the results were not satisfactory to someone or other, not least of which being the inspector from the "Department of Neighborhood Services and Inspectors" who "inspected" our yard today.
Apparently, we do not have any "noxious weeds" since that box isn't ticked, but we were found to have "grassy areas exceeding a height of eight inches (8")." They must be talking about the narrow band of tall shoots around the edge of the grass; I had just finished mowing everything else! The push mower has some trouble with edging and I figured that, over the course of a few times mowing the lawn, it'd get what it missed the first time. Unfortunately, my time table is not meshing well with other people who would seem to not be satisfied with the expanse of uninteresting green around their own dwellings.
Were the complaint against weeds, I would look into what legally constitutes a week and stand up to the notice. I note that the American Heritage Dictionary defines a weed as "A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden." Considering I don't have any objection to any sort of plant growing in my yard, this should not be an issue. But, as I noted, the complaint seemed to be levied strictly against our grass.
I did note, after a more detailed perusal of the document, that there are references to city code that I didn't see before. I even managed to find the city code online here on a really great website that contains a Wisconsin law library. I note that one can apply for a variance for a natural lawn. I'll have to look into that and see whether it's possible on a rental property. I suspect that, renting as we do, our options are limited. (It's also interesting to note that University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station apparently has a monopoly on deciding what constitutes a weed in the Kenosha environs.)
Meh. I suppose I'll have to get out there and trim this weekend. I can't wait to find out what happens when I start doing smithing in the garage. Not to mention the pottery work Andrea's going to be doing. (Did I mention that we're going out after I get home from work tomorrow to pick up a kiln that a friend of my dad's is giving away?)
I guess I'm just frustrated by other people deciding what's an acceptable appearance for my things to be in. It looks from the code like they might even be able to force me to trim the backyard; it doesn't discriminate. You must have far too much time on your hands to worry about what the condition of someone else's lawn is! I don't even have time to get everything in my own life done that I want to, and someone is taking the time out of their day to complain that my grass is a few inches too high. Mixed in with the grumpiness, I actually feel kind of bad for them, that such an insignificant little thing is that much of a concern for them.
We received a notice taped to our front door (the taper did not bother to see whether any tapees were present apparently) indicating that we are required to "cut grass and/or destroy weeds" around our domicile. Andrea and I had just mowed the lawn yesterday with our wonderful little human powered push mower (that I was going to write an entry about 'cause I love it so much), but it seems that the results were not satisfactory to someone or other, not least of which being the inspector from the "Department of Neighborhood Services and Inspectors" who "inspected" our yard today.
Apparently, we do not have any "noxious weeds" since that box isn't ticked, but we were found to have "grassy areas exceeding a height of eight inches (8")." They must be talking about the narrow band of tall shoots around the edge of the grass; I had just finished mowing everything else! The push mower has some trouble with edging and I figured that, over the course of a few times mowing the lawn, it'd get what it missed the first time. Unfortunately, my time table is not meshing well with other people who would seem to not be satisfied with the expanse of uninteresting green around their own dwellings.
Were the complaint against weeds, I would look into what legally constitutes a week and stand up to the notice. I note that the American Heritage Dictionary defines a weed as "A plant considered undesirable, unattractive, or troublesome, especially one growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden." Considering I don't have any objection to any sort of plant growing in my yard, this should not be an issue. But, as I noted, the complaint seemed to be levied strictly against our grass.
I did note, after a more detailed perusal of the document, that there are references to city code that I didn't see before. I even managed to find the city code online here on a really great website that contains a Wisconsin law library. I note that one can apply for a variance for a natural lawn. I'll have to look into that and see whether it's possible on a rental property. I suspect that, renting as we do, our options are limited. (It's also interesting to note that University of Ilinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station apparently has a monopoly on deciding what constitutes a weed in the Kenosha environs.)
Meh. I suppose I'll have to get out there and trim this weekend. I can't wait to find out what happens when I start doing smithing in the garage. Not to mention the pottery work Andrea's going to be doing. (Did I mention that we're going out after I get home from work tomorrow to pick up a kiln that a friend of my dad's is giving away?)
I guess I'm just frustrated by other people deciding what's an acceptable appearance for my things to be in. It looks from the code like they might even be able to force me to trim the backyard; it doesn't discriminate. You must have far too much time on your hands to worry about what the condition of someone else's lawn is! I don't even have time to get everything in my own life done that I want to, and someone is taking the time out of their day to complain that my grass is a few inches too high. Mixed in with the grumpiness, I actually feel kind of bad for them, that such an insignificant little thing is that much of a concern for them.
