Panda Academy: Where Teacher is Spelled M-O-M-M-Y

• Jun. 5, 2008 - Nosy Neighbors, the Health Dept. and This Year's Asphalt Victory Garden

Evening all, As some on HSR know, our neighbor's called the health dept. on us because *they* (NOT US) were having a problem with "rodents." Any normal, relatively intelligent person, would think they came from either the "old cat lady house" that just got gutted and remodeled (mil talked to the contractors and heard all about just how bad the inside was) or the over-grown wooded area behind the houses on our block owned by a company that NEVER takes care of it. Instead Lawn Nazi Neighbor (i.e. house with 2 full grown adult men and 1 woman who are outside for 6-8 hours a day sweeping up every single leaf and blade of grass that dares fall on their property) convinced the health dept. that our leaves and "debris" are the source of THEIR rodent problem. I emphasis THEIR because we have never, in 11 1/2 years, had so much as a mouse in our house. We had a hamster once but he was a pet, bought at a pet store. We have by June 16, to clean up all the "debris" in between our garden boxes, around the house, and in our garage. If we don't pass, we get slapped with a fine. Dh was NOT given any opportunity to explain that the leaves were 1, sitting on top of soil and 2. acting as both a growing medium and mulch for strawberries and other plants we're using as ground cover between the beds. Nor was he allowed to explain a dozen other things such as the compost pile, the old gazebo pieces (which we're also under orders to toss) were going to be used to fence in the side yard, etc. Nope, it all has to be cleared away or else. I'm not saying improvements don't have to be made. I can understand some of it. Thing is, we WERE doing them and had plans to do more when we had the time and money. Dh works 2 full-time jobs and I homeschool, take care of the house, the garden, and all the chores. We're also planning for a camping trip/visit to a homeschool friend in 2 weeks. We can't be outside and home 24/7 like the bleeping neighbors! Plus, come on, why can't other people have lawns and "lawns in progress" yet we're required to sweep out between the garden beds? Another "get real!" we have 5, yes 5, trees on our tiny little 100 x 50 ft. property. Every time it rains, we get tree debris. And I'm going outside and ruing my new beautiful Toro by sucking up wet leaves or sweeping them up every single day. Sorry, I have better things to do with my time like gee, I don't know, educate my kid perhaps? We racked our brains and came up with a plan. Since "garden boxes" are okay, guess where the leaves, compost pile, compost potatoes, and pile-o-dirt potatoes are going to go? Into garden boxes. Or rather, we're building boxes that will be conveniently placed over them. They'll be filled in with shredded leaves, soil, and planted with ground covers that I was going to plant in the front yard. The 10 year old strawberry bed will be bricked in (did that today) as will around the base of the flowering cherry tree. We get to keep our leaves (leaves = gold in our garden) and also thumb our noses at the neighbors who think they've won. The garage - that just cost us $200 at Lowe's for a tool rack, free-standing shelf (one can't nail anything into the rotting walls,) totes of various sizes, etc. $100 more was spent on wood and paint for the new garden boxes. Another $100+ will be spent tomorrow for homemade soil ingredients, and brightly colored mulch. (We're afraid the health inspector might consider mulch "debris" but since every single property has it, we're making it real obvious that there's mulch and not "leaves" in and around some beds.) Luckily, dh's coworkers at the movie theatre (his 2nd job) and another friend of ours, are rallying to our cry for help and promise of homemade lasagna and baked goods. Not sure exactly when they're coming, but come they will. And now onto BEFORE pictures with explanations as to what you're seeing in this year's Asphalt Victory Garden. (Any WWII housewife would be proud about how much produce we're growing in such a tiny space.) First, some big pics of the Native American Three Sisters Bed. Oh so grossly planted with fish heads and parts to act as fertilizer for the corn, beans, peas, pumpkins, and other squash plants.

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