My Manufactured Environment

I remember from my Environmental Ethics class at the Divinity School a philosophy that once took hold in Europe in favor of entirely manipulating, manufacturing, and taming the environment, essentially replacing all wilderness with gardens.

I found this line of thinking a little interesting but a little ridiculous. Then I became a homeowner. Wilderness is not an option in the cul-de-sac. In suburban neighborhoods one is expected not only to tame one's property but also to decorate it.

So Ashlee, Meyer, and I spent most of the day yesterday digging up the mess of monkey grass that had taken over much of the flower bed in the front yard, replacing the layers of soil that came up with the monkey grass with fresh dirt, planting flowers and smaller sprigs of monkey grass, and mulching. The front-yard garden, thanks to one day of intense labor, looks good. At least, it looks better than it has since we've lived at 1109 Sommersby Court.

Philosophically, I'll never understand why we go to such lengths to landscape our yards; but I'm happy with the results.