In his lifetime in Westport — as a youngster, a Staples High School Class of 1979 student, and now an author and homeowner — Tom Greenwald has seen a lot.
Right now, green lawns have him seeing red. Tom writes:
Green usually means good. But this summer, it means bad.
Setting aside my leaf-blower obsession for a minute (though I’m sure that will be back in full bloom in the fall), my newest fixation is lawns.
(Who would have thought I would become all about yardwork? Certainly not me, and most certainly not my wife.)
Anyone who’s conscious knows that there is a drought on. A pretty big, pretty bad one.
Yet there as still gorgeous green lawns all over Westport. When I see sprinklers sprinkling (which is often), it makes me a little mad.
Green lawn during a brown drought. (Photo/Tom Greenwald)
I get it: Everyone wants a nice property. And most people who live in Westport have made it here because they’re not used to settling for less than what they want. But the time has come to allow our lawns to look a little bad, for the greater good.
I also get that the rules are murky, and not everyone knows them. (In case you don’t, here they are.
But if you do know them, and you’re ignoring them — well, that’s just not cool.
So come on, fellow Westporters: Embrace the brown.
Let’s let whatever water is out there be used for things like cooking, showers and hydration for humans and animals.
By next spring you’ll be showing off your gorgeous lawns. This stretch will be a dry, distant memory.
But for now: No more Lawns Of Shame in our town!
Tom Greenwald enjoys his (brown) lawn.
(“06880” covers the drought — and everything else going on in Westport. Please click here to support your local blog.)