Helping Out in the Neighborhood
Most days, if the weather cooperates, I enjoy walking one or two miles around my neighborhood. I live in a nice community on Mercer Island with several parks and bike paths close by that encourage those of us living here into staying fit. I have lived in my current home for over 40 years and I am proud to live exactly where I do.
During my walks I notice how my neighbors keep up their homes and gardens and look for pointers of new plants to add to our yard, or perhaps color combinations when next I feel the urge to paint my home. I even joined up with a tennis group that regularly plays just two blocks from my home.
Some time ago I noticed that fast growing blackberry vines could reach out into bike and walking paths and cause those that noticed to alter their path. Those that did not notice in time got scratched. Bikers would often swerve into the portion of the road used by automobiles in order to avoid these vines. Even though I was not aware of any accidents directly related to this practice, I took it upon myself to carry clippers and a leather glove to trim back vines that looked dangerous. More than once I have had someone passing by on a bike thank me. One fellow pointed to a lengthy hanging vine that I had just cut and said he had already been raked twice by it before he noticed it was not just a shrub branch.
One of my walking routes takes me down a busy street just south of the business section that often gets litter, usually from careless kids or teens. Since I receive more enjoyment from unblemished scenery, carrying along a plastic bag and removing the litter, helps my route look better for my next trip.
During the winter, storms often blow branches down, and occasionally whole trees. Quite often they block at least a portion of the road or sidewalk. I keep a chainsaw ready to go, and use these occasions to add to my fireplace wood supply. Rarely do I need to go off the Island to fill my woodshed. I even have neighbors with large wooded lots keep me posted on any new blowdowns that I might be able to use.
The city maintains a power substation across from our driveway. Usually they send by a City vehicle to trim the area between the road and the box, but don’t cut as often as local neighbors maintain their yards. It only takes me a few minutes to trim the area with a weed eater and it looks much better as a result. It looked so good in fact that I secretly added a lilac bush in an area they do not regularly cut.
Sometimes I drive my car a short way and hike around Luther Burbank Park. I am currently meeting with the new Park director to see if I can add some salmon to a small local stream or possibly plant a few quail near an off-leash area for dogs that has lots of ground cover for habitat. I don’t know yet if I will be successful in my request to have these uses allowed, but I suspect that the Park will be more interesting if I am successful.
Since I am getting older now and don’t walk as far, I am hoping that others will join me in my quest to keep my neighborhood looking pretty. Would you care to join me?
