Fall 2019: Oak Farm Court memories, 1996-2019

When I first looked at this photo on Google maps a few years back, trying to ascertain when the photo was take, my basic analytical skills and obsession with the lawn led me to determine that the photo could only have been taken in September 2006 or 2012. I know this because the lawn shows the tracks of the commercial mower we employed while I was laid up following total hip replacements almost exactly thirteen years and seven years from today's date. Surgery was Thursday morning Labor Day week end, taking me out of school for a few weeks (the first time) or a full semester (in 2012; I learned my lesson).

I am eager to apply this same lawn obsession with the new place in Wisconsin, but it might take some time for the newly graded yard to settle before we seed or sod it. Suffice it to say, I am planning on mowing the lawn myself, out of ritual, devotion, respect, and frugality. Respect for Ed Lorenzi's having taught me to take care of the lawn and my employment at South Shore Country Club in 1969 that taught me how to really manage a cut; frugality as mowing not only gives me inexpensive exercise, it saves me the cost of a lawn mowing service.

I may concede the installation of an underground watering system (as we had in Conway, 1992-94) and employ a lawn maintenance firm to keep out the dandelions, crab grass, and chiggers. In any case, spring will tell and that will likely be May 2020 before any decisions can be implemented, and it will be almost another year before we get curbs and sidewalks.

In many respects, out new neighborhood is much like our old neighborhood, just twenty-five years later. Both developments were greenfield sites on former corn fields. Our new development has a greater variety of builders and home styles and we will have upgrades that we ignored or did not think about 25 years ago, but we will still be part of about 100 new homes creating an entirely new neighborhood. And we expect the majority of homeowners to be young families, as we were 25 years ago.

Home, 1996 to 2018