A So-called Lawn

Pojar and Mackinnon, in their book, Plants of Coastal British Columbia, describe 200 different grasses in coastal B.C., Washington and Alaska, most of which are indigenous to the area. Today I cut my so-called lawn,composed of a variety of these grasses, for the second time this year. When we moved here in August 1979, the pianist and I inherited a meadow,amongst other contributions of Mother Nature. The meadow grasses were three to five feet tall and mighty impressive. Over the years I have mowed our meadow regularly,turning it into what has become a passable lawn, though not of the same nature as it's more civilized brethren from the seed store or turf farm. The multiplicity of grasses in the so-called lawn remind me a little of the grade 8 class at school. Some short, some tall, some plump, some skinny and pimply but all quite beautiful and growing at different rates. Because of that characteristic, to give it a semblance of lawn, it must be cut regularly or it looks dreadfully thatchy. By close mowing over time there is a population shift to the finer blade varieties. I have also, over time, planted store bought seeds in some areas that I secondarily converted to grass. It of course grows evenly and looks well, even if one misses the occasional cut.In time however, the sown lawn and the so-called lawn do begin to resemble one another, much like two people such as the pianist and I, who have lived together for eons of time and are a product of the same living and ageing cohabits. I suppose if our lawns were in Lotus City I might feel a bit out of place, but here in boondock Heaven no one sees the lawn except those whom we choose to invite. I guess, in addition to putting your own stamp on a piece of ground, it's good to try to retain as much as possible, of the gift that Mother Nature has freely given.