If you take a left out of our neighborhood, you soon come upon another, smaller neighborhood about one-quarter of a mile up the road. There's nothing terribly special about this neighborhood. It's got about 10 houses, most of which sit back from the road a bit. That means you can really only see 4 of the homes as you pass by.
Anyone who's ever spent any time with me in the car, knows that I keep up a running commentary about the homes in our neighborhood and those in the neighborhoods that surround us. If your landscaping looks particularly good or you just added a new patio, you get some words of praise. But, more often than not, I've got a "suggestion" for you. Too many weeds in your foundation plantings? You better be out there early next Saturday morning. Lose a branch in the last storm? Why haven't you gotten out there and hauled it into the woods? Have a pile of mulch that's been sitting in your driveway for more than a week? What's the hold-up?
That brings me back to the neighborhood up the road. A few years back, one of the homeowners purchased a trampoline. Now, most people would put their trampoline in the back yard. Not this family. They set their trampoline up in the front yard. It's not like they didn't have a spacious back yard -- their house sat on a 1-acre lot.
For over a year, I cursed that trampoline each time I drove by the house. I watched as the grass underneath it grew higher and higher. I watched as the safety barriers on the trampoline got torn and were left to dangle over the edge. Each time I drove by, I let loose a diatribe against that trampoline. It pretty much sounded like this: "Look at that thing. I can't believe it's just sitting there. Doesn't anyone on their street care about it? Why should I have to see it each time I pass by? One of these days, I'm going to do something about it."
I'm sure that sounded like an empty threat to anyone else who was in the car with me at the time. But, one night, while hanging out with some of our neighborhood friends, I got a bright idea. "Hey, anybody want to go move a trampoline?" Without much cajoling, I soon had two accomplices. The three of us found our way over to the next neighborhood. Quietly (we think), we approached the dreaded eyesore, and began to haul it away. It was surprisingly light. In no time at all, we had placed it where it belonged in the first place -- in the back yard. We congratulated ourselves and headed back to our house, a job well done.
Fast forward to 2013. The offending house in the other neighborhood was sold a couple years ago. The new owners hadn't really done anything to their yard since they moved in and, as a result, I don't think they'd gotten a single comment from me since they'd arrived on the scene. Until yesterday, that is. We were heading up the small hill towards their house. As we got to the top of the crest, I saw it. There was a shed -- in their front yard! That's right. These people put a shed literally right in their front yard! "You have got to be kidding me," I yelled. "Who the hell puts a shed in their front yard?"
Now, if you're a faithful reader of this blog, you know I love sheds. It's called "Thoughts From Mike's Shed," for crying out loud. But, a shed in your front yard? Who does that?
I've got to get rid of that shed. I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. It's only been 24 hours so I haven't yet developed my master plan. But, that shed is going to have to go. Someway, some how, I've got to get it out of there.
This is where the magic happens.
