The Fake Grass Has to Go

About five years ago, we began to have problems with the grass growing on our front yard. We tried several times to plant it, but it wouldn’t catch. Several experts told us that our trees provided too much shade in this area, and the grass would fail to grow because it needed more sunlight.

My wife and I were frustrated with the situation, and so we decided to explore some options.

While on a business trip to Orlando, I observed that my hotel had installed artificial grass in the common areas. At first, I thought this was a no-go, but I made a video and shared it with my wife.

She did her own research, and we finally decided it was time to give the artificial grass a try. As a reminder here, we only made this decision after giving St. Augustine grass several attempts, which was a costly venture.

Go Artificial

We contacted a vendor who installed the artificial variety of grass, and he provided a nice hefty bid of $5,500 to make our front yard green and pretty. We signed the agreement, and a couple of weeks later, it was done.

We advised the local water company about this decision, given we removed the sprinklers from the front yard. They were happy and even sent us a $750 check for being environmentally conscious.

The visitors to our house would often comment that the grass looked great. We told them the truth, and they noted that, based on our situation, it was the right decision.

The Certified Letter

A couple months ago, I received a certified letter. I suppose the mail carrier tried to deliver it to us at home, but we were not around.

Here I go to the US Post Office!

Fun!

I stand in line for 15 minutes awaiting my turn. Finally, I hand over the slip to the postal clerk, and he goes to search for my letter. After a few minutes, I sign for a letter addressed to me from the homeowner’s association.

You guessed it! They make it clear that our artificial grass violates an obscure section of our code. We were asked to remove it within 30 days and to inform them when it is done. I’m sure there are negative consequences if we ignore this demand.

What?!

I called the contact person at the association, letting her know that we’ve had the artificial grass for nearly 5 years. She responds by asking for a receipt.

My wife finds the receipt in her email inbox, and we provide it to the association contact.

She responds as follows: “Unfortunately, the receipt is dated 3 years, 11 months, and 17 days from the day of the citation. The statute of limitations for this item is 4 years. Therefore, you do not qualify for the exemption.”

You guessed it! We had to pay for the removal of the artificial grass and the planting of the natural type … all within 30 days.

New Look

I contacted a longtime handyman, and he provided a descent quote for doing this work. Within a matter of weeks, the St. Augustine grass is looking awesome, and it is growing without a problem.

The handyman, who we’ve known for more than a decade, mentioned that he remembered the neighbor’s pool water, filled with chemicals, flowing onto our front yard when they cleaned their unit. He thinks this contaminated water was the culprit for our grass failing to grow.

I’m unsure if someone was trying to cause us hardship by reporting this infraction.

However, we like the new look, and it’s yet another example of how the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Homework Inquiry

During the next week, here’s your homework inquiry: How will you handle adversity?

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