7/2: Lawns and Code Violations

I gotta learn to keep my big mouth shut. Met with code and zoning people earlier this week about getting a variance to keep chickens and bees, and that must have started something because all of a sudden the Thornton Code Compliance officers came a-knockin' on our door because we have a few too many weeds, no grass, and we're using tires as planters! Get real! Here's what they said:

1. "Please cut weeds from property - includes rock area. Please remove tires - these cannot be stored outside." HUH? Deadline: Jul 9. Uh, yeah, right. THEY should try to get rid of the weeds because I have tried everything I can think of. I pull weeds constantly. As to the tires - I don't consider using them as planters as "storage". I called the code compliance office - they said as long as we make them not look like tires, we might be able to keep them. Duh... gee... thanks.

2. "Please remove the dead trees in yard. Landscaping needs improved - area by corner is mainly weeds and rock area mainly weeds. Yard needs water and weeding." Deadline: Jul 31. Uh, let's see, I water daily but with no results, I've reseeded three times. No luck. Our soil doesn't grow anything but weeds. The code compliance office said the county extension office can do a free soil check for us. As to the weeds, I've used roundup three times and pull weeds DAILY but do they care? Nope. As to the dead trees, I explained that the person we wanted to help us wasn't available until the end of August but nope, that's not good enough. Fine! Instead of doing it nice and nearly, we're gonna hack them up and NOT replace them with walnut trees like we'd planned.

I mentioned that we have already spent a lot of money on this place and redoing the sod and doing the kind of landscaping Officer *** mentioned would cost a lot of money we don't have. Her response: "that's the cost of homeownership". BULL!!!

Can you tell I'm furious? Doug is too. After work, Doug moved the tires from the front yard, and got out there with the weed wacker and brought down everything that was more than a couple of inches taller than the ground, and used the push mower. Weslee will get out in the morning, before errands, and sweep the walk. This weekend we'll all get out and rake the dead grass, broadcast more seed, rake it in and water. AGAIN. And roundup the weeds. AGAIN.

Actually, now's as good a time as any for this little bit of news.... we thought this was the house where we can live out the rest of our lives. Where we can raise our children, and grow old together. We specifically bought this house because there is no HOA and therefore, felt like we'd be ok to plant and landscape to our whims. Not that we planned to do anything completely unusual but we wanted the freedom. The option. Obviously, we were very sadly mistaken.

So we're thinking that maybe, instead of doing all of the improvements like finishing the basement and adding a couple more bathrooms, extending the kitchen, adding a sunroom, attaching solar panels, and central air, we'll continue fixing the basics and the lawn as best we can, and sell it. Yep, we'll move! We've already made a lot of improvements, fixed the roof, got the squirrels out of the attic, banned the foxes from under our back patio, and replaced ALL of the appliances. Surely all of this work, and the required landscaping, will bring a decent asking price in the Spring.

Questions: this property was a VA foreclosure, in holding by Fire Incorporated. Since it was laying empty last year, surely the weed and lawn problem was bad last year. Was Fire Inc given a violation notice? If not, why? If so, why wasn't anything done about these problems?

Once we get this house ready to sell and probably on the market with our favorite real estate person - Kris - then we'll research to find (probably) an un-incorporated area near Doug's work. We'll find a house with a bit more land. We'll be able to have chickens and bees. Where we can use old tires as cheap planters. Where the soil isn't quite so bad that 90% of what we plant will die. Where Weslee can run with the dogs, chickens and goats, and he can build a treehouse. Where he can participate in 4-H.

Good thing we haven't started adoption proceedings yet. Hopefully when we move in the Spring. And get settled.

Yep - look what my request for chickens and bees started. Of course, it's highly possibly (maybe even probable) that one particular neighbor who is quite anal about his yard, might have turned us in. Vikki