Dear Neighbor,
Perhaps you were accosted by a laurel in your childhood. Maybe you were jumped by a juniper. Now you are directing your angst at our hedge, the hedge that is home to many birds, provides the only bit of privacy we are allowed in our fishbowl of a home, the hedge that is a barrier for children and domestic critters.
You appear unable to talk with us about your problem, a concern for a neighborhood we have worked hard to bring together to be helpful and watchful of each other. The issue isn’t safety, as at least 50% of homes in our area have plants that grow 1/3 to 1/2 over the sidewalk. I have counted. You just hate hedges.
You are unable to talk to us about the regular maintenance and growing plan we have in place, an alternating schedule of exterior and interior trimming to maintain some privacy, with the long-term plan to grow a canopy over the sidewalk as respite from rain for all the dog walkers and store goers we enjoy seeing pass by on a daily basis.
I’m sorry if the birds stop singing as you walk by. I’m sorry that the sidewalk is just not wide enough to accommodate you. I’m disheartened that if there is a real issue here you feel you have to file anonymous complaints. I suspect you have been the target of just such attacks and feel you should not suffer alone.
I remain grateful that our city inspector is both reasonable and insightful, understanding the concerns we have about home value, privacy, and maintaining hardwood on a hedge we took on when we bought the house.
I look forward to GEICO creating another Seattle personality for their lame but amusing marketing campaign: The Passive Aggressive Hedge Hater
westseattleblog
West Seattle Blog
West Seattle Blog
