Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Denver Mods 7/26/84) 6/24/83; site drutx.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!drutx!slb From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) Newsgroups: net.consumers Subject: Grass Message-ID: <3308@drutx.UUCP> Date: Sun, 21-Jul-85 11:44:03 EDT Article-I.D.: drutx.3308 Posted: Sun Jul 21 11:44:03 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 24-Jul-85 21:52:36 EDT Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver Lines: 66 >Again, I mention the quaint Californian (southern, that is) custom of >merely paving one's front yard with, say concrete, and then covering said >concrete with -- -- -- ASTROTURF!!!! A few red and blue spray painted >rocks and, say, we're having fun now!!! >>I visited Tucson, Arizona, once. I saw pebble and rock "lawns". I also >>saw a lot of dried brown grass lawns. And I even saw a dried brown grass >>lawn that had been painted green. You could tell it had been painted >>because part of the sidewalk was green too. >>>where the owners have filled in the >>>entire yard with colored gravel and built a mound of rock in the middle with >>>a PINK push-mower on top, with a sign "R.I.P." on the mound. Right in the >>>front yard! Tacky, but funny. I agree that astroturf and painted dead grass are tacky. But don't knock pebble lawns without knowing the situation in the area. Many people in wet areas of the country are unaware of the social and economic aspects of a lack of water. Here in Colorado, the aquifers are rapidly becoming depleted. We are lucky to get 15 or so inches of rain a year. The mountains sit up there so green and lovely that people forget that the Front Range is a DESERT. In some parts of the Metropolitan Denver area it costs $3000 for a tap permit to hook your new house up to the water system. IT SHOULD. More and more people are moving here (because of the obvious wonderful things about the area, I might add--I am one of those people, and I love it here), and the water is not increasing with the population. I would think that the problem is even more acute in Tucson. There was water rationing in Denver until last year. It is now voluntary. My own view is that it should be enforced--if for no other reason than to make people think about the situation. We are probably sitting on a time bomb here. So those people with rock lawns (yes, and even astroturf--gack) are really socially responsible folks. There is also the cost. I live in a very expensive water area, because of a new treatment plant that experienced cost overruns. But my experience is not too out of line to serve as an example. It can cost $200 or more to water our lawn each month in the summer. Yes, we have a grass lawn. It was here when we arrived and we both love grass so much we can't bear to do away with it. Many ground covers will not live here, or take as much watering as grass. (Of course some are ok--we are looking into that. We would be interested in any information on low water-using ground covers. Ones that will survive a hard winter, also, of course.) I have seen some quite attractive rock/sand/cactus lawns. I have also seen some eyesores. It is like anything else--it takes good taste to arrange properly. Red and blue rocks don't quite cut it in the taste department. The worst thing about rock and sand are that they are hot in the summer. How about a Zen raked-sand/rock garden? -- Sue Brezden Real World: Room 1B17 Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb AT&T Information Systems 11900 North Pecos Westminster, Co. 80234 (303)538-3829 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your god may be dead, but mine aren't. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~