To the People Shaming Me For Mowing My Hudson Valley Lawn

The simple act of mowing my lawn has set off a firestorm of anger. Can we all agree this is just ridiculous?

Recently I commented on the air about finding a good opportunity to mow my lawn. With the wet weather we've been having, the grass has been growing like crazy but it's been difficult to tend to it because of how wet and saturated my lawn has been.

I assumed this was an issue that most Hudson Valley homeowners could relate to, but instead, it's generated anger and outrage from some very vocal residents who have attempted to portray me as a criminal.

Why is Mowing My Lawn Such a Problem?

It started with the occasional social media message and then quickly snowballed into a flood of angry messages sent to my email. It appears that many people have an issue with me talking about mowing my lawn. At first, I was completely confused, and then, after reading through some of the comments, I finally figured out what the uproar was all about.

There is a pretty strong movement right now that is aimed at getting Hudson Valley residents to stop mowing their lawns and return their property back to nature. "No Mow May" is gaining popularity in several communities where homeowners have vowed not to mow their lawns until June. The thought behind this is that our lawns are home to wildlife and by manicuring our yard we're taking away places for these animals to live. One commenter specifically blamed me for killing off the bee population in the Hudson Valley by keeping my lawn cut.

My Response to the Lawn Vigilantes

I'm all for saving the world but if my freshly mowed half-acre of land is going to kill off the bee population, the earth is way beyond any help I can give it. In fact, the whole reason why I mow my lawn so regularly is to stop the wildlife from living in it. Ticks, field mice, and even bees are not things I want to step through every time I go out to enjoy my backyard.

The fact that I need to choose between subjecting my family to Lyme disease or killing the planet seems a bit extreme, don't you think?

And while you may have no problem living in a neighborhood with overgrown lawns and weeds everywhere, I didn't spend all of those years paying off a mortgage to have my property values plummet because I live in a town that looks like a post-apocalyptic warzone.

Can We Compromise?

I've stopped using Round-Up and other chemicals linked to harmful effects on the bee population. I have bird feeders and birdhouses to encourage wildlife to nest in our yard. We've planted flowers that attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Hell, I even let the fat woodchuck who's made a home under my shed continue to live his best life rent-free.

Nature is thriving in my yard so yes, I'm going to continue to mow my yard so I can also enjoy it. Perhaps the angry mowing police should channel their energy in a more productive way and encourage compromises like the ones we've made.  They could also petition local businesses and governments to incorporate more nature into their enormous plots of land instead of asking homeowners to turn their homes into a disease-breeding wild kingdom.

Either way, I'm going to simply respond to these angry environmentalists like the grumpy old man by yelling "Get off my lawn!"