My neighbor across the alley had weeds that had grown to about 7 feet (prickly lettuce I think) and were just getting ready to go to seed. I know most of my neighbors, but I didn’t know this person as they had recently moved in and hardly came out from behind the high wooden fence. It does seem that most people have high fences now.  If you see a house with an old fashioned  3 or 4 foot high picket fence, these people are probably very approachable. But how do you approach someone who you’ve never actually met, and ask him/her to cut their weeds?  Is it even all right to do this, even though the seeds will travel far and wide and also right into my garden?

   I really didn’t know what to do.   People often get angry when asked to do something that they don’t think is your business. But letting your weeds grow, like letting your car run with you just sitting in it -stuff like that- it does affect me and everyone else. But I decided to do nothing.  I decided to assume good will.  Maybe this neighbor didn’t know or didn’t have time to cut down the weeds. Maybe they liked weeds. Their property, their business. I didn’t want to sour a relationship before I even really met them. I decided it is is better to pull weeds for a summer than it is to lose the potential of having a friendly neighbor.

 An addendum: 2 days after I first wrote this, the neighbor cut all the weeds down and put them in garbage. Seldom does life so quickly confirm that the decision you made was the right one.