A Tulsa woman is suing the City after city workers allegedly cut down what she considers her "edible garden." Okay, she had an unregistered truck in her driveway which might suggest that she doesn't always follow the letter of the law but I'm sure if they took a ruler to a lot of residents' grass that city inspectors might find violations from time to time. This reminds me of Joplin residents who complained off the record--that they were being singled out for code violations when others with the same issues were not. I guess, some times code enforcers get over-ambitious while some just sit in their air conditioned offices. In my yard the Johnson grass grows mighty tall. Do you think I can counter-sue the guy who dumped the load of weed seed-ridden dirt that was supposed to be river bottom soil?

I'm also reminded that I once considered growing food in my front yard. The visiting rabbits and deer squelched the idea, although the reaction from my neighbors did admittingly enter my mind. A while ago the JOPLIN INDEPENDENT posted an article about "Hints for edible landscaping." Master Gardener Mark Bernskoetter did include one caveat, that the planting be "aesthetically pleasing."

The argument for creating front yard food gardens found here coincides with reactions to Ms. Morrison's lawsuit. The commenters, assuming her garden was chemical free, preferred possible unruliness to soaking the environment with chemicals.

Sorry for keeping my musings to myself for so long. A few days of battling vines and weeds has brought several weeks of distress. Now that I'm an acarophobiac, I have time to itch (when not immersing myself in Itch Nix) while sitting at the computer.

Well, after some of us destroy our planet with the application of bug killers and herbicides, we might consider outer space. NOVA, the enlightening program that airs on PBS, thankfully is posting its programs online. Their latest deals with "Hunting the Edge of Space" and may be found here.

Speaking of health issues, I just learned that Blackthorn Pizza and Pub is experimenting again with creating a smoke-free environment during the meeting of Drinking Liberally on June 27. My friends and I of late have been vetoing any place that requires decontamination after a visit, although a couple of us made an exception when we visited Sam's Cellar in Neosho recently. Their pizza is so good. Sit at the bar closest to the kitchen and hide the ash trays.

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