STRANGERS AND STRANGERS
There’s a corner house a block from ours, and every time I pass, I inspect the lawn. I want to be sure there are dandelion leaves.
A few years ago I’d sometimes see a stroller leaning against the garage and a dog lying in the grass next to a “pesticide application” sign. One day I saw a woman lift a child into the stroller. I inhaled, oh, I hate doing this, and asked her if she’s aware that lawn pesticides pose a danger to her child and her dog.
Last week she was still pushing a stroller, and I sensed she wanted to talk to me. She did.
“I’d like to thank you. I don’t know if you remember, but six or seven years ago you told me about the risks of lawn pesticides and sent me to a website. I took a look at it, and I haven’t sprayed since.”
“Thanks so much for letting me know!”
That changed my day. Once in awhile I actually make a difference!
I thought of a woman who lives in another corner house not far from us. I spoke to her, too, a few years ago. Last year she finally stopped spraying, and I told her how much I appreciated it. This year there she was, standing in her grass, pesticides signs strategically placed.
“I’m very disappointed you’re using pesticides again.” Her lawn was more important to her than the health of the grandchildren walking next to me. I elaborated on the risks.
“Yes, you told me that a few years ago...Yes, yes, you already told me...”
Oh, well, every time I pass her house I think of the time over twenty years ago when my dog, Lilac, peed on her parkway, peed, and a voice shouted out of an upstairs window, “Aren’t you going to clean up after your dog?” I suspect she’s never had a child, surely never had a dog, only a weed-free lawn.
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