It comes down to personal values, of course. We love chickens and livestock, so we are happy to have other like-minded folks in the neighborhood. How I wish my neighbors had livestock and poultry instead of barky dogs!
Same with gardens. I live on a street where everyone else has clipped little lawns and clipped little shrubs, and you get to my yard and you can't see the house (right off the street) because it's camo'd by a thick screen of bamboo, blueberry bushes and other native shrubs and small trees, clematis vines and butterfly bush. Some folks love it, others bypass it and walk on the street (I have the "hell strip" planted with wildflowers and lush greenery as well) with looks of disgust on their faces. I actually had a lady steer her little daughter (on scooter) away from my sidewalk and into the street to keep her away from the evil jungle. I watched her give my garden the "stink eye" as she hastily walked past. Another lady drove by slowly, stopped to take it in, saw me and said, "That is a fabulous garden!" She "got" it and I was so happy. Another lady said that my garden would fit in perfectly in Seattle and Portland (OR) because it was in synch with that style. Who'da thunk, as I am New England born and raised, and was acting on my own intuitions.
The chickens, ducks and geese I keep are part of that sensibility, and I would love to see the rest of my block get some and let their yards go a little natural too.
Same with gardens. I live on a street where everyone else has clipped little lawns and clipped little shrubs, and you get to my yard and you can't see the house (right off the street) because it's camo'd by a thick screen of bamboo, blueberry bushes and other native shrubs and small trees, clematis vines and butterfly bush. Some folks love it, others bypass it and walk on the street (I have the "hell strip" planted with wildflowers and lush greenery as well) with looks of disgust on their faces. I actually had a lady steer her little daughter (on scooter) away from my sidewalk and into the street to keep her away from the evil jungle. I watched her give my garden the "stink eye" as she hastily walked past. Another lady drove by slowly, stopped to take it in, saw me and said, "That is a fabulous garden!" She "got" it and I was so happy. Another lady said that my garden would fit in perfectly in Seattle and Portland (OR) because it was in synch with that style. Who'da thunk, as I am New England born and raised, and was acting on my own intuitions.
The chickens, ducks and geese I keep are part of that sensibility, and I would love to see the rest of my block get some and let their yards go a little natural too.

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