Microaggressions
I moved to The Club at Indian Creek on January 2nd despite terrible on-line reviews. Because my dog Max is 100 lbs, there were only three complexes to choose from. Some of the issues seemed to have been addressed, and the space is perfect. I assume it was once an upscale condo with a fireplace and a storage unit in the basement. Most importantly it's a garden apartment with a very large patio where I can get my hands in the dirt and Max and I can sit outside together.
When I moved in, the patio was a sterile combination of gravel and weeds. Someone had laid down weed barrier and a ton of gravel, so planting anything takes a long, back-breaking time. Because of this I can only buy as many plants as I can get in the ground at one time. It's slow going, but we're getting there. I'm excited for next spring when the gangley starts have filled in a little and might offer blooms.
Because I walk Max a lot, I get to see how different people are using their patios. Some have created beautiful extensions of their living space, as I am trying to do. I must seem a voyeur as I peek through the fence slats for ideas. Others grow weeds taller than the 6 ft. privacy fences.
Friday night I discovered that my native clematis had snuck three of its tenderest new leaves through the slats to the outside. The lawn company wouldn't have had to look very hard to see that the vine is intentional and that I am maintaining the space nicely. They doused it in poison and it is slowly dying.
This sums up my experience at The Club.