Two radically differing points of view\u2014both, in the eyes of those holding them, 100% legitimate. And it\u2019s causing a war among neighbors.<\/p>\n
Now, to bring this closer to home, I live in an HOA-governed neighborhood. I readily say that our board and committees are staffed by a group of great volunteers who bring admirable expertise and invest significant time in keeping this area a prime place to live.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also an older neighborhood, established over 35 years ago, and many of the original tree and shrub plantings in common areas have had to be replaced. More still need attention.<\/p>\n
Our own house is one example: Built in 1991, only one of the original plantings remains: a priceless, wonderfully shade-giving Live Oak tree.<\/p>\n
Everything else, including another large Live Oak that became diseased, has had to be removed and replaced as best as possible\u2014but it is different. The loss of a mature tree has a long-term impact.<\/p>\n
All original shrubs are gone. 95% of the areas previously covered with high-maintenance, high-watering-needs grasses have now been xeriscaped with native plants that require far, far less water and minimal attention. Other areas where we faced endless drainage problems (common throughout our area) are now full of river rocks, covering extensive French drains installed to prevent standing water and its attendant mosquito hazards.<\/p>\n
To get back to the HOA issues, many of the common areas have had to undergo similar reconstructive processes. And some residents are blowing up over the situation.<\/p>\n
A few days ago, all residents received an email from the HOA board that read, in part:\u00a0[Note: the original email has been redacted to eliminate identifying businesses and locations.]<\/p>\n
. . . that having been said, when the\u00a0***<\/em>[landscape company name]***\u00a0Enhancement work crew appeared, they were met with behavior from some residents that was aggressive and accompanied by threats to call the police. This is unacceptable and an embarrassment to us as a community. As a result,\u00a0***<\/em>[landscape company name]*** has informed us that they will not return to <\/em>[***specific location within the neighborhood boundaries]*** for any work until a plan is in place to prevent their crew from being threatened. We are confident such behavior will not occur again.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAnd there we have it. As one of my friends noted, \u201cMoney can\u2019t buy them class.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nYep, Money Can\u2019t Buy Them Love . . . Or Class<\/h2>\n
And for me, one of the early and often-reviled \u201cBaby Boomers,\u201d this memory popped immediately into my slowly withering brain:<\/p>\n
![\"Money](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/667\/2026\/04\/Contrast-of-conflict-and-calm-two-sm-copy.jpg\")