# Compliments!



## Hexadecimal 00FF00 (Sep 20, 2018)

Last season was my first living the TLF way-a-life. It wasn't the full season but most of it. I saw significant improvement and progress. Obviously this year I'm starting off from a better place.

This last weekend I was in the driveway working on a chore and two different neighbors stopped by and gave raving, "amazing" and "a golf course", compliments about how great my lawn looks. While far, far from the caliber of the top lawns here (and certainly not a golf course), I'll take this opportunity to pop my collar and say that I clearly have the best lawn on the street. Funny thing - which I know y'all will relate to - is that these people don't see my lawn the way I do.

Without the inspection and perspective of my OCD they see a great lawn where I see weeds, thin areas, unevenness, etc. Anyway, I stink at taking pictures and it has been several days since I mowed so I'll only share the following single lame pic but it's one of the best areas, lol.


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## Kicker (Apr 5, 2018)

I've struggled in the past with accepting compliments becuase I always see what needs to be improved. I've had to remind myself to say thank you to anyone that makes a compliment.


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## gpbrown60 (Apr 7, 2018)

Lawn results jaded your perspective. It happens! History states the word jaded is perhaps related to the noun jade, an old term for a broken-down horse. The moral of the story is don't become a broken-down horse achieving a beautiful lawn or you may not live to enjoy it. :lol:


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## Stellar P (Apr 13, 2018)

Lol. I used my dethatcher about 14 days ago and the grass was all tore up and looked terrible. Even after bagging a lot of material, I still had tons of dead material showing through. My neighbor told me how nice my yard looks. I smiled and said "thank you and how much that means to me," but in my head I said "this looks like complete S***. How embarassing"


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## Ren (Aug 29, 2019)

Kicker said:


> I've struggled in the past with accepting compliments becuase I always see what needs to be improved. I've had to remind myself to say thank you to anyone that makes a compliment.


I relate to this. I also have a bad tendency to make everything a competition when it doesnt need to be.


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## Chncdafied (Jun 12, 2019)

The sections between the sidewalk and street are also my strongest sections. I'm thinking from the radiant heat and 100% full sun all day. I also hand water these areas due to poor irrigation setup.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I've learned to just say thank you and I appreciate it and keep as short as possible because people always want to know what I do to make it look like I do and I just say "mow, water and fertilize" or I might add in that I have a special mower that allows me to cut it as short as I do. But beyond that I try to keep it as short as possible because in reality they don't really care and are NOT going to ever do anything to there lawn, so I am not going to waste my time trying to explain things they don't understand or care about.


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

We live in fairly new neighborhood of almost 100 houses and the dozen or so neighbors close-by that I know always give me complements and usually I respond back that I spend a good amount of time trying to take care of it etc... But like everyone else I typically see the "problems" I have which even my wife does not see or understand! :mrgreen:

I hate to compete as most of my neighbors use professional service for fert & treatments and even some of them use professional service for mowing, so their lawns are just okay. But one of my neighbors is a professional landscaper and his lawn and yard are really nice. I learned a lot from him before becoming a grasshole so I have someone to compare and complete with


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

When neighbors or friends ask how I do it, I don't go into the details because like @Mightyquinn said, they will never do it. I tell them about the special (expensive) mower and that I'm usually mowing or working on the grass almost everyday. That stops the questions right in their tracks.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

Redtwin said:


> When neighbors or friends ask how I do it, I don't go into the details because like @Mightyquinn said, they will never do it. I tell them about the special (expensive) mower and that I'm usually mowing or working on the grass almost everyday. That stops the questions right in their tracks.


LOL!! Yeah, when I tell people that I mow the lawn twice a week, they loose their minds and you can almost see their heads explode :lol: Because, for most of these people they are lucky to mow their lawns twice a month.


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Awar said:


> We live in fairly new neighborhood of almost 100 houses and the dozen or so neighbors close-by that I know always give me complements and usually I respond back that I spend a good amount of time trying to take care of it etc... But like everyone else I typically see the "problems" I have which even my wife does not see or understand! :mrgreen:
> 
> I hate to compete as most of my neighbors use professional service for fert & treatments and even some of them use professional service for mowing, so their lawns are just okay. But one of my neighbors is a professional landscaper and his lawn and yard are really nice. I learned a lot from him before becoming a grasshole so I have someone to compare and complete with


Professional; someone engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.

Hmmm, nothing there states these so-called experts are actually highly skilled in what they do. :lol: 
Never mind me, I get amused when people use the term "professional" as a benchmark for excellence. You are not competing, you are taking pride in what you do and the results speak for themselves. I saw a "professional" blanket spraying my neighbors lawn with herbicides in the pouring down rain last week. :lol:


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## Awar (Feb 25, 2019)

Mister Bill said:


> Awar said:
> 
> 
> > We live in fairly new neighborhood of almost 100 houses and the dozen or so neighbors close-by that I know always give me complements and usually I respond back that I spend a good amount of time trying to take care of it etc... But like everyone else I typically see the "problems" I have which even my wife does not see or understand! :mrgreen:
> ...


I agree many people think hiring a pro to do a job (such as lawn service) means better results. My next door neighbor told me last year he complained to the manager at his lawn service company: "you're not doing as good a job as my neighbor who does the work himself", referring to me.

I fired my first "professional" lawn service company 3 years ago because they came in and spot treated weeds as it was starting to rain. The guy left the paperwork at my door and ran to his truck due to the heavy rain. Then I fired my second "professional" lawn service company 1.5 years ago because they told me the Zoysia that was in my Bermuda lawn was Fescue even though I told them that I believe it was dormant in the winter. My contract with this same company included treatment of grassy weeds (extra $) but they said they could not do anything with the Dallisgrass I had.

Last year was the first season I did my own treatments and I did much better than the "professionals". Nothing close to the nice lawns on this forum, but this year I'm coming for you all :mrgreen:


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Awar said:


> Mister Bill said:
> 
> 
> > Awar said:
> ...


I hear you! There are also those who like what you have done, ask how to get the same results, you give the recipe, and they come back a few hours later telling you how the guy at the big box store told them something completely different, put their hands on their hips and smugly say, "well, he ought to know, he works there". I ask them if they also go to the grocery store and ask the box boy how to make a gourmet dinner. :roll:

At least a couple times a month during the growing season strangers will stop their car in front of the house, roll down the window and ask "is that grass real?" After replying yes, a few will get out of their car and walk over to the lawn and touch it as if you are somehow lying to them. I suppose that is about as good of a compliment as any. How many "professionals" can say that? :lol:

You are closer than you are admitting to. Nicely done. :thumbup:


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## Redtwin (Feb 9, 2019)

Mister Bill said:


> I hear you! There are also those who like what you have done, ask how to get the same results, you give the recipe, and they come back a few hours later telling you how the guy at the big box store told them something completely different, put their hands on their hips and smugly say, "well, he ought to know, he works there". I ask them if they also go to the grocery store and ask the box boy how to make a gourmet dinner. :roll:


I'd ask if they went to the big box guy's home to see what his lawn looks like... Just saying... :lol:


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## Mister Bill (Apr 12, 2019)

Redtwin said:
 

> Mister Bill said:
> 
> 
> > I hear you! There are also those who like what you have done, ask how to get the same results, you give the recipe, and they come back a few hours later telling you how the guy at the big box store told them something completely different, put their hands on their hips and smugly say, "well, he ought to know, he works there". I ask them if they also go to the grocery store and ask the box boy how to make a gourmet dinner. :roll:
> ...


I know! The nerve of some people, right? :lol:


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## jheck (Apr 9, 2020)

That looks like an awesome lawn! I'm hoping to be there next year. Just started a few months ago. 

Need to upgrade to the dfw wand next. My stock one is not so nice at the moment.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

Having a nice lawn has been a great safety tool for me as well.

My kids play out front sometimes and people usually drive slow to look at the lawn.


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