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Cutting your own grass and cleaning your own toilet is good exercise and enobling work.

As a long-time suburbanite, I long for the good old days when we all did our own yard-work. Saturday morning used to be a community event. I remember going out at 9:55 in the morning and seeing all the men with their lawn mowers, checking their watches. At 10:00 AM, it was "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"

The condition of your property reflected your own labor and commitment to the work. Some people had showplaces that they could really be proud of. I was always more on the kid-friendly, but neat side of the scale. Nowadays, every house but mine is manicured and perfect, but I am the only one still doing it myself.

And last weekend, the landscaping crew on my neighbor's yard started in at 6:45 on Sunday morning. The social compact has been well and truly shattered.

Nowadays, every house but mine is manicured and perfect, but I am the only one still doing it myself.

This may seem a bit harsh, but your greedy, lazy neighbors are a big part of this problem.

And last weekend, the landscaping crew on my neighbor's yard started in at 6:45 on Sunday morning. The social compact has been well and truly shattered.

In my community they started at 6:30 last Sunday. If my complaining doesn't get results I may have to buy a bagpipe and start reveille at 5:30 for the offenders.