Tasks and duties of homeowners
By William R. Jones
I live in Cameron's Landing, a riverfront community subdivision in Hopewell, Virginia that is not yet 15 years in the making. It is regulated by a Homeowners' Association (HOA). The Association makes sure the residents keep their lawns maintained, including trimming decorative shrubbery and power washing any particular side of their home that may appear discolored due to pollen or greenish due to algae growth on shaded sides of their property. Recently, instead of a hefty fine, I painted my mailbox gray support post white upon receiving a letter of warning.
This past month there was a bit of competition generated by the HOA, perhaps as an incentive to get the residents to take pride in and better care for their lawns. Anyway, the people several houses down on my side of the street won the award and prize money. I did nothing extra as my friend Roberto, the husband of one of my ESL students maintains my lawn quite well. Now the award-winning gentleman down the street maintains his own lawn, including beautifying flowers and decorative bushes, meticulously on a daily basis. Driving by, I would always see this diligent landscaping and gardening man tending to his own grounds.
Well, by and by, I told my wife the least we could do is go by and congratulate them upon being selected as having the best lawn in the neighborhood. Upon that, as we waved and neared the gentleman in his driveway, he met us graciously. Immediately, I realized that he was Korean. Oh, you can believe, he and my Korean wife talked up a storm. He showed us about, and his backyard was as nice as his front yard. I was very well reminded from my long stay in Korea, how it is, that when Koreans do something, they put all their energy and passion into it. No cutting corners; they do all in scholarly detail.
He also placed sizable ornaments and other accessories decking out his front lawn celebrating each and every American holiday: Christmas, New Year's, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Halloween, etc. And, he flies the American flag. I commented to my wife that he has a lively sense of collective responsibility to keep our neighborhood conscious and respectful of traditional social customs. I think he is a bit controlled by geography. It is most certain that his heart and soul gravitate toward Korea even though his livelihood and feet are on America's soil. Curiously, an early English poet William Shenstone, one of the earliest practitioners of landscape gardening stated, "The proper means of increasing the love we bear our native country is to reside some time in a foreign one." And, the Koreans have done that.
After three years of just driving by, we now have newfound friends in Kwon and his wife. I like our neighborhood, it is peopled diversely.
The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella "Beyond Harvard" and presently teaches English as a Second Language.