A neighbor of city council candidate, Kriss Osbakken, has written a letter to the editor saying her lawn is unkempt….beyond unkempt.
This is not the first time this native planting has been commented on. I made reference to it in one of my columns in the Reader back in 2002:
AFSCME, the public employee’s union, has just endorsed Green Party Candidate Kris Osbakken for St. Louis County Commissioner as well as DFLer Peg Sweeney who fought against the “one man one vote” redistricting so she wouldn’t have to run for reelection. For her part, Osbakken is a devoted environmentalist. Her lawn is as infamous along Glendale Street for its spring green as my house is for its winter white. A chest high tangle of nondescript vegetation hides her house and is explained by a weathered plastic sign from the “Green Thumb Project.” It boasts that the lawn is “pesticide free” and sports the slogan, “Great Lakes – Great Lawns.” It’s a comfort to learn that all it takes to be a good environmentalist is to avoid yard work.
Kriss was a candidate in that election too.
I’m always intrigued how small a town Duluth can be. The letter writer is one of the organizers of the Ross Perot campaign that I worked with back in 1992. She was my neighbor back then.
Kriss was a little hurt by my comment back 2002 but she has persevered in her green thumb gardening. Evidently its not every neighbor’s cup of tea.
