Letters to the editor
Re “Venice’s Green Cube” from April 24: Since when is almost 3,800 square feet of house for two adults and two small children in any way “green”? As a 20-year Venice resident, I have seen so many of the small, charming houses get transformed into monstrous three-story rectangles, inhibiting the privacy and sunshine of neighbors. This “green cube” is no exception. A nod to being “green” (and all of its cultural currency) is no excuse for overbuilding in a neighborhood with some of the smallest lot sizes in L.A. Not impressed.
Dawn Upchurch
Venice
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I would love to cover our house with green. However, our real estate broker advised against it because, he said, we live in “termite country” and a house should be tented every five to 10 years to make sure the house isn’t being eaten away. The tent will cover the vegetation, which will die after being exposed to the gas. Years of hard work will be wiped out in one weekend.
Udi Karni
Santa Monica
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I rely on the L.A. Times not only for news but for analysis, which was sorely, embarrassingly lacking in the April 24 Home section.
First, the front page juxtaposes a super-progressive, modern house with Chris Erksine’s incredibly dated and tiresome humor: Men can’t handle household chores! Waka waka! The house may be current, but the humor is a stale leftover from the “Brady Bunch” era.
Then, inside, I’m treated to information about “green” tools for the kitchen, that include … a battery-powered salt and pepper mill? You know what’s even greener than rechargeable batteries? Your wrist.
Just when I think things can’t get any more ridiculous, I turn a page to find the Home section singing the praises of the $79.95 plastic hummingbird helmet. Did anyone in the Home section notice how silly all of this seems? Or is their vision too blocked by their hummingbird helmets to notice?
L.J. Williamson
Granada Hills
NEW TOPIC
Reactions to ‘Weeds’ sprout like – well, you know
I enjoyed “It’s War on Weeds” [March 13]. I have bricks covering a great part of my backyard, and this year weeds have sprung up between them. I used Weed B Gon for years until a trip to Virginia, where I saw a lady with a huge old kettle pouring boiling water down her sidewalk cracks. She said it killed the weeds right away, and it does.
That is what I now do.
Susie Henzie
Los Angeles
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Thank you for the illustration of the dandelion, a plant that is drought-hardy, has lovely flowers, has leaves and roots that are edible and has a seed habit that gives youngsters something to do on lazy summer days.
The fact that we call it a weed shows a monumental lack of understanding. The plant that is wasting water and polluting our sea, creeks and water table is the lawn. Whether it be in frontyards or at the golf course, lawns and turf should have been left in Scotland or where they grow without any encouragement. Dandelions grow without encouragement here, producing their bounty, and we call them weeds and kill them. What a shame.
R. Lane Anderson
Long Beach
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What a great article. There will be people who say they have tried the article’s advice and are not satisfied, but I have done it all. Although I use Remuda (Roundup’s cheaper cousin) for some spot cleanup, I have found that hand-pulling little stuff and digging up deeper stuff is really the most important “tool.” Mostly it’s a question of timely weeding. Like working out at a gym, it is much more useful to work an hour every few days over weeks than working the same number of hours in a single weekend.
Helen Fredell
Ojai
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How can you wage a war on weeds without reconnaissance on oxalis? It is by far the most prevalent and uncontrollable weed in my garden and lawn. Every year I dig deep enough to find the plant’s lobed “nut seed,” yet if even one piece falls back into the hole, I can bet a new plant will grow in its place.
Help! We’re being overrun!
Diane Levy
Cypress
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I just had to respond to this beautifully written, informative article. The opening paragraph is pure poetry: “A vacant lot with chest-high barley rippling in the wind is a glorious thing, especially when it’s jumping with sparrows feasting on the seeds.” As well as the beautiful language, we find it accompanied by magnificent engravings.
Eilish Kerrigan
Oxnard