Have you ever thought about all the money, time, and effort that goes into creating something or about the difference between building something that lasts versus something to “get you through” or that fits your current budget? This doesn’t just apply to landscaping. In fact, you can apply it to just about anything. While having breakfast one day on the road I was at one of those restaurants that have the antique posters and tools hanging on the wall and I thought to myself, “wow, if we only made tools like that now, in which quality was the priority.” The concept was if you made something good, people would buy more. At some point someone in our modern age thought it would be better to build cheaper tools that were easily replaceable. So, in a way, we’ve evolved into a throw away culture.
I’m currently reading a very entertaining novel by Bill Bryson titled The Thunderbolt Kid. It’s sort of a memoir book of his childhood growing up in the 1950s. Inside he describes a nation in which the United States had a $140 billion in savings and war bonds waiting to be spent, no bomb damage and practically no competition. America made 80 percent of it’s own electrical devices and of the 7.5 million cars sold in the U.S. in 1954, 99.93 percent were made in America by Americans.
The purpose of my rant here is to plant a seed in maybe at least a few’s thought processes about making things count. Need tools or materials? As an alternative, shop these items at vendors that specialize in things you’re looking for. Often the quality of the product in these places is far better and it’s made to last. The typhoid at one-stop shopping places like Lowes or Home Depot is often meant for weekend projects (that often don’t last.)
In the case of landscaping, you’re investing in something so don’t you want it to be admired down the road? Investigate and research a project before investing.
What if we all went back to the ways of making things that were special? It’s time to raise the bar and put our best quality forward.
Until next time, Aloha!
Charlie Stonecypher is the owner/operator of Suncoast Irrigation and Landscaping. They help people (mostly residential) troubleshoot their landscape and outdoor areas, and specialize in products that work smart without wasting resources. Contact Charlie at 843-327-8642 or suncoastirrigation@gmail.com.
