The next move is to plough it all up in the autumn and dig in a nice smelly compost.
IN the spring, sow with wild flowers and wild grass seed.
Then put up a sign with the words:
Site of Special Scientific Interest.

This site will need no watering, pesticids or attendance but may well attract bees and butterflies unable to cope with the sterility of neigbbouring lawns.

Always ask before assuming.

My own lawnmower is alive in the form of two sheep. They need a bit of care, but I can now throw my old lawnmowers out - neither of them work any more.

You’re right on the money that the homeowner in question is probably trying to purposefully dispatch the lawn. But this is a good thing, and most likely denotes right-on-ness.

Lawns are awful, horrid things. I could go on forever about how they suck water, suck labor, suck pesticides, encourage monocultural agriculture pracitices, enrich the coffers of chemical ConGlomCos like Monsanto, etc. The beautiful, perfectly trimmed lawns of (wherever) ALL suck. Period.

Now, that said, what I am HOPING I see here is someone committing lawnicide with extreme prejudice. In a perfect world, this someone will replace the ecologically useless lawn with native wildflowers and groundcover. You know, stuff that forms the basis for a healthy micro-ecosystem, even if it’s a 1/4 acre front yrad. You’d be amazed at what’ll set up shop in a little front or back yard, if only given a chance.

In this particular brand of lawnicide, the denizen of the house can eventually churn the sad sod corpse into luscious, nutritious compost for luscious delicious worms and a luscious delicious flower patch.

And who wouldn’t want that?

One of the ways to put a stick in the eye of the Patriarchy is to destroy its eco-rape icons, a 1/4 acre at a time if need be.

/endrant