The Funny Farm, and Greener Grass

Who remembers the Movie “Funny Farm‘?  It was released in 1988 (a major drought year for the entire Midwest) and quickly became a huge hit at the theaters bringing in over 25 million dollars.  To this day, 24 years later, it can still be seen from time to time on TV. The premise of the movie loosely revolves around the theory that

“The Grass Is Always Greener On the Other Side of the Fence until you have to mow it”

Heres the basic Story line: Andy and Elizabeth are sick of life in the city, and decide to move to the country. Buying a home near a picturesque town, then soon discover (to their horror) that things are done differently in the country. They must deal with all of the local characters, the local animals, as well as any skeletons in the closet. Written by Murray Chapman

Like I said, this movie, starring Chevy Chase, was released 24 years ago. Surely, due to the fast paced world we live in, people would have outgrown the “Grass is Greener” mentality and moved on to something else right?  Nope.  We all like to have something better than what we have, and when looking at what we want, its human nature to only look at the good parts that come along with it, effectively ignoring the unpleasant parts.  That mentality rings true in this movie, today, and certainly will well into the future.

Today, I ran across a link on Facebook containing a news report about flies in the country side.  A farmer who had been there long before any suburbanites had spread some manure on his field. (As I’m sure he always has). Yet spreading the manure was not seen as a good thing by those who moved in near the farm.

To quote the article;

People who live on Karner Drive say the spreading of manure on a nearby farm has made life unbearable and created a health hazard.

Disclaimer: The use of manure is highly regulated by various agencies and is not a health hazard.  In fact manure is a quality organic fertilizer.

Whats the farmers take on this:

The farmer, John O’Loughlin told us he was there first and if you move next to a farm, you should expect to have flies.

According to the article, the City says:

this problem may lead to a new ordinance.

So who is in the right here?  The farmer who has been there forever and has the right to do as he has done for years, or the newbies who moved to the area to “Live in the Country”?  Should there be a new ordinance against something that has been going on for years before others moved into the area?  You decide.  Meanwhile, in my opinion this sign sums it all up.

In closing,  I (as well as many others in the country) have no problem with someone moving to the countryside. In fact, I encourage it.  However, I hope they take the time to know why the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  If they don’t, they just might be moving into a “Funny Farm”

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