Garden Variety

It was love at first sight for my wife, Marilyn, and me when we found the perfect house in Colo—tall, two stories—with enough bedrooms for our four kids. Half an acre for them to play on.

Two blocks from the elementary school and a short walk from Grandma’s, all wrapped in a small-town central Iowa atmosphere perfect for raising a family.

“It’s just right for us,” I said.

Best of all, it had a freestanding garage set away from the house—perfect for my new business: Bob’s Paint and Auto Body Repair. Across the street was a brick home with a tidy lawn. “I hope the neighbors are friendly and like kids,” I said to Marilyn.

For years I’d worked two jobs to support our family. And I painted tractors, working out of my garage. That’s the work I really loved. All I wanted was to live a quiet life and support my family fixing cars.

And why not? Folks need to get their cars and trucks fixed. Out here in rural Iowa, you’d better have wings if you don’t have a vehicle.

We were still getting settled when Ray, the man who lived across the street, came over. I nodded hello, expecting a warm Midwestern welcome. But there was nothing cheery in his voice.

“I hear you’re gonna turn that garage into an auto-body shop,” he said. “That means dented and rusty old cars parked everywhere. The last thing I want is to look out on a junkyard the rest of my life.” Before I could reply, he turned on his heel and stalked back to his house.

A beat-up car can be an eyesore to some, so I could kind of see where he was coming from. That night I couldn’t sleep. Were we wrong about this house after all? I turned over and faced Marilyn. She was awake too.

“The shop has to be here,” I said. “We can’t afford a garage in town.”

“I’m praying on it,” Marilyn said.

I tried to picture the next 20 years—all I saw was a cold war with my nearest neighbor. Lawyers might even get involved and no one wanted that. My parents had always taught me, Love thy neighbor. How could I do that and support my family?

“What can we do?” Marilyn asked.

I really didn’t know. But I knew that somehow we’d have to make it work. Colo was our home now.

For a year I worked out of my garage, trying my best to keep the cars from piling up. But business was good and soon I needed more room. I drew up plans for a two-story shop that would fit alongside the garage.

The spring day we poured the foundation for the new shop, I got an idea. I’d always loved plants. Maybe I could plant some flowers, sort of camouflage the place.