10/14/2026
Well, the HOA won. The little art library lost.
After months of applications, contradictory answers, and a truly impressive amount of bureaucratic gymnastics, the final concern was that approving one little art library might set a precedent for other residents wanting to do things in their own front yards.
So we didn’t get to have a little art library because someone, someday, might want something else.
And here’s the funny thing about precedents: refusing to set one is a precedent, too.
Apparently, the safest thing a neighborhood can do is make sure nobody gets any ideas.
My daughter and I had an idea. Our family wanted to build something small, fill it with art, and share a little creativity with our neighbors. No grand ambitions. No HOA revolution. Just a little box of art in our front yard.
Instead, we got a masterclass in what happens when hypothetical problems carry more weight than an actual harmless project.
I’m disappointed. But I’m also reminded why making things matters. Why we make art. Why we share it. Why we keep trying to make ordinary places a little more interesting, even when the people in charge would rather keep them exactly as they are.
The library won’t be happening. The art will.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole ridiculous saga, it’s that sometimes the people most worried about setting a precedent end up setting one anyway.
Just not the one they think. 🎨
