The Garden: Yard Art

Although early signs of spring have started to erupt in our yard, it still looks pretty stark. Browns and grays dominate, and the sky is that pale blue shade of late winter. With this landscape as a backdrop, my yard ornaments take on new life.


This fairy's face reminds me of my face as a child, though I didn't have curly hair. Nor did I sprout wings. I was a Brownie, however, and the beanie on her head resembles the beanies we wore with our uniforms. Interestingly, brownies are a sub-category of fairies who lived in Scotland and northern England. They didn't talk with humans and were visible only to those lucky people who possessed second sight. I would love to see a fairy, but I don't think they exist. The world seems too harsh for such delicate creatures.


Mosaics are found all over the world in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic art. I saw spectacular mosaic floors and ceilings in Ravenna and Venice many years ago. This tile was made by my daughter when she was in pre-school. It's my all-time favorite. Take that, Amy Chua, Tiger Mom.


Bird Bath and Beyond.


The salamander, or eft (if you do crossword puzzles), is a lizard-like type of amphibian. Newt is another crossword answer for salamander and brings to mind, of course, Newt Gingrich--whom we hear nothing about these days. Funny how the Republican candidates for president rise and fall so quickly. My newt, or eft, or salamander lives more simply at the edge of a small pond; he can, however, regrow his leg or tail if it falls off. Take that, Newt.


St. Francis of Assisi looks sad here, perhaps because he's drowning in the leaves that I have yet to clear away. Or perhaps he heard what Mitt Romney said recently about poor people: "I'm not concerned about the very poor," Romney said. "We have a safety net there." St. Francis, on the other hand, devoted his life to poverty. He took Jesus at his word, from the Book of Matthew, and cast aside all worldly goods to spread the news of love and repentance to ordinary people. Sometimes I wonder what version of Christianity our Republican candidates subscribe to.