The privileges of adulthood

VolMom is a gardener par excellence. She regularly wins awards in Lawrenceburg. People go and have their bridal photos in her yard.

She regularly involved me and VolBro in the gardening. But mostly in the weeding and mulching not in the decision-making. Whenever some fanciful plant caught my eye in the gardening catalogs, she'd always have some reason to dismiss it. If the flower was some other-worldly blue, she'd point out that a filter had been used. If it had a spectacular giant bloom, she'd point out that it was trick of perspective.

I always wanted to plant allium, the large ornamental onion, and VolMom always said no. In seed catalogs, it was usually pictured in full bloom with a small, blonde child standing next to it, and the kid always a little shorter the top of the seed head. They look like big starry lollipops.

With adulthood comes responsibility, working and paying bills and stuff. But with it also comes the power of decision-making. Ice cream sandwich and a beer for breakfast? Why not. Stay up late, watch a movie full of swearing and bare breasts. I can if I feel like it. Alliums in the garden. Absolutely.



This is a little "arty-shot" of my Globemaster allium.

VolMom wouldn't let me have garden statuary either. And do I have some now? Is my garden a sculpture park - an outdoor museum of gnomes and lantern boys and concrete deer? No. Sadly the Vol-in-Law has put his foot down. But I am allowed to hang pictures in the garden.



Found and purchased art




Traditional folk-art fence decoration


Part of a slate and mirror mosaic, which in its making resulted in a trip to the emergency room with glass in my eye

UPDATE: The Today Programme - the morning news radio for the intelligentsia and policy makers of Britain did a little feature on sneaking a garden gnome into the Chelsea Flower Show - the creme of garden shows in England.