Yard Adornments

In pursuit of some level of exercise, I have occasion to walk local neighborhoods. There are little, implied stories in the neighborhood yards.

I’m rather found of yard kitsch. There is a story here, if only we can read it.

Here is one such story:

This is the front yard of a house. The lawn is unmowed and unkempt. And yet, there is a small, roughly rectangular patch of dirt, about 2 foot by 4 foot.

The patch of dirt is decorated with a selection of flowers: both real and artificial, attended to by scarf wearing ceramic rabbits and two faux-butterflies. Laying on its side is a black and yellow, watering can invoking the image of a large, grounded bumblebee.

So, is this someone’s idea of yard beautification? Is the watering can part of the tableau or just abandoned after a recent flower watering? Did the designer buy the plants and ornaments specifically for the scene or is this cobbled together from treasures already on hand? After the flowers were watered, did the creator stand back, hands on hips, nodding in self-approval. ‘There! THAT is what the yard needed!’

Or is this all tongue-in-cheek? Created with a wink and a knowing smile: some private joke, laid out for the neighbors to see and ponder.

Or is it a sad monument to a fallen pet? If so, it’s kind of large and peculiar with its front-yard location. If it’s a pet cemetery, one must know that it will someday be lost to the yard. And yet, how sweet? – An homage to a loved companion.

Perhaps it is more sinister: a grave of a minced murder victim. – All suspicion covered in kitsch.

“There are eight million stories in the naked city suburb. This has been one of them.”