Yard Art
Inspired from on high
Each one of these lawn ornaments is made from various tree trunks and limbs. They all are on display in the same yard. The red and white "elephant" proudly displays the owners' house number.
An article in our local newspaper several years back said the artist claimed he received these images in multiple dreams from God and was told to make them over a period of years. (He also may have had too many dill pickles and onions before he went to bed on those nights.)
While they are no longer in their fresh-painted glory, they still are quite an eye catcher if you're not a local.
This Little Pig went nowhere
This bizarre little boar stands guard in my front yard. His cagey nose is wrinkled, his wary ears are perked and his defiant eyes squint into an unmoving stare. The stocky, molded cast-iron porker, complete with vent and toting handle on its fat side, is actually a working grill, which has seared numerous steaks and barbequed many chops.
I didn't purchase my tubby yard adornment. Instead, it's a gift (a cast off?) from my son-in-law, who actually likes me. He, in fact, cooked with the unusual utensil and liked it too well to release it into uncaring hands (re: the dumpster).
I didn't place the hefty hog on my moss-carpeted lawn. It was simply too heavy to transport further when I lifted it from the tailgate of my Subaru. The black brute sits with artificial patience, waiting for more proper placement. But I have grown used to being greeted by the grumpy swine when I pull into my drive. He serves as grill, ornament and landmark as well. I direct my visitors to turn left at "this little pig."
Irene and Floyd
The 1999 hurricanes Irene and Floyd left North Carolina water-soaked and flooded. A massive double-trunked wild cherry tree that had to be removed from my side yard left me with a 6-foot-tall stump.
Inspiration struck! I placed an old face-painted pot on one flat surface and a clay jack-o-lantern on the other. Before "Irene" could say "I am a flower pot," "Floyd" was in love. I dressed them as a couple and changed their looks seasonally.
Eventually Floyd lost his hands and Irene popped her buttons, but the lovers stood as garden art until November 2007. Then, Floyd's head rolled off and Irene had to go on alone. She is still in my yard with her wacky smile as tacky garden art, and she wishes you well.
Art Field
This "Art Field" is located in Moore County on Bog Oak Church Rd.
Rustic
The 1940 Plymouth and 1949 Ford are our lawn ornaments here in Alleghany County. The pumpkin and corn fodder were beautiful along with the trees this fall. The old car and truck added a rustic touch to the fall scene.
Man and burro
The donkey appears to be walking behind the man and pushing him with his nose, as donkeys sometimes do. I've been looking at this yard for over 20 years, and the more I look, the tackier it gets. It reminds me of a favorite expression my ex-mother-in-law used to use: "It's something on a rat's tail." I don't know what it means, but it's kind of catchy, don't you think?
Hard times
Times were hard in the 1970s. I worked at an automotive factory in Muncie, Ind. I was laid off often for long periods of time. We survived by working any small jobs we could find. But with two small children and bills to pay, unfortunately there was no money for extras.
In our back yard this tree had broken off during a storm. I used the stump and limbs to make us a plant hanger. As we look back at this picture, we laugh. But at that time in our lives "nothing could be finer."
Christmas yard ornaments
This scene in on a busy street in the town of Ahoskie. Each day in the month before Christmas it seems they add more to their lawn. They just like a lot of ornaments. I pray they understand that Christmas is more than ornaments and is about the birth of Jesus and how He died for the sins of the world.
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