Dear Gardener,
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that you must have a sense of humor. What can you do but laugh at yourself when you’ve spent the afternoon lovingly baking a pie and realize as you’re about to put it on the table that you forgot the sugar? Or you park your newly washed car under a tree full of bird nests? Yes, it’s annoying, but it’s funny, too. At least, it will be funny when you tell the story in a couple of weeks. But gardening humor is different.
Who but another gardener could understand why you wouldn’t want to get a manicure in a nail salon with someone you know well (unless you don’t care that a friend will see your grubby nails)? And would anyone other than a gardener try so hard to find a good home for a metal pig?
You read that right. In the Gardening Humor collection, Steve Mauer shares the story of “The Metal Pig.” The pig was a neighborhood fixture for several years, belonging first to an older couple, then adopted by Steve’s family. As their garden grew larger, though, it was time to rehome the pig. He asked around, but no one wanted the pig, although his neighbors all agreed it was cute. Then on an afternoon walk, Steve noticed another metal pig. What happened? Well, I’ll let Steve tell the tale.
Metal pigs aren’t the only non-plant laugh you’ll find in the Gardening Humor Collection. Read “150 Plastic Forks” by Emily-Jane Hills Orford and you’ll discover that it’s not daffodils or tulips or dandelions that appear in her garden in Spring. In fact, long before any flowers sprout, Emily-Jane has a garden full of plastic forks. While that might seem like an odd thing to plant, her reasoning is sound. Plus, they reseed themselves!
Enough about metal pigs and plastic forks. How about some gardening humor that mentions actual plants? John Hershey’s garden is filled with basil, tomatoes, kale, chamomile, mint, hops, and even saffron crocus. What’s so funny about that? Well, it’s a little hard to enjoy “The Hedonist’s Garden” when everything is so darn good for you. But John’s trying his best. “I don’t care how bad it is for me–I’m living in the moment.” Can he grow a garden full of junk food? Maybe.
That’s just a glimpse into the stories you’ll find in the Gardening Humor collection. Filled with hilarious observations, humorous insight, and tummy-tickling tales, this collection is here to bring some enjoyment and help us all remember that, for all its beauty, a garden can also be pretty funny.
Bill Dugan
Editor & Publisher
GreenPrints
