A Seat for an Elf

Yesterday, I dug into my flower garden around the pin oak in the front yard. I always put impatiens at the foot of this tree. They seem to do best in the shade of the oak.

It’s funny the things that are underground and how they got there! I encountered several large rocks that, last year, were on top of the ground. I put them around the flowers not only for decoration but to keep out pesky squirrels who buried a ton of last year’s acorns in this spot. It stands to reason that when their busy little paws dig into solid stones, they might break a toenail or two and give up the quest.

And, sure enough, buried under the oak were dozens and dozens of acorns. Several earthworms call this area home and, because of all the spring rains, many toadstools poked up from the ground, wet weather surprises.

One little puffy toadstool had bumps all over it. It looked sort of like a golf ball in the grass. It would be a perfect chair for a toad or a small elf man to sit and think things over. Except the bumps might not be too comfortable.

Anyway, it was a wonderful day for being outdoors. As well as planting the impatiens, I lopped off a few scraggly shrubs that are trying to take over my yard.

It will be fun to watch the flowers grow and spread, feet in the ground and heads lifted to the sun. If only those ornery squirrels don’t dig them up!