2005. Ornamental argument © Bruce Goodman 21 November 2020

Christine disliked garden ornaments immensely; ugly gnomes and pink flamingos, plastic things that spun in the wind, little tinkling bamboo and metal wind chimes… The unfortunate thing was that Joanne, Christine’s next door neighbour, loved garden ornaments. “Her place,” said Christine of Joanne’s garden next door, “looks like a junk yard.” “Her place,” said Joanne of Christine’s garden next door, “looks so bare and sterile.” The time came at last when their differences could be decided officially. The city was organizing a street by street competition: which house in each street has the best garden? And then all those selected would go into the final part of the competition: who has the best garden in the whole city? Joanne went all out. She purchased ceramic lizards and butterflies, outside wall mirrors that made the garden look more spacious than it was, little battery driven water fountains… On the other hand, Christine maintained her garden to perfection – the perfect lawn, not a weed in sight, the recycling bin in a hidden corner… The garden judges came. The garden judges left. A winner was announced. Congratulations Cassandra. Contact Author Back to Still More Stories Index Next Story Previous Story