Flower Guardian

This week, in an attempt to follow through with the whole "decorating for the seasons" idea, I spent hours and hours and hours - too many hours to be totally normal - perusing the aisles of TJMaxx, Marshalls, Ross, HomeGoods, etc. for decorative stuffs. You name the store, I have probably been there putting things in shopping carts, taking things back out of shopping carts, buying nothing and absolutely NOT making any decisions.

I have serious decision making glitches. Is there anyone else out there in this great, big world who understands? Who can sympathize? Anyone?

I decided, finally, that what I needed was focus - kinda like Handsome's approach to painting the guest bedroom - and realized that I could probably handle decorating the front entry to start.

Secretly, I chose the entryway so that even if nothing else gets decorated inside, the neighbors *will think* that I am on top of all of it... even though you know and I know that I am not.

Shhh, that is a secret between us friends.

Anyway, the focus helped. A few mums and a friendly face were easy enough to choose.

By the way, this is not another owl! You do not see another owl!

Alright, maybe you do see another owl, but this one has purpose - truly. In addition to being the greeter, he is also on flower protection duty. It is his goal and aim to scare away the lurking and ravenous bunnies that live in the bushes all around our home.

I don't think I have told you that we have wild bunnies, have I?

Bunnies bunnies bunnies! Scores and hundreds and thousands of bunnies!

They more or less run the joint. Last Spring, I set a Gerber Daisy beside the front door, and they pretty much made a feeding frenzy sort of a salad bar out of it.

So, to in an effort to discourage bunny snacking, Voila! An owl!

Genius!

Plus, I am able to feed my newly acquired owl addiction with purpose!

Only thing? See the petals?

Bah! It didn't work. I believe that we are dealing with some very smart bunnies. They must have somehow known that greeter owls are a very different breed than the living kind.

My fault for picking a friendly-faced owl, I suppose.

Nibble nibble.

Poor flower.

Such a waste.

Bunnies, this is quite enough from you!

Still, our little owl is ever vigilant and standing guard.

I wonder if it is disappointing to him to realize that he is not so terribly dangerous as was hoped and discussed and planned? None-the-less, he is a happy little greeter, and that really is the point.

After all, what is the point of decorating an entryway if not to warmly welcome visitors? If that is not the point, I have wasted an enormous amount of time.

And all that is to say, if you come to our front door, you will, of course, first have to wade through the sea of fluffy cottontails, but if you are brave, and use the bright, beacon-ing mums to light your path to our door, my hope is that you will find comfort and solace and a friend inside.

On the other hand, if you ring the bell and find that no one is home, by all means, take a flower for your hair (just be quick before the bunnies get 'em all), leave a note in our little guardian's beak (he is getting used to the degradation) and then, please come again soon.