| I decided to get rid of my gnomes and trolls | | | | looked out at my garden and saw a pale gray |
| and replace them with a garden Buddha. My | | | | Buddha sitting in the middle with the sun |
| gnomes are delightful and bring me great joy, | | | | shining off his big round belly was reward |
| but they are there to deter animals from | | | | enough for me. After a couple of weeks I |
| snacking on my beautiful vegetables and | | | | realized that my garden Buddha was not only |
| plants. The animals seem to have missed the | | | | not doing his job, but he was actually |
| message I've been trying to send with my | | | | attracting the animals to his belly. More |
| garden gnomes. I went shopping online for my | | | | than once I found a neighborhood cat curled |
| Buddha because Icouldn't think of a local | | | | up against his bulging abdomen, fast asleep |
| retail store that would sell a garden Buddha. | | | | in the sun. I never would've thought a cat |
| I spend a lot of time in nurseries and in the | | | | would be drawn to a stone Buddha figure. |
| gardening sections of big chain stores, so I | | | | Maybe cats are more spiritual than I thought |
| have some authority on this. I found exactly | | | | and maybe I underestimated their spirituality |
| what I was looking for online, and with | | | | by assuming that the Buddha would have to be |
| speedy shipping I had my garden Buddha set up | | | | made out of pillows for them to be drawn to |
| in my garden four dayslater. While I | | | | it. I guess the only logical thing to do is |
| initially bought him to scare away the | | | | get my hands on some fox urine and sprinkle |
| squirrels and chipmunks and stray cats in the | | | | it around the perimeter of my garden to make |
| neighborhood who love to eat things like bulb | | | | it less attractive to the animals, because |
| flowers and herbs, I found that after a few | | | | I've become so attached to the Buddha that |
| days I really didn't care if my garden Buddha | | | | I've decided he is there to stay. |
| did its job of protecting my garden. I didn't | | | | |
| care because I was in love with it,and the | | | | Landscaping made simple. |
| happiness I experienced every morning when I | | | | |