Sunday, December 19, 2010

The New Header

I opened my computer this morning, coffee cup in hand, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but a very lengthy rant from a reader, going on and on about my "ecologically irresponsible promotion of golf courses over nature," asking how I could possibly encourage readers to cut the prairie so short.  This was presented in a mix of capital letters, italics and bold fonts.

The only thing I can assume from the comment is that he is referring to the new header photo, which I put up to give myself something green to look at.  In this grayest of gardening seasons, I start to get a little crazy from lack of chlorophyll and sunshine.

Just to clarify, the photo is of the Queen's Estate at Sandringham, which we visited a few months ago.  I found the entire property to be exquisite (in my opinion).  An elderly docent told me that "this is where Her Majesty is just Granny," and the estate conveyed that message over and over.  It's a beautiful old rambling house with incredible grounds.  It could not be further from my Stepchild Garden, with its "Southern Vernacular Lawn" of crabgrass, ground ivy, poke and henbit.  In fact, I don't even own a lawnmower, and the urns in that photo probably cost more than my truck with its cracked windshield.

I certainly am not in a position to defend Her Majesty, but I will point out that (1) I didn't see a golf course, or even a putting green, on the property; (2)  The turf areas are kept very tall on most of the estate; and (3)  I was impressed when the gardener told me that the property is not kept in a manicured stage all the time, and that Her Majesty prefers to allow the plants to progress through their natural seasonal stages.

I was tempted to release my flying monkeys on the person who commented (who, by the way, isn't even a regular follower of this blog), then I decided I should just send him over to Jim at "Grouchy."  At the end of the day, though, I think he just needs to chill a little, grab a glass of wine, and spend some time gardening.....dude, you are way too tightly wrapped to be a gardener....

7 comments:

  1. Let me at 'em. And send a few monkeys. It is obvious it wasn't Tiger Woods!

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  2. I've never seen a golf course that looks like that either and I think it is beautiful. Definitely something nice to look at in the middle of winter.

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  3. I love the simplicity of the Queen's landscaping.
    We all know you would not abuse Mother Nature.
    Enviromental tree-huggers can drive a person to drink, even at 8 am in the morning.
    Merry Christmas,
    Carra and Tony

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  4. Tim, I can always count on your blog for a quick chuckle, information about gardening and plants and recipes. Doesn't get much better. Happy, happy holidays!

    Jean

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  5. Hi Tim,
    Quite how anyone could mistake such a beautiful setting for a golf course is beyond me. Maybe the person had already had too much wine and wasn't seeing too clearly. On the subject, I love the new header.

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  6. My wife would respond to your commenter with a snippy "and what else did you get for Christmas?"

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  7. We used to visit the Sandringham estate as children on our way to the Norfolk coast ~ a beautiful spot ~ don't remember any golf courses :)

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