Gardening Competatively

Gardening Competatively

Janis stepped out onto her back porch and looked around. Her flower garden was bursting with color and scent. She frowned.

“Something’s missing. A touch of creativity perhaps? I only have a small corner left.”

She looked across at her neighbor Fred’s garden. She envied him his mostly sunny backyard. But she was determined to beat him!

“What can I plant? The judging is tomorrow!” she asked herself.

Going to her dilapidated garage in the farthest corner of her backyard, she began rooting through the junk her husband had collected before his passing last year.

She emerged, filthy but triumphant. It was an old steam tractor wheel she’d pulled out despite the danger to life and limb.

“This is the perfect size for that corner. I have just the flowers too!”

A dint of hard work later, it was finished, though it was hard to see in the gathering darkness. She watered the bed of native wildflowers she had dug up and planted inside her new round bed. Pleased but exhausted, she went off for a shower and an early night.

By the time she was up the next morning, the contest had already been judged. Reporters from the local paper’s gardening section were milling around her front door.

“Can you believe this, Janis? What are your thoughts?” asked one, thrusting a microphone at her. She was bewildered until she saw all the ribbons fluttering from her fence.

“Firsts in every category, the judges tell us, it’s a new record!” the reporter gushed.

Janis barely heard the reporter when she saw the scowling face of Next Door Fred. There were no ribbons flying gaily from his fence! She gave a whoop and began dancing around. The skies opened and the rain came. Everyone rushed for cover except Janis.