Garden Treasures

Today I found another treasure in my garden! I love finding treasures. Sometimes they excavate themselves to the dirt's surface; sometimes I find them while digging. It's always such a joy!

Many years ago my house and yard was used as a daycare center. The woman who ran it had two boys of her own. I find little china figurines, plastic frogs, plastic turquoise horseshoes, popsicle holders, nearly a whole set of miniature billiard balls, army men in different poses, spacemen with missing heads, Indians with bows, and cowboys with chaps. They often appear out of nowhere as if they dug themselves out of the dirt.

Marble Treasures
 (The one on the right is my new one.)

Today while transplanting the broccoli, I found a marble! This is not the first marble, but each is so beautiful and unique they make me incredibly happy as if I've just found gold. Actually, the tiny plastic army/cowboy/Indian/space men make me laugh the most. It's as if there is a Lilliputian battle going on in my yard I don't know about and everyone is welcome!

The best discovery was when I was in the early stages of planning the garden. I had decided to dig a bed over in the corner, under some trees. I determined the border placement and thought I would dig right...here...no, I change my mind...maybe there, a little more to the left. For some reason I felt compelled to dig in that exact spot.

Digging one foot down I found a DINOSAUR!! Dino isn't just a tiny little toy that would fit in the palm of my hand - he's about a foot long! Oddly enough, I did eventually change my mind about the garden border. He could have been buried forever if it wasn't for that one moment of impulsive indecision. Very strange. Makes me wonder what else is hidden under the dirt in a yard once inhabited by boys. Over the years I have moved Dino around the garden to different places. I have yet to lose him.

After a year or two I had amassed quite a collection of treasures. I showed it to the eight year old neighbor girl who was appropriately impressed so I gave them to her.  Then she spied Dino sitting on a rock nearby and said, "That's my dinosaur! Where did you find him?" I told her the story. We concluded that one of the boys who used to live in my house must have taken it from her and buried it to hide it. They used to annoy her a lot. I gave her Dino.

Six months after neighbor girl moved away I found Dino in one of my trees which is located between her yard and mine. Again, I have no idea what made me search into the inner branches of a tree but there he was hanging patiently, waiting for me to find him again. I'm guessing she must have been angry at me for some reason, threw him at me over the fence, and he got stuck inside the tree branches? She was always a hot tempered little girl.   She was also a compulsive liar, so maybe Dino didn't belong to her at all, she felt guilty for saying so, and tried giving him back? (OK, that's a stretch. I never knew that kid to feel guilty about anything.) If I ever see her again, I'll ask.

Dino, the Garden Guard

Currently Dino is in the front yard under the camellia bush sitting pretty on a stepping stone. He's getting a little faded. He's worn out and tired. Dino has had a very eventful life for a plastic toy.

Do you have treasures that are delightful to discover?

What simple joys make you happy?