LAWNS & GOD

GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the
world
is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions,
violets,
thistle
and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden
plan.
Those plants
grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon.
The
nectar from the
long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of
songbirds.
I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are
these green rectangles.

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The
Suburbanites..
They started
calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and
replace them with grass.

GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't
attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's
temperamental
with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass
growing
there?

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it
and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and
poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow
really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they
cut it,
sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in
bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will
grow.
And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut
back
on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and
saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass
stops
growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it
so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a
sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in
the
spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn they
fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the
soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves
form
compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn
a new
circle.
As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to
have
them hauled away.

GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the
winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy
something
which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in
place of the leaves.

GOD: And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine,
you're
in charge of the arts. What movie have you
scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real stupid movie
about...

GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis