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 colours 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 colourful. 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 placeof 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.


Jenny :~))

Excellent. Made me smile anyway.
--
Drakanthus.


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