TOPIARY !.... What the Heck?

      I will be the first to admit I never heard the word 'Topiary' until I saw the movie 'Edward Scissorhands' with Johnny Depp. The story of a young boy without hands and his adopted father was a doctor who installed clippers on the ends of his arms. Edward is shy because of this defect but becomes popular in the neighborhood when he clips everyone's hedges and bushes in various shapes. It gets out of hand and ultimately he is banished from the neighborhood...
.... Getting around to the subject,.. My wife is a champion at shaping the bushes in our front yard. Our house sets about ten feet above the street level and when you climb the steps to our front sidewalk you are greeted by this at the top.

        To cut down on the guessing game, I will tell you... It is an American Eagle with its wings spread. It has greeted our guests for almost fifteen years and is open to a wide range of interpretation. One of our nephews even thought it looked like a chicken with its wings spread... Humm... Maybe! I do see a hen settling over her nest to keep the eggs warm..but around my wife I am adamant about it clearly being an eagle. In the background you can see a couple more bushes in the flowerbed..

  This one may take a little more imagination since the leaves have not come in fully. We are definitely a dog family (3) and this is a doggy in shape. Last year it was full but has lagged behind the other bushes so far this season. To the left of the dog you can see our bullfrog peeping out and to the right is Marilyn, our terrapin to remind me of the University of Maryland (my alma mater). 

  

      This one should be more obvious than the others.. It is the state of Texas. Momma is from San Antonio and I was born in Dallas, so we both have a lot of pride in our home state. Agreed, the panhandle is a little shallow and the lower Rio Grand Valley needs to grow a little more, but you have to admit, it is a good representation of the Lone Star State.

  
    My wife and I are also believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master,...and this basket-bush is the resting spot for an angel to look over our house and keep it safe. The angel holds a harp that is made from a wind-chime and the slightest breeze brings a comforting jingle. We had just trimmed back this bush today so it is showing some bare spots in the basket.

  
   Overlooking all the topiary work is the mosaic piece that my wife made a couple of years ago. She had never done anything of this type before, so we went to the Goodwill store and bought some various colored dishes. We were not concerned about any chips on the plates and saucers as she broke them with a hammer when we got home. It was originally a table from our patio in the back, but it turned out so well we decided to remove the legs and mount it on the wall of the garage. I have been married to the same woman for almost 25 years and she never fails to amaze me with her many talents. When we were first married she said something I will always remember,.."You buy us a house, I will make it our home."
Mission Accomplished!