A basic tenet of sports gambling is "Bet with your head, not your heart." In other words, if you want to be successful, you have to jettison emotions, like hometown or college loyalties, and focus instead on cold, hard statistics like the line and the over/under.
This probably applies to gardening, too. Yes, yes, I know I should trim my pachysandra and lamium with geometric precision if I want it to look like the houses on the garden tour, but I'm just so proud of how exuberantly they grow and spread. My moonvine has climbed so tall that it's commingling with the white pines, like Jack's magical beanstalk or sloppy bookkeeping-- what right do I have to chop it down?
And who could expect me to pull out a stray clump of yellow volunteer four o'clocks just for the sake of symmetry? They're out of kilter, yes, but they smell like heaven.
And really, a window box is for geraniums, not for the bird's nest that's tucked in there. If I removed it, sure, I could cram in a few more plants -- but I just can't do it. The little bird was so clever to find such a great sheltered spot for the babies and to weave its nest so painstakingly from pine needles and walnut fronds.
Oh well, when I want perfection, I can always visit Longwood.
Now: who's ready for some football?!
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