silverlocks and the three barberries

once upon a time there was a crabby silver-haired old woman who was weary of cleaning up other peoples' dogs' poop and pee ... so she planted barberries along the front of her house...take that you little poop machines

the idea was any unsuspecting pup would lift a leg or assume the poop position and feel just enough pain to not ever go there again ... fast forward a year ... new neighbors moved in ... younger neighbors with a blended family ... little kids and teenagers ... whiffle balls and basketballs ... bicycles and tricycles ... skateboards and big wheels ... bowls of skittles (yes, the candy) for breakfast ... lottsa empty pizza boxes and high fructose corn syrup pop bottles at lunchtime ... we're talking kids with leather hides who don't care if they get poked by a few thorns ... after three years in the ground there was one barberry that was too tiny...curse that basketball

and another one that was too short...and curse the hoop that came with the basketball
and one that was juuuuuust about right...and the wannabe Bird Man who can't even hit the backboard
these pictures are from last year ... maybe it will soon stop snowing/raining/hailing/blowing long enough to check out this year's happily ever after