What Yard Ornaments Do You Have?
Posted by lindamartinandersen on June 23, 2013
“What Yard Ornaments Do You Have?” by Linda Martin Andersen
Just as playgrounds have equipment, yards have ornaments.
Have you ever seen pink plastic flamingos in yards? Do you have any in yours? Have you ever wondered how that got started? Check this site to see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_flamingo
In 2007, Dean Mazzaralla, the mayor of Leominster, MA chose to honor Don Featherstone, the creator of plastic pink flamingos for the yard, by naming June 23 “Pink Flamingo Day.” Have you ever heard of it?
Read more here: http://savetheflamingos.org/pink-flamingo-day
What captions would you put with these pictures? Please share your comments below.
Thanks to my friend, Donna, for sharing her flamingo photos and a story about why they are displayed in her yard. Did these pictures make you smile? If so, why?
According to Donna, the flamingo hiding in the foliage is named Fannie Flamingo and the one looking in vain for pink shrimp is Flossie Flamingo. Donna has one more flamingo that lives in the house. Freddi Flamingo is chain-saw art and was a Christmas gift from a former church, where she was pastor.
What type yard ornaments do you have?
Whirligigs, pinwheels, windsocks and flags count, as well as bird feeders, bird baths, picnic tables, and swings. Even old farm equipment. Take a look around. Ask if you may survey your neighbors’ yards for ornaments and stories about them. Hopefully, you’ll be swapping stories on a hot June day. Perhaps you’d like to share lemonade with those you survey. May I suggest pink?
Thank you for visiting “A Writer’s Playground.” Please come again soon. Bring a friend.
A Writer's Playground 
maureen@wartski.org said
I never knew that pink flamingos had such a history! What fun. Our yard is decorated with copper artwork created by our daughter in law, Lynn Wasrtski– a truly talented artist. Plus we have a Japanese lantern or two… and a stone bench under the cherry tree. No flamingos, though!
lindamartinandersen said
Hi Maureen,
I think it’s great that you have multiple yard ornaments. I would expect no less. I love that you have the Japanese influence inside and out. Does your daughter-in-law sell her copper artwork?
Thanks for taking time to visit. I look forward to your next trip to “A Writer’s Playground.” Meanwhile, be on the lookout for pink flamingos in yards.
Susan Hornbach said
Picture #1 says . “Please, I just want some privacy here”
Picture #2 says, “I know I dropped it somewhere around here”
I don’t have any yard ornaments because the kids play with them and then carry them off. I don’t really mind, except the pointy things that go into the ground are not safe for little ones. So I stopped buying them. I used to buy attractive pinwheels.
lindamartinandersen said
Susan,
Thanks for leaving captions for the photographs. Very funny!
I love that you are safety conscious for the kids’ sake. I hope you find a way to continue to do that while displaying what you’d like.
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. You are a great friend at “A Writer’s Playground.” I look forward to your next visit too.
sarahsbookreflections said
Your posts are always so imaginative, Linda. Well done. Do you get a lot of response from kids? Sarah
lindamartinandersen said
Hi Sarah,
I’m glad you found this imaginative. I enjoyed writing it. I was fortunate that Donna shared photos of the creative placement of flamingos in her yard.
Unfortunately, I don’t get a lot of response from kids. My hope is that some adults pass the posts on and that parents/teachers share them with children.
Thanks for being a faithful visitor here. I love chatting with you here.
Joan Y. Edwards said
Dear Linda,
I have a manger scene I leave up all year long in my front garden spot beside my steps. I had a few stones or ceramic things with writing on them, but they broke because of the hot and cold temperatures. Thanks for writing posts that are always filled with creative tips for fun.
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards
lindamartinandersen said
Joan,
Displaying a manger scene outdoors al at your entryway is like placing a bumper sticker on your car pronoucing your faith. I love it.
I’ve had to replace a yard ornament too. My birdbath cracked one winter. It’s a chance we take. Why do you think that is?
Thanks for sharing your comments and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the post. I really had fun writing it.
Joan Y. Edwards said
Dear Linda,
Concrete birdbaths have a difficult time in the winter when it gets hot and then cold, hot and then cold. It causes it to break. One winter I helped mine without meaning to do so. I left water in it in the winter. Oopsy!
It broke into several pieces. The stand was still there, but the bowl was gone, gone, gone.
lindamartinandersen said
Joan,
Thanks for answering. I acutally meant why do you think we are willing to take a chance on something we value getting broken, especially when we knew how to prevent it.
Tracy Campbell said
Hi Linda,
I enjoyed the links. So sorry I missed flamingo day.
We have a very, very, old tractor hidden in long grass, a picnic table, a swing set for the grandkids, a corn silo, and I’ll throw in the barn…friends love to talk about what may have happened in the hay loft way before my time. 🙂
lindamartinandersen said
Tracy,
Your lawn ornaments sound perfect to me. I’d enjoy spending the afternoon walking your land. I’m a country girl too. Crops surrounded our house when I was growing up. My dad’s tractor was handed down to our younger son who still uses it, but mostly for maintaining dirt driveways and mowing. It also pulls the trailer for our annual hayride. Fun!
Sounds like you have a great setting for a story. Have you used any of the “yard ornaments” on your greeting cards? If not, I hope you’ll consider it.
Susan Williams said
My husband hated yard ornaments. He thought they were tacky. I really like some of them and think they’re cute. So for Christmas one year, I gave him a pair of plastic pink flamingos. He wouldn’t let me put them in front yard, so they were relegated to the back yard, where they stayed for many years.
I have to tell this, although it should have been on last month’s post. My husband and I were visiting Busch Gardens in FL many years ago. It was nest building time for the pink flamingos. There were at least 50 pairs, I assume male and female. All the pairs were very close. They were building the nests out of the mud where they were standing. They were conical. One of the pair would get mud in its beak and put in on the nest, then the other would do the same. The nests gradually got higher and higher. EXCEPT for one pair! One of this pair would put mud on the nest, then the partner would remove the mud that was just placed. This went on and on as we stood watching for at least 15-20 minutes. This pair’s nest never got built, I suppose. Guess it just shows us that not all couples get along, no matter what the species!
lindamartinandersen said
Susan,
I loved your sense of humor about giving your husband a pair of plastic pink flamingos for Christmas, especially considering how he felt about lawn ornaments. Funny!
You are a wealth of information. I tried to learn more about why a flamingo couple would behave like you described, but I didn’t find the answer. I liked your take on it anyway.
Thanks for visiting and for leaving a comment. I always enjoy your take on things.