Percy, the concrete pig

Did you ever spout off some inane remark that came back to haunt you? I have a friend in Florida who is very fond of flamingos - no accounting for some people's taste. Anyway, she made the mistake of expressing this fondness in front of another friend of ours. The mutual friend's penchant for mischief got all riled up, and the next thing you know, first friend woke up to an entire front yard filled with plastic pink flamingos. A virtual forest of the long legged, sharp beaked beasties. A sea of pink. Hysterical laughter passed over the phone lines from neighbor to neighbor as word spread, reminiscent of the Norman Rockwell painting on a Post magazine. Cameras clicked. Some folks even got creative in the "arrangement" of the plastic pretties. More cameras clicked. Friend one and friend two remain friends to one another - no accounting...

I also remember when a neighbor of mine set out a cement goose as a yard ornament. As the seasons changed, so did the outfit on the goose. I thought it was kind of cute and said so to my younger son, who in return said he'd never visit my home again should one of those "cute" critters show up in my yard. So, the point is, I don't do lawn ornaments - not deer, or raccoons, or the Seven Dwarfs. I'm a dyed in the wool snob about the presence of petrified critters.

Except for... Percy, the concrete pig.

In relating my aversion to unnatural lawn decor to my husband-to-be, he teasingly remarked what he'd really like to have in his yard was a concrete pig. I was on a mission. I found the perfect pig at a roadside junk store (nearly ran off the road getting to it), tied a red kerchief around its neck, sat it in his backyard beside the tomato patch, and left this note, "I'm Percy, the concrete pig. My name comes from a word my mistress often uses in describing you - stubborn. Oh, excuse me, "Persi"stent. I hope you don't mind my being here. It's my job to remind you how happy you've made my mistress, with your stubborn, persistent... oh heck, pig-headed resolve to live and love again after your open heart surgery last year. Be nice to me. My mistress is rather fond of me and she doesn't take kindly to having anything bad happen to those she cares about." He called me at work, laughing so hard I could barely understand him. In a scrapbook, beside Percy's picture, I wrote, "Percy is symbolic of our concrete relationship."

Percy proudly joined us in the backyard of our home once we were married and when I moved, he joined me here... sans kerchief and note. One day I noticed an ear had broken off and it made me sad, but super glue worked its magic. After all, it's just a silly lawn ornament.

Sandy