New Resident in the Garland Community Garden--a female fashionista Scarecrow.

SCARECROWS

Many Gardens have a scarecrow and now the Garland Community Garden has one of its own.  We really don't have that much of an issue with crows, but when it comes to bugs--Bingo!  Perhaps a Scarebug instead of a Scarecrow.

Scarecrows are scary and creepy--Well, DUH! They should be, and the creepier the better. After all, they are designed for the practical use to frighten off crows in particular, and we all know how smart crows are. Ours isn’t so scary because we love little children who come to our garden and we want them to have fun--not be afraid.  They can read the newspaper for that.

Scarecrows are used around the world by farmers, and are a notable symbol of farms and the countryside in popular culture. Scarecrows have been with us for a long time.

In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan (compiled in the year 712), a scarecrow known as Kuebiko appears as a deity who cannot walk, yet knows everything about the world. He is sometimes referred to as the “God of Agriculture”

The Scarecrow is featured early on in American literature as well.  Nathaniel Hawthorne's short story "Feathertop" is a scarecrow made and brought to life in 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, by a witch in league with the devil. Isn’t it interesting how some of us are afraid of witches but not afraid of those who kill them, or who want to kill them? Did you ever think about that?  We seem to have things backwards.

Our scarecrow is a gardener herself.  You can tell by her dirty hands and feet [made from the roots of discarded broccoli plants].

So, if you don’t like what is happening in the world today, just blame the scarecrow. In fact, you can even blame our friendly Garland scarecrow.  She won’t mind. In fact, that’s why she is here--to be a scapegoat. Blame her for all your problems and then walk away but not before you take a halloween photo with her.  [We recommend that you don't hold her dirty hand. ]