The 60 Pound Dog

Day 359: There is an old bit of advice which cautions that behaviour we may find amusing in an eight-pound puppy may not be quite so entertaining in a sixty-pound dog. That is certainly the case with Violas. Cute though they may be in portrait, they quickly fade and turn into leggy plants which have little appeal by the end of the season. And they are persistent. I have been trying to rid my garden of them for almost thirty years now, and they still keep popping up beneath the sheltering leaves of the ornamentals. They have escaped into my lawn and vegetable pots despite my diligence, and often evade notice until some morning when I throw back the curtains and find them smiling at me in full bloom. Johnny-jump-up! Was ever a plant so aptly named? They jump up everywhere, as persistent as dandelions. Too bad they can't stay puppies forever.