TRINKET TREASURES OR JUNK?

Years ago I told my daughter that I kind of liked those gazing balls you see in people's landscaping.  It was the wrong thing to say.  I have been reminded of that statement and the tackiness of the gazing ball by her time and time again.  I tried to explain to her that I don't like the ones on the tall pedestals that are a bright shiny blue or green.  Appropriately placed in some cool plant life, in a color that doesn't shout, "I am man made and bright and don't belong here", they are an adjunct to the surroundings.  Out running yesterday I glanced at the landscaping of a house to see a very low to the ground gazing ball in the color of what appeared to be a brown marbley glaze - almost  stone.  It seemed very natural tucked in among the landscaping plants joining the scenery in its earthy tone.  It stood in stark comparison to another house I saw.  This yard housed a litany of statues, doo-dads and yard ornaments.  So many that, when trying to take in all the things, you got easily distracted by each thing.  Each decoration was no doubt purchased or gifted to them purposefully.  That alone blew my mind:)  I tried to find an order, a system that they had for these brick-a-brac things.  There was none.  I couldn't notice anything else about that yard, house, garage, plant life.  Nothing.  The yard craps took center stage.  There were gnomes, flamingos, gazing balls, small rabbit figurines, whirlie gigs, squirrel statues, and the tacky and racially inappropriate black man statue holding a lantern.  I wondered what yard statue people think of my house when they go by it.  Do they wonder out loud, "That house would be so much more attractive with some yard art!"?  What does that yard crap tell about the people who reside in the house - we are fun, light hearted, not perfectionistic, lacking a sense of good style?  I stopped at a landscape company last week looking for a certain bush.  Off to the one side in the parking lot was a whole bevy of lawn craps.  To entertain myself, I walked through them giggling over their tawdriness and wondering how much money that company made off the sale of them.  I saw not one item that I needed, wanted, or could have even tolerated being placed in my landscaping.  I did though see many that I thought the house I ran by would LOVE!!