Life's too short and we take it much too seriously. How 'bout we lighten up with four real-life garden stories that well, didn't exactly made the headlines...

In Ottawa, a lifelong bachelor left all his money to his cat after his death. David Harper, the shy and somewhat reclusive owner of Red the cat, died recently at the age of 79, but left an estate worth over one million dollars to his beloved tabby. He made his fortune working most of his life as a gardener in public service. Let this be a lesson to all you cats and dogs: You too can be rewarded for NOT digging in the garden.

Over in Texas, a man crashed a stolen pickup truck into three vehicles, a light pole and a bridge pillar. Fortunately, a crowd was able to subdue him by tying him up with a garden hose.

Then in Springfield, Illinois, police spotted a man driving across a cornfield on a stolen riding lawnmower. According to the Associated Press, police described the man as a "happy drunk" with his ponytail flopping in the breeze. Police arrested the man and returned him to prison for violating his parole.

Finally, in Beaver Dam, Ontario, resident Henry Larouge recently traded sacred vows with a local Maple tree. The recently divorced Larouge admits his relationship with "Clarice", his pet name for his tree, lacks some of the warmth and amenities of that with a human female, but adds "She never says no, never gains weight and already has all the rings she'll ever need." [If YOU have an odd, real-life garden story, please send me an email to: marion@ptialaska.net]