The chips are down

My neighbor across the street....the one with the festive front porch....seems to be egging me on to join her in a game of front-porch poker. It's not what you're thinkin' either. Not one of those sit-down-at-the-table kinda games. You may remember this earlier photo. She's obviously a high roller.

I'm sure she could taste victory after glancing across the street and noticing the lousy hand I was dealt.But little did she know I had a few aces up my sleeve. I raised her a colorful doormat and a friendly sheep.

I couldn't help but wonder if, after seeing my surprise move, she'd fold. She did not. Instead, she countered with a couple of sneaky maneuvers. She moved her swan over behind her frog, then raised me a large boxy white planter.

Could she be scheming to plant even more festive foliage--perhaps a small decorative tree--or is she just trying to bluff? I can sense some big-game excitement building. Will we be sharing cigars soon?

I took a chance and raised her again--a cute little pot of red impatiens.

I'm feeling very confident now. I'm almost sure I can beat her, although she's shown herself to be pretty cagey. She may be a seasoned player with some tricky moves in store. On the other hand, I'm in a superior position with lots more space on my porch. I've also got a treehouse and a basement well stocked with crafty porch fixins'. I'm going to hang in. I think it's just a matter of time before she's goin' down.