I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with this repurposed metal art globe I bought at the Benicia Peddler’s Fair recently. I tried putting a plant in it, but I didn’t like having the bottom of the pot showing all that much. I’ll probably end up putting some spherical decoration in it, but I like it empty as well.

With a different vendor at that same event, I bought this Vallejo sign which is comprised of repurposed license plates. It includes Ohio (where my husband is from) and Massachusetts (where he also lived). At the end of this video, you will see that I put an optical illusion item at the end of the globe, but I decided that one will warrant its own remote-controlled spinner, which I’m ordering. I think the visual is more dramatic with the Vallejo sign, even though I might ultimately move it to another part of the garden.

In our garden, I like having kinetic activities to go with nature. We have bird feeders, de facto bird baths, our pack of little dogs wandering around the various tiers, swings (gravity egg chairs), and many comfortable places to nap. Most importantly toward this end, we have four water features that turn on with our smart home at sunrise and turn off at sunset daily, when our solar lights kick in. Some creative, festive lighting also turns on indoors and outdoors at sunset (as it changes throughout the year). Many of those are controlled by smart plugs, so when we say “good night” they do not remain on until sunrise.

From all points of the backyard, including in the hot tub, one smart device or another will pick up commands to change the music or turn something or other on or off.

This new movement of the globe and other forthcoming decor will add a new element of motion for those to rest in what I hope is a pastoral sanctuary when they visit our home and garden.

Let me know what you think!