Photo credit: Susan Reimer

Garden Variety was in Washington, D.C., last week for a speech in the neighborhood of the U.S. State Department.

(Shout-out to Hillary!)

Anyway, noticed again the high alert around all the government buildings. Building name signs have been removed. Hydraulic barriers placed in the entrances and exits of underground parking.

And, of course, the huge cement barriers which would protect the buildings from ramming truck bombs.

But those cement barriers have also been planted with evergreens and perennials, which makes them less forbidding, I guess.

I was thinking what that meeting must have been like: The burly homeland security guy saying cement barriers must be placed around all government buildings to protect them from terrorist attacks.

And the little old lady in the back of the meeting room raising her hand and saying, "Could we plant flowers in them? Wouldn't flowers be nice?"

You have to love this country...