Don Chavez

One person’s garbage can be another’s treasure, but can a commode be an “artsy planter”?

Tina Asmus said the village of Lakemoor and some neighbors on Highland Drive are pushing her to remove the front yard “art piece planters” she created using a couple of old toilets and a pedestal sink.

“I’m very creative, artsy and crafty in this regard and I like to find old things that I can recycle and repurpose,” she said. “I saw a friend who made a planter out of an old toilet once and I loved it, so last year, I made one for myself.”

However, Mayor Todd Weihoffen said he stands behind police who have given Asmus 30 days to remove the toilets from her front yard.

A quick Internet search will show making a planter out of a toilet isn’t a new idea. However, that carries no weight with village officials who say Asmus faces a fine of $25 to $500 starting June 15 if she doesn’t comply.

So let me get this straight, Chrysler can sell a shitter on wheels and it’s okay because they disguise it as a “car”, but his woman turns her throne into a flower pot and now she’s subjected to the possibility of being fined? Is there something I’m missing in this story? Like does Asmus come out and make a deposit into the planter every morning while reading the paper and drinking her morning coffee? If that’s not the case, then I don’t see what the problem is.