I Dig It

I started reading license plates during college, when I spent a lot of time on city busses. I could spend an entire bus trip lost in my imagination – making up words or phrases from the letters on the license plates. Now, personalized (aka vanity) license plates are much more common – giving drivers one more venue for expressing their passions and personalities.

I saw a sports car with a plate that read “ruach,” Hebrew for wind/spirit. Fitting, I thought. I was parked next to a huge red truck with a plate that read “husker.” I sat there for a long time wondering why a big red truck would have the Norwegian word for “remember” as a license plate, and then it hit me -- it’s not Norwegian, it’s Nebraskan! Husker is shorthand for corn-husker, a fan of the University of Nebraska! Their motto is “Go Big Red.” And, in the parking lot of my favorite local nursery the other day, I saw a small VW with the plate “I dig it.” I smiled to know there are gardeners who are passionate enough to purchase special license plates.

I went home wondering what I’d put on a license plate. Here are some that came to mind quickly: GrdnGrl, RthWomn, FlwrPwr, and Lv2Grdn (which could be both love and live). What would your plate look like?!