Now, before you get all uppity and say "Boring!" let me explain. This was no ordinary greenhouse! This was "Secord-Crowe Greenhouse" in Dauphin, Manitoba.
If you are still saying "So what?" then two things are obvious......
1. You have never been to Dauphin, Manitoba! To those people, gardening and flowerbeds are life and death issues. You don't even want to know what goes down if two neighbours buy the same coloured petunias!!!!! Let's just say.... it won't happen again! (wink, wink)
2. You do not know Sari that well because just the mention of "Secord-Crowe" is enough to make her swoon (and use her debit card so much that it almost catches on fire).
Monday was greenhouse day and I was half-heartedly invited along. To everyone's surprise, I said that I would love to go. This prompted my mother-in-law to start an "over/under betting pool" on how long it would take before I got bored and walked home (I think the average bet was 4 minutes and 23 seconds).
To everyone's surprise..... I stayed till the end! And I not only stayed.... I was fascinated!
This place has a gaggle of women working there (is that what a group of women is called.... a gaggle?? A hoard???? A posse???? A herd???? Hmmm.... I am pretty sure "herd" is not right).... anyway there is a bunch of them and they are on a mission!! If you don't watch out, you will get trampled in their plant looking after rampage!
They are grabbing pots here.... moving things over there.... plucking flowers off this plant.... watering another one.... carrying trees two at a time (one under each arm).... it was AMAZING!
Then they would say things like, "You know that Chrysforalanythymum over there is a zone 3 plant!" and all the women within earshot would nod knowingly as if this was the most important information ever relayed in the history of the world. (Editor's note:..... don't tell anyone..... but I don't even know what zone I live in!!! I did not think it wise to mention that at the time - so I just nodded knowingly too and threw in a "For sures!" just for good measure..... but I think they knew I was faking!).
I did do one thing right, though..... I picked up a box and followed Sari around. She then started piling plants in the box. Eventually, the pile got so high that I could barely see over it and she had to guide me down the aisles.
When I did get a peek out from behind out moving foliage, every woman in the place gave me the same grin. It was a look that said, "You poor dumb boy! You have no idea what is going on here do you?? Bless your heart!" It was the sort of look that everyone gets when they watch a baby trying to eat chocolate cake with her hands for the first time. The effort is sweet even if the execution is a little off.
Anyway, it was amazing place! I had no idea that so many plants existed.
And I discovered that I don't have to leave Canada to experience other languages, customs and cultures. I just need to go to the greenhouse. :)
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