Conversations at Lowe's

My daughter gave me a gift card from Lowe's for Mother's Day. We couldn't go over there yesterday -- I had golf to watch. But we went there this afternoon. I needed by-pass pruners; the anvils I had just wouldn't cut it to prune my prize purchase of last year, my Princess Grace of Monaco rose. I could have spent the whole amount of the card on pruners, but opted for an economical, serviceable pair. Then I left my husband behind to head for Nirvanah, the open air plant section.

Although I do want to have some of those big impatiens for my shade garden, I knew that there were some bare spots in the more public garden by the driveway. Something that would give some structure in the winter, when everything else is flattened by cold. I found a Burford Holly that has berries on it, one of the plants I've wanted for years. Then I decided on a Liatris -- it will be pinky/lavender, which will do well in an established part of the garden, another plant that was on my wish list, although in the lower half. Husband was pleased that all he had to come up with was sixty-four cents!

The lady in front on me wanted to know what the plant was, and I showed her the tag, told her what I knew about it.

"How much is it?" she asked.

I told her I didn't know.

The clerk shrugged, no help.

"Well, I'm just going to wait here until I can find out," she said, moving aside and watching.

The clerk rang up the other two items first, as though he was deaf to our conversation.

It wasn't all that much! The woman grinned and went off, possibly to find her husband.

(Mental note for future reference -- don't use spell check if you are writing about plants.)