Family Reunion

I'm going home
back to the place where I belong.
Home, Chris Daughtry

Friday afternoon, my husband had one of the most pleasant trips of the year.  He went back to our favorite, local nursery, Dana's Garden Spot, and bought a forsythia and a golden mop.  These were his first plant purchases of the year.   I believe they were a subtle hint.  I have twigs stuck in pots:  twigs of plants I tried to propagate this year, like a golden mop.  I have not given up on the hope that there are roots in the pots, deep in there where I can't see them.  He has, and I think he may be a bit tired of the dead twig arrangement I have going on in the bathroom.  I think his plant purchase was his way of saying, "It's time to let go of those twigs."

At Dana's, he was greeted by the owner, Dana, who we know very well.  We've been getting to know Dana and her family for about five years.  She smiled warmly at him and said, "I love this time of year.  It's like we get to see family we've been away from for months."

And that is why I love her nursery. 

At first, her nursery was located on a small slip of land on the side of the highway that takes me to the closest town.  Sometimes, I think I would go to town just to pass it.  Many days, I would just stop in to see what she had.  Her youngest children would be playing under the display tables, her older boys would be operating the cash register and equipment.  Somedays, the kids were the only people there.  But whenever Dana was there, she'd answer questions in her no-nonsense kind of way. 

Her business has grown and changed over the years.  Now, her nursery occupies a much larger parcel of land.  She's expanded and has more to offer in the way of organic food, Amish delights, gardening classes, and seeds.  She, on the other hand, has not changed a bit.  Her children are still at the cash registers.  Her weather worn, make-up free face still smiles, and she is as no-nonsense as ever.  I am happy for her, and I am happy for us.  In a world, where big box annonymity is the norm, it is nice to go somewhere and feel connected to the people of the community; Dana's is one of those places that defines ours.  She, her family, and her lovely plants will always be a part of our home.