Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Sweater Swap?

It's been cold and rainy. Just now the sun came out, perhaps signaling some clearing--but since we're getting on toward evening, that may well mean freezing temperatures tonight. It sure feels like it. Brrr. It's been awhile since I've felt 39 degrees F during the day.

Naturally this sudden chill has inspired me to look at gardening magazines. In particular, I've enjoyed Horticulture: The Art and Science of Smart Gardening (the February/March issue features Alnwick Gardens, Alnick being the castle where Harry Potter was filmed,) Fine Gardening, and Birds and Blooms.

The Austin Rose ads haunt me in particular. Oh, the roses I could grow!

Which reminds me of a conversation I had with my friend R one afternoon a few years back. She and I discussed how someone she knew married rich and spent her husband's money on such things as expensive hand-knitted sweaters, some of which cost thousands of dollars.

"Now spending thousands of dollars on the garden," I said, "that isn't silly at all."
"Not at all," R agreed.
"Five thousand on planters and plants for the deck, including cast-iron hooks and iron cages for hanging baskets."
"A few thousand for a pond and waterfall."
"Toss a few more thousand on full-sized trees--I think a chocolate mimosa over there would be nice." (FYI, a small chocolate mimosa will cost a couple of hundred dollars.)
"A copper trellis for a really nice climbing rose."
"Stone columns and maybe one of those really fancy garden houses with an all-glass second floor."
"Six foot high stone walls."
"With stained glass windows."
"Ooo yeah!"
We went on like that for some time.
"Now that wouldn't be silly to spend money on at all," I said.
"Absolutely not. Not like sweaters."
We sipped our wine and enjoyed the deck view of the garden, thoroughly puffed up with virtue. After all, think of all the things we could do for the price of a few sweaters! Of course, the sweaters would be pretty nice to snuggle in while wander the garden in early spring ....

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