“I don’t know,” I said to my friend Joan. “If you ask me, I think hostas are just weeds that we tolerate.”
I uttered those words earlier this spring. I had just dug up and moved what seemed like the one hundredth hosta that’s planted around the house. At that time, the hostas were these small, uninteresting plants that felt more like a burden than a joy.
“Oh, just you wait,” Joan replied. “You’re going to love them.”
In some ways, the flooding basement was a blessing in disguise. Not only did it force us to clean up what was quickly becoming a cluttered mess, we were also inspired to buy a dehumidifier to help dry out the basement. I had no idea our basement was so damp until I found myself emptying the water bucket multiple times per day. Hooray for a dry basement! But boo for schlepping a sloshing water bucket to the basement bathroom multiple times per day. Schlepping is for chumps!
My transformation into a little old lady is almost complete. I just made a wreath from dried vines I cut from the carriage house this spring. Next stop: Shady Pines.
We found Turkey River Mall pretty quickly after we moved into our house. I don’t remember how we found it – whether it was recommended by a local or whether we just stumped upon it – but it’s where we picked up our $10 bedside table, our $29 dining room table, and many, many more things to furnish the house. Each time we’ve gone into the mall, I’ve marveled at the ingenious use of this former hotel. After months of shopping at Turkey River Mall, I finally sat down with the owner, Becky Dietzler, to get a little history on the building and the business.
Perhaps I’ve spent too long in the city, where things that aren’t bolted down will be quickly carried away. Even bolting things down may not guarantee they won’t be stolen. There was that time two years ago when the catalytic converter was stolen right off our car as it was parked outside of our apartment building. Yep, that’s the stuff that will make a man very, very jaded.
