Asking me to go to Home Depot is akin to asking the OC to go and buy me some thread in a Quilt shop. I'll go if I absolutely have to, if all the lightbulbs in the house have burned out, or I need batteries, or we're pricing new washing machines. But, as a place to go and browse? For pleasure? Low on the list. In fact, close to the bottom.
But occasionally I find myself in a hostage situation. We'll have gone out for a seemingly innocent errand and suddenly, mar dhea, he remembers something he urgently needs from the big box store. It's too far and too hot to walk home, so I try to remember to bring a book along, just in case.
Saturday he lured me into it. He was in handyman mode, installing a new sink in the laundry room so he needed plumbing supplies. Since I'll be the one benefitting I wasn't exactly in a good position to argue.
He assured me it would be a quick stop and why don't I go to the garden section and select some house plants to replace the two I had recently murdered, oh and get a cart. The garden section is the one redeeming thing about HD. The OC can cruise up and down the aisles, pausing and rubbing his chin over these screws or those nuts, or the other bolts, while my knees begin to buckle and my pulse slows and I think if he doesn't get on with it I'm going to collapse right there on the cement floor from the boredom of it all.. And God forbid we shouln't stop to drool over the latest, ridiculously large and complicated barbeques. For all the wild and crazy parties we throw in our back garden, don't you know.
Off he went to Plumbing and me to Garden. I weighed the benefits of one house plant after another. Looking for those that thrive on neglect. This one needs low light, this one bright; this one needs to dry out between waterings, this one likes to keep its toes damp; this one is pretty, this one looks like a weed ..... Hmm. Decisions made, I meandered over to the flower section, ablaze with red pentas and purple somethings and lots and lots of yellow. And what should flutter past my eyes but the most amazing, huge butterfly! With a wingspan as wide as both of my hands. Oh joy! I set down my plants, got out my phone and gave chase. And this was my reward --- culled later from the forty eight shots I took --- yes. Forty eight. And yes, I did get some strange looks and yes, if I'd stuck around longer they might have summoned the men in white coats --- but what's the matter with everyone? Not only should we take time to smell the flowers but we should also take time to notice things of staggering beauty fluttering right past our noses instead of head down, shuffling along, oblivious.
Suddenly I remembered the OC and turned to look for him only to find him standing right behind me, arms laden with plumbing supplies, rolling his eyes and wondering where the cart was. Chasing butterflies, getting a cart --- which would you choose? Happy with my forty eight I dutifully went and got a cart.
Note: The largest photo is the one I chased that day. The others are butterflies I "caught" at various times over the summer.
19 comments:
I would consider it a successful trip to Home Depot if I found a butterfly in the flower section. Normally, I DO bring a book! I like the butterfly photos.
Men and hardware stores! It's a good place to dump them for a while! lol
My mother-in-law was hopeless when it came to garden shops/nurseries. She needed to be hog-tied and physically drag out of them once she'd entered one!
Years ago...back in 1979...when I was still married, I had to get her out of the house one time when my then husband (her son) and his father needed to install new screens to all the windows in their home. If she'd stayed while the job was in process she would've driven the guys insane. She was what you would call "good foreman material"...she'd be hovering, handing out orders on how to do the job, but not lift a finger...just have gotten in the way.
So it was my job to get her out of the way for the duration of the day! And, yes...I took her to a number of nurseries/garden shops! Job done! lol
My husband is not a handyman at all, but my father was and would have loved Home Depot. He would go often to the basement floor of the Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville in Paris, a large department store, with everything a handyman would want. He would go there very often, just to look and sometimes would bring back a gadget. When I am in Paris, if close to that department store I will go down to their basement to look too, not to buy anything, but because I feel closer to my father’s spirit there than anywhere else. I also think your capture of butterflies is lovely.
Butterflies are ephemeral magic. I would have joined you. And love your captures.
And loathe and detest hardware stores. Not even the garden section (quite) makes up for the rest of it. Perhaps because I have never seen a flutterby there.
i read this post to Melissa on one of her treks down by the computer - she agrees with all of you ... she HATES going to Home Depot ... i LURVE going to ANY hardware store, even the big box ones ... my favorite thing is to walk up and down the lumber aisles and Just Breathe ... anywho, i bribe her with the garden department in summer and the house plants and halloween/thanksgiving/christmas displays after Garden shuts down for winter ... i would go alone and be happy, but sometimes i need to ask questions (like what kind of mouse trap works best for killing the sneaky little bastards) and can't EVER find anyone to ask - but she is young and sweet, so the MEN in the store give her PGA (pretty girl advice/attention/attitude), and she asks for me ... and i always buy her a McCafe hot Caramel Mocha afterwards...
I'm better with butterflies than with spanners but I do like wandering round a good DIY store . Best place of all for buying blizzard-proof coats ... or goldfish .
Barb --- Glad you came back for another visit. I'm still figuring out the wonders of my camera --- not even half as far along as your photos prove you are!
Lee --- We all have our weaknesses! Mine is quilt shops, his is tools and gadgets. I don't really mind a quick run through for whatever's needed. It's the lingering.....But trying to get him to speed up once he's in there is like asking me to spend only five minutes in a quilt shop --- not happening.
Vagabonde --- Mais Paris! That would be a horse of a different colour!
EC --- Now that I've seen one, it may be easier to get me to go on his next trip there!
Dianne --- Funny that. I have indeed noticed in recent years that they don't rush quite as speedily to my aid as in my "young and sweet" (or was that a figment of my imagination?) days.
S&S --- Not in the market for either of those fortunately, especially the blizzard-proof coats. I do know what a spanner is though. Passing tools to the plumber is the principal function of the plumber's assistant, that and holding the flashlight, a very specialized task requiring a steady hand and inspiration from the Holy Ghost as to exactly where, and on what, the plumber requires the beam to be trained. As for the spanners, everything is fine until he requests a specific one. They all look the same to his hapless assistant...
Note from me --- I'm away, visiting youngest son and blogger has me jumping through all kinds of hoops here just to get onto my blog! Blogger account, google account, they just keep assuming I'm him because I'm on his computer. Of course it's a known fact that I am on dangerous ground when I'm doing anything different --- I just hope he doesn't come home to find I've changed his name to Molly!
St Mathurin seems to be the patron saint of plumbers and their assistants ... and of jesters .
Perhaps next time you're holding the torch , you should sing a jolly song ?
You're too funny Molly. Good luck with your computer woes. As always, it's been a wonderful read. I actually love going to Lowe's and HD, but, I've never seen a butterfly there. I'll be buying some plants at Lowe's this weekend, so if one floats by, I'll take it as a message directly from you!
Molly, you sound like a sprightly young lass the way you ran after the butterfly. Enjoyed reading about your adventure in Home Depot.
I think "assistant" may be a slight exaggeration.
You almost had me planning to read ... um, that book whose name has temporarily escaped me... till you got to the "heartbreak" bit. Can't cope with literary heartbreak these days. Too much of it in the world (mind you, I think there always was. I've just got feebler). But I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Hope you're not being blown away by the big wind.
Anna-banana --- Computer woes indeed! I did in fact change his name to Molly! He was not happy --- who would be? But we're still on speaking terms (as long as I don't call him Molly...)Hope you got to chase some butterflies at Lowe's!
LGS --- And you sound like a silver tongued fox, even though I know you're a squirrel!
Pam --- You're not implying, I hope, that I wasn't helpful? Every plumber needs a flashlight holder with a steady hand and. Imagine trying to install pipes, with all the attendant nuts and bolts, in a dark, cramped space under the sink without a flashlight holder....hmmmm. Seems to me the flashlight holder is doing at least 50% of the job no matter how yawn-inducing her part may be.....
You should still read The Yearling. The heartbreak is only 5% of the total. The rest is so wonderful it more than makes up for it.
Left town for the northwest before the big wind, but it really was a storm in a teacup on our side.
Your nature photos are gorgeous! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. :)
Linda from Montreal --- Thanks you and thanks for visiting. Butterflies make wonderful subjects if you can get them to sit still for a second or two!
This post makes me glad I'm married to a man who would rather go to a Chapters than a Home Depot! Although it does get bad when I want a shelf put up and he says he can't do it (he says can't, he means he doesn't want to). Why can't we have a happy middle ground? At least you got some nice butterfly shots from the trip!
Lovella Cushman @ Perfection Plumbing
I read this blog post interestingly found the tips and facts for effective cleaning services and you can also find out the best and reliable Home Improvement at your local, thanks for sharing the valuable blog with us.
Post a Comment