Free Plants

The ad on Craigslist distinctly and clearly read: NO earlybirds, starts at 9:00am.
So it was kinda crappy to get there and find out they had been letting people in since 8:00 am.
Well, I didn't make an issue out of it - at all actually - I just went in there to see if they had any freebies left, or out of the stuff they were selling, was any of it my pricing - very cheap - and anything I could us?

I am referring to an ad in Craigslist that had free plants listed, an event that would take place today, starting sharply and crisply at 9:00am.

Someone was standing there and I asked them if there were any free plants left? Yes, she said, those rows of plants right "there". Agave, I took 7 of them and then started looking around. An older lady started telling me about some plants there that I had no clue what they were. In a couple of instances, she said to just take some clippings off of some ground covering plants and they would grow. I did that.

Then I found 3 very interesting cacti - long, tall and spindly but beautiful looking things. She thought they wanted $5 a piece for those. A rubber tree, this that and the other thing.

I get out to the front with my haul. I pointed at that Agave and wanted to reinforce the idea that those were freebies. The lady out front said no, those weren't the free plants at all. Oh. Well, I was just going to take them back inside, I am not going to spend a fortune on this stuff. She said go ahead and keep them, would you give $20 for everything else. Okay. "We don't take checks". I was informed in the back that they weren't taking cards and that it was cash or check only, so I let her know that was what I was told. Well, another lady that didn't have cash told me where the nearest ATM was, so I was about to ask them to hold all those plants for me while I go get some money.

The lady said: "no, no, no, we'll just go ahead and take your check". The people running this show were all older ladies, very nice and kind people, really. I wasn't making an issue out of anything, just giving the points of what I had been told and also what I had read in the ad. The lady out front seemed to get annoyed with whoever was in the back giving out - apparently wrong information, but not enough to make her visibly angry. They were more interested in clearing it all out to start afresh, apparently. This was being held at the Community College on College property, but this organization was a Garden Club of some sort, I'm guessing volunteers helping students to do some sort of projects in growing plants - for what reason I have no clue.

So, I got some very nice plants. The ad said the freebies were in need of TLC and would come back around when you got them planted, which is why I was a bit surprised to see some very fine specimens in the alleged freebie aisle. They are not in bad shape at all, probably why the woman out front was objecting to those particular plants being for free. I'm guessing around $150 worth of plants for $20, I'm not complaining.

In a little while I'll be heading outside to put those clippings in the ground before they start dying and a useless venture as per that part of the haul.

That will be it for the day, as well, as I am trying to recuperate and get over this sickness.

There isn't much going on around here anyway. Kids are gone at some park and swap adventure, there are no tenants here right now and the only thing I have are a bunch of dog eyes staring at me. I wish I could take them for a walk, but I KNOW that physical exertion while I am in the midst of a respiratory illness is a very BAD idea, so I won't. Instead, I will force the kids to walk them in exchange for the food and drink they have been consuming around here. I make neighborhood kids do chores around here since they want to be over here so much, eating my food, using my computer (when I let them), watching my satellite tv, and using my Playstation III.

There are other things, but I am going to close this one.
ben