Curbside Pickup... for Plants?

Atlantic Nursery, one of my two favorite plant stores, sent an email a few days ago announcing that pansies had arrived and they were selling violas, a cousin of pansies, for $1.19 each.  But the biggest shock of all is that they were offering curbside pickup - curbside pickup for flowers! Who would have thought!   They showed pretty pictures of the many available colors, and I knew I had to do this.

So today, while on my walk, I got a text from the neighborhood group chat that has rarely been used before, to say how nice it would be if we all posted rainbows on our windows. Louise had found the idea online. “Make a rainbow and then hunt for others,” the text read. Immediately, there were lots of responses as people discussed whether to use colored markers or computer printouts. 

Not really that into it, I decided to print one out and hang it up.  And then I noticed ones going up across the street and next door.  Later, someone texted: “Skylar counted 9 rainbows… nice home schooling folks.”

I had decided today was the day for Atlantic Nursery and what a perfect opportunity to pick up those violas, pansy-like plants, for the block. Finally, a positive action I could put into motion.  As we parked outside and waited for the delivery to the car, my daughter and I watched people with masks on, coming out with flats of pansies and large soil bags.  What a scene.

Once on my block, my daughter drove the (getaway) car while I placed the little plants on the 20 stoops of our block. Now this is not really a very close-knit community ordinarily, but suddenly I felt like I lived in Our Town (the Thornton Wilder play we all read in 8^th grade).

It was a welcome reprieve.