I got a really strange reaction to my request for hydroponics supplies when I was in Leander during my trip.
I was within about an hour's drive of "home" and I remembered the name of a "water gardens" nursery from when I lived there, +Hill Country Water Gardens. (In fact, I used to be rather perturbed that there was a water garden nursery in Central Texas, where water is very expensive during summer months.) Because I had been thinking that it would be nice to garden indoors during the long northern winters and I remembered the "water gardens" nursery near my old home, I made a point to stop in.
Perhaps it is because I do not care much about my wardrobe. I like to feel comfortable when I write, think about story lines, play
with my dog or whatever I happen to be doing by myself in my empty
house. So I wear comfortable old jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers most days. I rarely wear any make up and my hair is usually pulled back into a low pony-tail which may or may not be partially braided to keep the tie from slipping out of it
Though I was traveling rather than sitting around in my house, my wardrobe remained the same. I really saw no need to invest in new clothing and makeup for a 3000 mile drive to mostly just visit friends and family. I decided to charge my credit card for dining out, instead. So, yeah, I looked like a writer for the whole trip. Okay. But that is what I am.
I just walked into the garden shop and started looking around at all the stuff they had lining the walls. I knew one thing I was looking for but I had forgotten its name. (They are called "net pots.") I would have asked right away, but the girl at the counter was busy with a customer. So I just looked around while I waited for her to be done. I figured the little pots were probably around somewhere because they are an integral part of hydroponics gardening.
I was wrong. (It happens every now and again, though not often.) It took a few minutes for the counter person to be free. But when she was, I approached with my question. All I needed was the net pots, but apparently, the water gardens store does not do hydroponics. I explained that I was visiting from Wisconsin and asked if she knew of any place that would carry what I needed.
The girl said she knew of three places in Austin, but then she tried to talk me out of going to them. She was adamant that I should by my supplies closer to home. Every reason I gave for wanting to go to a local hydroponics store was met with an objection. There must be a store closer to where I live, she insisted. Her behavior really confused me. It did not make sense. All I wanted to do was buy some little pots for growing plants inside in water during winter.
I did not let the girl get out of answering my question. I had her look up the addresses of the three Austin stores she said she knew worked with hydroponics, then I drove down to the nearest one,+ Texas Hydroponics & Organics. It was along my route back to my son's house, anyway. I waited to talk to the counter person there, too. Trent was the man "in the know" and very busy with customer questions -- so busy, in fact, that at 4:00 pm he had still to take his lunch break.
Trent answered my questions about the differences between hydroponics and aquaponics, then got me all set up with net pots, growing medium, fertilizer and seeds. He was very nice and did not try to talk me out of buying my supplies at his store. (He said that people from all over the country shop there.)
Pleased with my success in finding and buying my supplies, I took my goodies back to my son's house. There, I told both of my kids about my odd experience with the clerk at the Leander water gardens shop. Anne had no reaction. (She was busy playing an online RPG.) But I waited through guffaws of laughter for my son to give me his observation.
"Mom," he laughed. "She thought you were trying to grow marijuana."
I'm sure I gave him a funny look because I did not understand, so he clarified for me, "People use hydroponics to grow marijuana in their homes."
Suddenly, the girl's reaction made sense to me. But now I was slightly irritated that she thought I look like I use marijuana.
About two weeks later, I was sitting with my parents at the counter in my favorite local pizza parlor. (They wanted to watch the football game.) I knew several of the servers that night so, thinking he would find it funny, I told my marijuana story to one of them. His response was along the lines of, "Uh huh." (He was preoccupied.)
A little flustered by the response I had received, I turned to another server and announced, "X thinks I look like I grow pot in my back yard." Almost instantly, X began to defend his reaction. But then the other server asked as if it was no big deal, "So?"
Alrighty. I guess I look like I grow my own marijuana. Perhaps I do need to invest a little in my public image... But I think it can wait until I actually have a public image to invest in. My dog and my computer seem to love me just fine in my comfortable clothes and wearing no make up.
I was within about an hour's drive of "home" and I remembered the name of a "water gardens" nursery from when I lived there, +Hill Country Water Gardens. (In fact, I used to be rather perturbed that there was a water garden nursery in Central Texas, where water is very expensive during summer months.) Because I had been thinking that it would be nice to garden indoors during the long northern winters and I remembered the "water gardens" nursery near my old home, I made a point to stop in.
Though I was traveling rather than sitting around in my house, my wardrobe remained the same. I really saw no need to invest in new clothing and makeup for a 3000 mile drive to mostly just visit friends and family. I decided to charge my credit card for dining out, instead. So, yeah, I looked like a writer for the whole trip. Okay. But that is what I am.
I just walked into the garden shop and started looking around at all the stuff they had lining the walls. I knew one thing I was looking for but I had forgotten its name. (They are called "net pots.") I would have asked right away, but the girl at the counter was busy with a customer. So I just looked around while I waited for her to be done. I figured the little pots were probably around somewhere because they are an integral part of hydroponics gardening.
I was wrong. (It happens every now and again, though not often.) It took a few minutes for the counter person to be free. But when she was, I approached with my question. All I needed was the net pots, but apparently, the water gardens store does not do hydroponics. I explained that I was visiting from Wisconsin and asked if she knew of any place that would carry what I needed.
The girl said she knew of three places in Austin, but then she tried to talk me out of going to them. She was adamant that I should by my supplies closer to home. Every reason I gave for wanting to go to a local hydroponics store was met with an objection. There must be a store closer to where I live, she insisted. Her behavior really confused me. It did not make sense. All I wanted to do was buy some little pots for growing plants inside in water during winter.
I did not let the girl get out of answering my question. I had her look up the addresses of the three Austin stores she said she knew worked with hydroponics, then I drove down to the nearest one,
Trent answered my questions about the differences between hydroponics and aquaponics, then got me all set up with net pots, growing medium, fertilizer and seeds. He was very nice and did not try to talk me out of buying my supplies at his store. (He said that people from all over the country shop there.)
Pleased with my success in finding and buying my supplies, I took my goodies back to my son's house. There, I told both of my kids about my odd experience with the clerk at the Leander water gardens shop. Anne had no reaction. (She was busy playing an online RPG.) But I waited through guffaws of laughter for my son to give me his observation.
"Mom," he laughed. "She thought you were trying to grow marijuana."
I'm sure I gave him a funny look because I did not understand, so he clarified for me, "People use hydroponics to grow marijuana in their homes."
Suddenly, the girl's reaction made sense to me. But now I was slightly irritated that she thought I look like I use marijuana.
About two weeks later, I was sitting with my parents at the counter in my favorite local pizza parlor. (They wanted to watch the football game.) I knew several of the servers that night so, thinking he would find it funny, I told my marijuana story to one of them. His response was along the lines of, "Uh huh." (He was preoccupied.)
A little flustered by the response I had received, I turned to another server and announced, "X thinks I look like I grow pot in my back yard." Almost instantly, X began to defend his reaction. But then the other server asked as if it was no big deal, "So?"
Alrighty. I guess I look like I grow my own marijuana. Perhaps I do need to invest a little in my public image... But I think it can wait until I actually have a public image to invest in. My dog and my computer seem to love me just fine in my comfortable clothes and wearing no make up.
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