In the spring of 1998, I flew with my partner from St. Louis to Atlanta, and rented a car to drive to Macon, to attend the Passover dinner at his older sister's home in Macon.
This was in April, and the wisteria was in full bloom. Although we do have wisteria in St. Louis (and many varieties of magnolias), wisteria is not as common and plentiful in St. Louis as it is in Georgia and much of the south. Our arrival could not have been better timed As we were driving down I-75, the smell of the wisteria was growing over the telephone poles was drifting across the highway. The temperature was warm and balmy, but not hot. In St. Louis, we had not yet experienced a good spring day in that season.
We were walking down Ingleside Avenue, and to kill time, we decided to stop and shop the antique district. Almost on a weekly basis, I browse thrift shops, antique stores and malls, and I go to flea markets (and estate sales!) almost every weekend during the summer months.
After visiting a couple antique stores, I happened along a 'shop', of sorts - "The Society Gardner". There wasn't actually a building to visit, but it was rather a place where a building once stood, that had been long since torn down. The building that once occupied this space had a basement that would have been below street level, but the back of the basement must have had a rear entrance at ground level. This business occupied the space between two buildings. In order to get to the merchandise being sold, shoppers had to enter through huge cast-iron gates with an iron trellis over-head, and go down a flight of wide wooden steps (as wide as the space, itself). There is ivy completely covering both walls of the existing buildings, making a nice 'wallpaper' for this business.
Throughout the space was wonderful topiaries, and topiary forms available for sale. One was a huge teapot, with the lid raised, and begonias planted in the pot. Another topiary was a squirrel, planted with ivy, that was climbing a large real tree that growing in the back of the space.
The cash register, and 'shop' where gardening tools and other small finds could be purchased was a small, but complete house in the back of the space. This tiny house had came complete with a porch it's own tin roof - RUSTED!, and with it's own rocking chair, a window with curtains and a lamp - and on the left side of the hut was a row of chicken nest boxes. If you reached in the nest boxes, there were other small finds for purchases: Gardening gloves, small gardening tools, etc.
Before I officially accepted disability, I worked on the flower market here in St. Louis for 5 years. Mark has worked there for 15 years. The plant / garden thing is in my blood. This market supplies florists for miles around with the flowers they sell to the general public. It is a wholesale flower market, and takes up both sides of a block and a half area near downtown St. Louis.
The minute I walked through that huge cast iron gate, and looked below me at this quaint 'shop' (but it is totally outdoors!), I took an all-too-familiar deep, relaxing breath, and let out a sigh of relief. I was HOME - and I wasn't going ANYWHERE! I slowly walked down the wide wooden steps, and noticed that Andrea Bocelli music was playing through speakers that were hidden behind the ivy on the walls. Andrea Bocelli had just hit this country, and I loved him then, and I love him now.
I leaned against the ivy-covered wall, with my back to the wall. I closed my eyes, and turned my face up to the warm spring sun, and I could smell the wisteria blowing through the air. I know a copious amount of tears was streaming down my cheeks, and dripping onto my shirt, but I didn't care.
A few minutes later, my 'moment' was disturbed by the other people in my entourage. They were ready to continue shopping down the street. I told them, "Go ahead and shop without me. IF you have to, leave me here, and I will somehow find my way back to St. Louis, but I AM NOT BUDGING AN INCH! This is heaven, and I am in the present, and I am here to enjoy it." About the same time, the shopkeep passed me by. I apologized for loitering, and for leaning against her wall, and she patted me on the shoulder, and said, "You are we more than welcome to stay as long as you like. Enjoy your moment!" And she walked on. My partner and his sister went to a nearby pizza shop and got me a slice of hand-made pizza, and a Mike's Hard Lemonade beer, and brought it back to me - right where I was still standing! I don't remember when it was that I pulled myself off that wall, and continued with my day, but that is one moment that I was in absolute bliss, and that I will never forget as long as I live.
I'm sure The Society Gardner has changed a bit over the past 12 years, but I am glad to see that in this day and age of 'here today, gone tomorrow', and considering the state of the economy, not only are they still in business, but they are thriving.
I made them a friend on Facebook. Although they are not right next door, I can somehow keep in touch. I think about the Society Gardner Shop every time I walk through my other guilty pleasure on a weekly basis - The Missouri Botanical Gardens.
Unfortunately, the Society Gardener has changed to "The Society Garden". They are no longer a garden shop - and they are an entertainment spot, with food, drink and music. The vines have been stripped from the walls, the area is not planted and the atmosphere that I was so fortunate enough to experience is totally gone as of 4/14/2018. I am glad to have experienced it when I did!
- Michael
Divine.
ReplyDeleteI had to edit that one so it wouldn't read like duck speak! :D
Delete