Magic

Currently, we have small sized heather plants in the garden center. They're tagged (by the nursery) as "Winter Garden". The nursery also spray painted them, to increase their attractiveness, I suppose.

I don't know if it's barometric pressure, cooler nights working on the thin line between reality and sanity or what, but I've had some interested customer generated questions regarding the heather.

First up:

Customer #1: *shoves heather in my face* Why doesn't this heather smell like lavendar?

Mumple: *working hard to keep eyes from rolling* Because it's not lavendar. It's heather.

#1: What exactly to you mean by that?

M: It's heeeeeeeeather. It will smell like heather. Heather isn't supposed to smell like lavendar.

#1: Well, I don't want it then. *turns to friend and says in a tone that implies mis-represented heather* It's heather.

Next:

Customer #2: Hey, yeah, that heather? Will it grow all winter?

Mumple: No. Plants don't generally grow this far north during the winter.

#2: Well, why does it have a snowflake on the tag? Shouldn't it grow in the winter, then?

M: No. They either go dormant if they're perennials or they die off, if they're annuals.

#2: What a ripoff.

I think next year, instead of "Winter Garden" we should label them, "Magical Heather."