The Arboretum

Sunday, September 17, 2023

There was a special event at the arboretum today – a blown glass pumpkin display with over 5,000 pumpkins, which would be sold to benefit the artists and the arboretum. We figured you can’t go wrong looking at glass pumpkins, so we got timed tickets for 11am. It’s way on the other side of town, so it took about 45 minutes to get there (I had already done two loads of laundry – put away and everything! I have to work tomorrow, so I have to actually use my time a bit more wisely. I hopped out of bed at 7am and confused the heck out of Keith. He, logically, went back to sleep). Signs said it was sold out and parking was scarce. We started out by looking at scarecrows and decorated hay bales – all very cute. There were several crooked gardening sheds, with price tags between $8,000 and $11,000. Keith said it would NOT cost him that much to build one. We looked at them from all the angles and took lots of pictures, just in case I decide I want one and he wants to build one. You never know.

Then on to the pumpkin display. It was not what we were expecting. It was lots of glass pumpkins for sale. Obviously! It made perfect sense once we were there, but since it was advertised as a display with sale, not a sale with display we had leapt to a wrong conclusion. People were slowly walking around an area with planks laden with glass pumpkins, filling their shopping baskets. The checkout line was dozens of people long. The least expensive one I saw was $95 and I saw a couple for $300. I know how hard to is to learn to blow glass, so I get it, but I didn’t have any need for a glass pumpkin or a place to put one that I could think of, so we walked around and looked, then headed out to see the arboretum. We took the hour-long tram tour and enjoyed it very much. If we lived closer, we would definitely go there often, because it really is pretty and they have a LOT to see. You could go all throughout the year and see different things blooming.

Since we were way on the west side, we went to Pannekoeken for lunch. We always get a Dutch pot pie pannekoeken, but it was gone! Not on the menu! Gasp! I did not panic. Keith was sure we would still be able to order it and he was right. Everything was okay.

Then we headed to our friend, Glen, and his new wife, Jill’s, after-the-wedding party. Glen lost his wife, Jo, last year and married Jill in July. We did not know anything was up until Keith saw a Facebook announcement about the wedding. What? Surprise! They had a sign up telling the story – they have known each other through cat shows for over 20 years. When Jo broke her leg a few years ago, they called Jill to help them get to the hospital – so they were good friends. Jill had Glen over for Thanksgiving after Jo passed. Then in January, she broke her hip and called Glen for help. After she got out of the hospital, she moved into Glen’s house so he could help her, and he did. He went to visit his daughter for two weeks in May and they missed each other, and independently came to the conclusion that they should get married. He came back and proposed, and she said yes. It is so great when people find happiness!