June 20, 2011

It's a Long Story...

 

Marta had planned to go,
but upon thinking about it,
decided to send her regrets
due to feeling ill and realizing a six hour venture
with possibly one half hour of sweet peas
did not add up to a fun time.

The sweet pea open house 
was all on the hush hush, 
as the sweet peas can be viewed one day,
and one day only, per year by the public.
So unless Allie and Josie had an in, 
which they did not, 
they had to see sweet peas 
on that one day which was yesterday, Sunday.

Allie and Josie 
had been chomping at the bit, 
waiting with baited breath

and pinning their hopes upon that 
one yearly open house, to get their hands on 
(and their noses in) some sweet, sweet peas 
for three whole years. 
Josie had already been once 
and was trying not to lord it over Allie, 
though Josie was thinking;
but trying not to think, 
"Ha, ha, I've already seen the sweet peas 
and you haven't."
 
(where exactly, 
does the period go after a quotation? 
(or after a parenthesi 
[singular for parenthesis]
Josie wonders, deciding 
the heck with punctuation, 
let's get to the story, lady!]).

Allie and Josie and Marta had either forgotten the date 
(the first year) or forgotten again (second year), 
then remembering sometime later
and kicking themselves for it, 
or something had come up last minute, 
but for some reason or other the three friends
had not made it to the sweet peas.


This year would be different, 
if the planets aligned 
with the moon and the sun, 

because Allie and Josie 
had received pretty cards in the mail 
and/or they put the date on their calendars 
AND remembered to look at said calendar.
Marta needs to be put on the mailing list if, 
for no other reason,
to receive the lovely sweet pea adorned card.


Allie and Josie actually remembered 
and even communicated with one another 
about the plan to go see the sweet peas.
And off they went in Josie's car 
towards S. City with Allie saying, 
"Go this way, now get in that lane, then turn..." 

Now, Josie had actually been there, 
and Allie had arduously 
and carefully taught herself to read maps, 

thank God, because Josie 
had absolutely no sense of direction,
all she knew was that she was driving 
in the direction in which the car was going.


Josie had a cool iphone and could find 
the correct map online on mapquest 
and Allie could actually read the screen 
and actually equate it to the concrete (pun?) street. 


Josie regularly wonders 
why she has been to S. City
many, many, many times and, 
amazingly enough, 
gets lost every single time. 
Anyway, she steered (pun?) 
the car in wrong directions several times
in order to keep her losing streak going.

But back to the sweet peas. 



















Several miles later, the two friends ended up parking 
at a closed (it was Sunday) vet hospital 
right next to the cute basset hound mural, 
which is right next to the sweet peas' garden,
which is hidden behind 
a tall fence between the vet and Taco Bell. 


Upon entering Alli and Josie 
were handed a clip board 
on which lay a catalog for sweet peas. 

That's what they sell, sweet pea seeds. 
Beyond the gate lay a heavenly sight. 
(hear heavenly harps strumming, 
accompanying a heavenly  "Ahhhhhh...".)  
Rows of sweet pea plants 
climb high on 7 foot tall wire fences.
Pink, lavender and white with purple edging 
and soft scents and 
pretty hard scents, Josie thought, coughing.

Alli and Josie did not buy pea seeds or pea note-cards  
deciding they'd had enough 
and headed back to the car and headed home 
in Josie's car with Allie directing 
(turn left, no the OTHER left, 
the correct left, not the right left
as that would be too, too confusing 
and anyway they found a driveway to turn around in) 
(should not end a sentence 
with a preposition, if "in" is a preposition but, oh, well)

I forgot to mention 
when they first reached S. City, 
they had to stop by the toy store
(and they have a good one in S. City)

to buy an electric bubble blower for
baby granddaughter (Josie's) 
(that the baby disliked ~
too noisy, bubbles should be floating
quietly if you are 1.) 

They also strolled around the street fair 
and ogled sky blue pottery and 
the $150.00 Mexican embroidered blouse 
(myriad gorgeous and varied birds)
and shared iced Juego Fresca...
hibiscus, cherry juice..quite fresca (FRESH!)


And that's it for S. City.
Josie's pretty sure she'd get lost next time.
Reading maps and remembering things
are not her best specialty.  
(that's not a very grammatical sentence, 
is it?, oh, well)

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