Mr. Greenjeans and the Psychic

I like to give people nicknames. Poor San Geraldo (Jerry) has a million of 'em, as you may have noticed. When it comes to gardening, I call him Mr. Greenjeans (of Captain Kangaroo fame). San Geraldo grew up around farms and amid a farming family. His grandparents and father had beautiful home gardens and the most incredible rose gardens. Lawns at their homes looked like perfect carpets.

NO GRUÑON (GRUMPY) TO BE FOUND AT THE GARDEN CENTER.

We both love to garden, but the research and planting gives San Geraldo so much pleasure that I tend to step back and let him enjoy himself. Most of the plants here are very familiar to us from our time in Southern California but, since we're right on the beach, San Geraldo researched plants that are great in containers, happy in full sun, and are hardy enough to endure the sea air and sometimes heavy winds.

I THOUGHT WE LEFT THESE BEHIND IN SEVILLA.

We rented a car (right downstairs) and drove into the hills (about 10 minutes away) where we were told we would find several large garden centers. The day was glorious. The garden centers were amazing. The Dowager Duchess would have been in her glory. My mother loves garden centers, loves to garden, and is amazing at nursing plants back to health. When we visit her next month, we're sure to go to a garden center just so she can get her fix. When I was around 20, the entire family went to Germany for a few weeks. We visited a spectacular palace and, while out in the gardens, The Dowager Duchess climbed over a tiny box hedge to pull weeds. She just couldn't help herself.

GARDEN CENTER #1.

WE BROUGHT TWELVE WITH US FROM SEVILLA. NO NEED FOR MORE.

We went to three garden centers and had tapas at a café inside the third before returning to the second to make all our purchases. On our first visit to the second nursery, we met a British expat. She began a 20-minute conversation while we were looking at large yuccas. In that time, we learned that she is a twice-divorced psychic; her second husband was a drunk; she had extramarital affairs (while married to the first husband who was decent but not while married to the "lying, cheating, drunk"); she has three sons (she and they are all at times suicidal); her 13-year-old granddaughter in Japan is also a psychic; she believes in reincarnation and knows she was a man at least twice; she believes she must have been an awful man in past lives and that she's paying for it now; she has to scrape together money every month to pay her electric bill because if it gets turned off it won't get turned back on and she'll be evicted since she and most of her neighbors live in illegal housing. There was so much more — like her three dogs and two cats, her former collection of purebred Siamese, her son's mother-in-law's wealth, her few past jobs. All in 20 minutes. I'm not always a complete skeptic, but taken altogether, it was a bit much.

A VIEW FROM GARDEN CENTER #3. IT WAS WORTH THE EXTRA STOP.

DURING LUNCH AT GARDEN CENTER #3.

Needless to say, I didn't give the psychic our contact information. (Anyway, she probably already knows it.) Besides, she told us to never, ever, trust a Brit. Never! (We asked if that included her, but she didn't say.) She said there was a newer, better garden center that had much lower prices than the enormous one we were currently visiting. Although she was British, we trusted her and went to the other center further into the hills. It was beautiful and worth the drive, but it was considerably smaller than the previous garden center and had a much more limited selection. Additionally, it was more, not less, expensive.

AS MY NIECE, ERICKA, USED TO SAY: YOTS AND YOTS OF COYOS. (LOTS AND LOTS OF COLORS.)

GLORIOUS SUNSHINE FOR OUR DAY IN THE HILLS.

When we told the story at breakfast this morning, Tynan, our British waiter, laughed and said, "Well, two thoughts: She told you to not trust anyone who's British, she did. Furthermore, I've found it to be good practice to not trust anyone who appears to be crazy."

WONDERING IF WE HAVE ROOM ON THE TERRACE FOR THE WATERFALL

Everything was delivered a few hours ago. We've had rain, and thunder and lightning since. Too bad. San Geraldo Greenjeans has a lot of work to do.

OUR TERRACE NOW LOOKS LIKE THE GARDEN CENTER.
(HALF THE DELIVERY.).

JUST BEFORE THE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING.
THE DELIVERY GUY KINDLY TRANSPLANTED THE 3 YUCCAS... JUST BECAUSE HE WANTED TO.

LOOKING AROUND THE CORNER.