On Sunday, we took our houseguest to Roger’s Gardens, an outdoor paradise for upscale Orange County residents who are looking for the finest greenery their greenbacks can buy –- and who can afford to hire other people to dig their purchases into the dirt.
Around Christmastime, Roger’s Gardens stocks their indoor boutique with theme-based Christmas trees and an impressive array of needful things. Perhaps the most popular area in the whole store is the Christopher Radko corner. There, you’ll find finely crafted ornaments to match your every interest and to suit every season, as long as price isn’t an object for you, of course. Each handcrafted ornament takes a full seven days to create, and their prices are a reflection of their exclusive, exquisite nature (ranging from $45.00 to hundreds of dollars).
Can you imagine the awe I felt as I gently held one in my hand, marveling over the craftsmanship and creativity? And can you perhaps also empathize with the horror I felt as a large man bumped my elbow from behind, startling me and sending that gorgeous ornament crashing to the floor?
A bejeweled woman in a Furstenberg wrap-around dress and four-inch heels (who had, until that fateful moment, been standing next to me) rushed to put distance between the two of us. “Oh, I’m glad that wasn’t me,” I heard her whisper to her friend as they both backed away. Meanwhile, I stood frozen in that spot, clutching the hanger that had somehow detached itself from the now-destroyed ornament and wishing for some sort of seismic activity to open the ground beneath me and swallow me whole.
Graciously and without a single sidelong look of disapproval, a store clerk rushed in, whisked the colorful glass shards into a dustpan, and then unceremoniously dumped the remnants into a nearby garbage can. Apparently, in this fantasyland environment, they don’t have a “You break it, you buy it” policy. Whew! So as shoppers around me returned to their conspicuous consumption, I retreated — as inconspicuously as possible under the circumstances — into the well-heeled, mostly high-heeled, crowd.
And so it was that I temporarily stepped through the looking glass and into Wonderland, leaving shards of glass in my wake.
Photo credit: Christopher Radko ornament, 2006
Yeeks! I can only imagine the feeling when the ornament went crashing down…yikes!!!!
Yikes was right! It was as if I were witness to a disaster unfolding in slow motion. Know what I mean?
That woman wasn’t much into the holiday spirit, was she? Thank goodness the store clerk was!
P.S. On an unrelated note, did my reply to your e-mail come through? Just checking …
Yes, I was thanking her and my (un)lucky stars — and hanging onto my wallet for dear life!
I did get your fabulous email and I responded. I hope you got my reply. 🙂
That woman wasn’t much into the holiday spirit, was she? Thank goodness the store clerk was!
P.S. On an unrelated note, did my reply to your e-mail come through? Just checking …
Gosh!!! If that would have happened here in our upscale Dollar General, the clerk would have take out his 45 pistol and shot the guy. They have a “you break it, you die” policy. HEHEHE or as Santa would say ” HO HO HO”
Ha ha ha ha! You made me laugh out loud. See, it’s yet another cultural difference between TX and CA. 🙂
Gosh!!! If that would have happened here in our upscale Dollar General, the clerk would have take out his 45 pistol and shot the guy. They have a “you break it, you die” policy. HEHEHE or as Santa would say ” HO HO HO”
Aaaaah! Big hug, because that must’ve been a horrible moment.
Thanks for the hug! I feel better now (heart beating normally now, out of my throat). In retrospect, it’s a funny story. Sorta.
Aaaaah! Big hug, because that must’ve been a horrible moment.
Oh man, I can feel your pain. I just happen to be working on a book that details several embarrassing moments in my character’s life. This incident could easily be slipped right in there alongside the others. Not that it’s that embarrassing after the fact, but I can just imagine what it was like at the moment of elbow impact.
I’m really glad it turned out okay, and now it makes for a cute story.
Oh, your poor main character! (Is this the one I read while we were taking Lauren’s class? That’d be great!!!)
Thanks for the good thoughts. You’re right: it’s much better now, seen through the rear view mirror.
Oh man, I can feel your pain. I just happen to be working on a book that details several embarrassing moments in my character’s life. This incident could easily be slipped right in there alongside the others. Not that it’s that embarrassing after the fact, but I can just imagine what it was like at the moment of elbow impact.
I’m really glad it turned out okay, and now it makes for a cute story.
You are sooo smooth, Mel! I probably would have pointed at the dude and screeched, “HE MADE ME DO IT, DAMMIT!!!!”
I would have been pointing at his backside…he was trying to escape, too! Weasel.
I would have been pointing at his backside…he was trying to escape, too! Weasel.
Ha! He backed away in a hurry, too. Sneaky thing.
I wish I would have read this sooner. That’s horrible. Did the man at least apologize for bumping you? It was an accident. Not your fault =) It happens. I’m sure you’re not the only one who’s done that.
No, he didn’t apologize. Like the woman in stilettos, he backed away as quickly as he could, leaving me standing there by myself. Blergh.
What an ass =/ Grr!
What an ass =/ Grr!
No, he didn’t apologize. Like the woman in stilettos, he backed away as quickly as he could, leaving me standing there by myself. Blergh.
Garden Inspiration | A Joyful Noise
[…] know how much I adore Roger’s Gardens. Even though I still wince whenever I think about this. It’s where I go when I need a spark of creativity, a splash of color…a glimpse […]