I love being the plant lady. Especially in a town like Worcester, MA. Worcester is a place that seems to me to have more than it’s fair share of urban craziness and being the gardeners we get to see it all. Yesterday as I was having an entirely pointless conversation with ‘high as a kite’ guy – a regular- I thought it would be fun to share with you excerpts from our days in Worcester. Worcester provides me and my crew with unending little anecdotes to laugh over with each other and share with our families and friends. I have decided to tweet my favorite one liners all summer as they come to us (I just turned on twitter from my blackberry) so you too can share in the colorful crazy silliness from the flowerbeds of downtown Worcester, MA.

So here is a quick rundown of some of our cast of characters from this year and previous years. I am not sure who will be back this season as things have changed a bit in the city but I am sure for each who has departed, someone new will take their place.

High as a Kite guy – In his 20’s and generally found wearing excessively baggy clothes, he is super friendly and talkative when high as a kite, but after peppering us with endless questions and strange conversation, will, upon coming down from kite height, seem to not recognize us at all.
Hawk guy – Hawk enthusiast that works in local office tower. Has stopped myself and each of my crew on the street to point out the nesting hawks on the top of the building at least a half a dozen times each if not more. He knows a lot about hawks and likes to share his enthusiasm with anyone with ears..because presumably we all want to hear it again.
Pretend-a-cop guy – Faithful and reliable, this young man clearly has a dream to be a cop, though sadly I don’t expect it will ever happen for him. So he dresses in his police t-shirt and dark trousers, dawns his kids toy hand cuffs and police hat, and with his plastic pinned on badge he faithfully patrols the sidewalk directly in front of the local police station (which happens to be right next to one of our flower beds). He is rather large, and never speaks…but keeps a close eye on us suspicious flower people and occasionally takes a swig from his giant gallon sized gatorade bottle. I am concerned that he may however have moved on this year as the local station was closed for budget cuts — I think maybe no pretend-a- cop guy if there are no real cops.
The professor – older man who dresses like a professor (tweed jacket look) who likes to ask me what the Latin names are of plants and then argue with me about whether I am correct. I think he means well, but I find him really irritating.
There are a few more that I am not thinking of at the moment, but as they pop back into I our lives,I will introduce you.
So yesterday’s favorite quote — from ‘high as a kite guy’ – while actually high as a kite… ambles over and with a mouth full (I mean really full) of some sort of chewy taffy like candy he sort of eagerly says “you guys need any help?”
to which we respond, no thanks,
to which he says…”Any of you guys have college degrees?” most of us nod yes…
then he says “I really want to talk to someone who has a degree in Botany, I want to know what you would do if you were planting a garden and came across a bunch of cannibis sativa”
I was impressed – he really knows his Latin.

Will be back out there today…I plan to tweet my favorites…so if you care about these characters, join me on twitter…