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Once Mei had polished off her turkey sandwich and bottled water she made her way down the street in search for the 'huge nursery' the cashier was talking about. After about fifteen maybe twenty minutes of walking she began to seriously wonder if the cashier got her left's and right's mixed up. Not more than a few moments later Mei saw a part of a sign sicking out behind some very full bushes. '....ry'

With each few steps more of the name came into sight. 'Larkwood Nursery... we'll I'll be' Mei crossed the street and hung a left into the parking lot. The sheer size of the nursery made her stop in her tracks. "Holy crap she wasn't kidding" The nursery she use to frequent back in Washington was a fourth... maybe... maybe a third of the size of this place and that's being generous. 'Pfft no comparison' she mentally scoffed, the old one may be big but man this place really was huge.

As she stepped over the threshold into the nursery Mei's face lit up like a kid discovering Disney Land for the first time. She could no doubt easily spend hours in here and not get bored. 'Oh man, once Shen and dad finish the green house in the back yard I'm going to have a field day in here.'

Despite the fact she was here to get some ceramic pots and potting soil Mei couldn't help but wander around to the different green houses to see what beautiful plants they had for sale.

Mei began her nursery adventure in greenhouse one which actually had everything she was looking for; pots, soil and seeds. There was also a few things she was surprised to see but definitely wanted mainly earth worms and lady bugs ’I should totally get a few compost bins going again’ At their last home Mei had two compost bins full of earth worms, at the end of a meal she would take any peels or food that had gone bad (aside from meat) out to the bin then mix the soil. Definitely something she would need to remember when she drew the plans for their yard.

From there she wondered into greenhouse two. The aroma of the various herbs to Mei was like cat n** for a cat. With a smile stretching from one ear to the other she let a quiet but enthusiastic “eep”. She was able to recognize just about 90% of the herbs from rosemary, to the cilantro and parsley, there was probably at least for different types of basil oh and green onions “Yumm. Oh man they all smell wonderful”. Despite having eaten already her stomach let out a rather loud growl.

She made a mental tally of all the herbs she wanted to get next time she came before heading into the third greenhouse. If it were at all possible Mei's excitement went through the roof at the sight of zucchini, squashes, various types of tomato, and wide variety of lettuce plants. Plants shouldn't make a person this happy but seeing all these edible plants made Mei giddy and just that much more excited to get her garden re-set up. As she walked down the isle of plants she paused every few steps to run her fingers over a leaf “They take such good care of you guys don’t they?.” Well if being this excited over being here wasn't weird enough then talking to the plants would probably tip the weirdness scale but to her knowledge she was the only one in this particular greenhouse so what did it matter?

“Next up number 4” she said with a bounce in her step. Upon entering the fourth greenhouse Mei could hear the sound of water running, however with all of the hanging baskets in the way she couldn't see where the person was standing. Back at her last home most of the hanging baskets were fuchsias which most of the time they looked scrawny and or dead. It took some TLC but she could normally bring them back to life if her mother happened to buy one to hang in the front yard by the door. This place, yes they had a handful of vibrant full of life fuchsias, had some of the most beautifully arranged hanging baskets. She raised herself onto her toes so she could smell one of the brightly colored yellow flowers. She wasn't entirely sure of its name but it certainly smelled nice.

Mei head weaved her way through the dry hanging baskets only managing to knock her head on two by accident. There were three at the very least that she knew her mother would want to get ‘I’ll have to bring her here some time’ she thought.

Had Mei been a little less excited because of her surroundings she may have heard the sound of the water stopped. If she had not been lost in thought of bringing her family here sometime she may have heard the sound of someone walking on the gravel towards her, but alas she did not hear that either. The sound of someone’s voice so near to her startled her a bit, not to the point of jumping out of her socks, but enough to make her whip her head to the side to see who was there. Unfortunately with all the hanging baskets not only did she bump her head on one ”Ouch”, they blocked her view of the person who was talking to her.

Looking down she saw a pair of pants and shoes standing only a few feet away from her. Carefully she pushed the hanging basket between them aside so she could step around it. In front of her stood a guy about the same size as her with blond hair and *blue-grey eyes. “Hi,” she smiled at him, taking note of his dampened shirt she replied “I’m sorry if I interrupted you. I actually saw what I came here to get up in the first green house. Right now I’m just exploring, your store has so many plants it’s amazing.”

Mei rocked back on her heals, probably not a good thing to do with all the hanging baskets but she managed to avoid bumping her head again. “To be honest I’ve never been to a nursery this big before, it’s kind of exhilarating…” her eyes wandered to the hanging baskets just behind him that were dripping water for a brief moment then back to him “I’m sorry if I sound weird” she added feeling slightly embarrassed of her excitement. ’I should probably tone it down a bit’ she thought to herself.

“No need to apologize! It wasn't your fault. To say I like plants is putting it lightly, it’s definitely a passion to say the least.” Every year it was her job to take care of their yard which included picking up fallen branches, pulling weeds, trim the bushes, and planting the new flowers to match her mother’s color theme. It’s something that she could do whenever and it would make her happy, in a sense it was very therapeutic. She found that the best part wasn't getting compliments on her front yard, no, it was getting compliments on how the food in her garden tasted.

“As for nursery’s” her face flashed to a look of pity at the thought of comparing the old nursery she frequently went to before to this one “the one I use to go to back at my old home was considered ‘big’ however their plants were normally pretty scrawny; so when the cashier at the grocery store down the street said there was a huge nursery down the street, I’ll admit, I was skeptical. To say it was a pleasant surprise that I was wrong would be an understatement. It’s like…” her face lit up once again thinking about how she stopped in her foot tracks when she turned into the parking lot “Looking for a neighborhood park and finding Disney Land instead.”

Adverting her eyes to the wet gravel Mei attempted to quell her excitement a bit the last thing she wanted was to sound like a freak, but honestly she really couldn't help it. When she first moved here a few days ago, she will admit it has been hard to picture happiness, the only thing that she wanted to do for the last few days was to curl up in bed or hop on your computer and sulk. That’s the reason why she grasped onto the happiness that finding this place brought so intensely at least now she had something she could look forward to. “Honestly though, I’m just looking around trying to get some ideas for our front yard and back yard. The place we just moved had been severely neglected by the former owners and is in some need of TLC.”

“After going through the first few greenhouses I've been entertaining the thought of growing a new edible garden in the back yard, at the very least one that’s bigger than the one at our last place.” Though her expression didn't change her mood flashed to one of sadness thinking of all the plants she left behind, specifically her blueberry bush but rebounded rather quickly at the prospective of an even larger edible garden. “Unfortunately I don’t have any real ideas for our front yard, I snapped some photos of some front yards earlier today that I thought were cool in hopes of drawing inspiration but honestly a lot of them look cookie-cutter.”

Mei suddenly felt very self conscious after unloading all of that information on the poor guy "Sorry, I didn't mean to go on quite a long winded rant"

Mei’s head bobbed from side to side as she compared the two “I don’t know thrill rides versus head weaving through a greenhouse full of hanging baskets…” She couldn’t help but smile “seems quite comparable to me.” It’s true to a point though, one was hazardous to people who are scared of heights or prone to motion sickness, the other however was hazardous for a persons brain cells if you bump into one too many.

“The only green in the front yard is the moss and even that is turning brown and all the grass is shriveled up. I don’t think the front yard ever really had much to it to begin with. The backyard…” she made a ‘heh’ sound “We have one tree in the back yard in the corner with two over size rhododendrons. Ehh I want to say there’s maybe a 2’ wide perimeter around the yard where there may have been flowers at some point, but honestly, I think the last flowers to bloom in our yard was dandelions.” Thinking about the number of things she had to do to prep the yard for it’s transformation was a bit daunting, first she would have to pull the weeds and get rid of the dead grass and dying moss. Then she would need to map out a plan including walkways to maneuver the yard before ordering some new soil and grass seeds.

“That would be great” Some help choosing the right plants would be helpful considering the climate and weather conditions here were fairly different from her last home there may be some plants better suited for this area that she has yet to learn of. “The only part my mother plays in gardening is having the final say on the color scheme. Though..” she paused with a mischievous twinkle in her eye ” if we were to say, I don’t know find a hanging basket with some unique flowers we might be able to sway her vote. At the very least I would like to beat her to the punch and get something other than fuchsias for a change” Not to say fuchsias were bad or anything but after having them outside every year for the last five years it was time for a change, now that they were at a new house what better time for a floral upgrade?

Mei pulled out her phone and swiped her fingers over the nine circles forming some obscure pattern. Opening her pictures file she handed her phone to him, “these are just a few front yard photos I liked. I thought the short white fence with the arborvitae’s were cute.” When he got to the picture with the fountain she piped up “You can skip that one, it’s more of a ‘maybe some day’ thing, I honestly don’t think I could talk my parents into a fountain or pond any time soon. “One thing I would like though, it’s decorative but functional, are those little pathway solar lights to go along a gravel walk way from the patio or out door eating area to my little green house that I’d like to put out near our lone tree. My father and brother should hopefully be building it in the next few weeks.” She looked at him, a light pink blush crept across her cheeks. This was probably the first time Mei has ever spoken to a guy about plants like this, yes she felt a little self-conscious but at least he knew what she was talking about. Most guys back home weren’t into this kind of stuff; rather they preferred sports or video games and trying to ‘pick up hot chicks’ She could easily see becoming friends with him, at least she hoped… maybe…

"Lucky maybe, or..." Mei paused a moment wondering if she should dare to continue that thought. "Or you're just too smart for this place, that a few bumps on the head wouldn't do much damage." With a bashful smile on her face, she truly hoped he he didn't take offence to what she just said. Mei fiddled with her bag strap in a nervous manner. Her eyes wandered from his face and for the first time she noticed his name tag... Alexandre... it suits him she thought.

In the past it felt like people she talked to at the nursery were a hit or a miss. Sometimes you get lucky and find someone who is passionate about their job or very knowledgeable, where others are just working there to work there because nowhere else will hire, them. Most of the time... she ran into the later of the two. The type of people would ask in a bored tone if they can help you, you tell them either yes and they point you in the direction instead of showing you, or you say no and they say 'kay' and walk off. It made her happy to get the distinct feeling that Alexandre fell into the former category.

"Having to wait till fall isn't too bad. In order to save money so we can put more towards plants, the labor intensive work falls to my brother and I. Between pulling up the dead grass and moss, building a small retaining wall to level out some of the flower bed areas, and laying out the new soil I have a feeling it will take at least till fall before we're ready." It took a bit of effort not to let out a 'i am so not looking forward to that part' groan. Gardening is one thing, heavy intensive laborious yard restoration is another story. At the mention of the tree Mei tried to think back on how it looked. "You know, to be honest, I don't really know. We've only been here a couple of days and the cable man hasn't arrived to set up our net. I'll have to take a picture of it or bring in a leaf to show you next time I swing by. As for the Rhodes I'll probably end up pruning them, I'd feel bad getting rid of them after all they've been through." After mentioning pictures Mei had a random but fun thought pop into her head. "Speaking of pictures I should take progress pictures each week to document the transformation."

'Hmm colors...' she thought. "Last year our garden was mainly pink flowers with some orange and yellow, I was thinking... since our house is blue, going with a cool color scheme so maybe blues, violets, indigo with a bit of complimentary yellow golden color. If you have any ideas I'm open to suggestions." She knew she was playing it save choosing a complimentary color scheme, yes they can be beautiful if done right but they're kind of common because they're easy to coordinate.

"As for the fountain and pond, the main reason is upkeep and cost to keep it running. If given the opportunity my family tends to like to eat outside so it would make more sense to set up an area with our grill and patio furniture." Mei wasn't all too surprised when Alexandre said that they had solar lights, truthfully she would be shocked if he said they would have to order them. Though if she was being picky and looking for a specific design she could see that being the case. "Exactly," she said in response to him mentioning the soft lighting "they're also good for lining the drive way or the path up to the front door especially when fall rolls around and it starts to get darker earlier and people are getting home later."


Growing up, Mei was considered a bit of an oddity. The only kid on the block whose little house in the back yard was neither a tree house or a club house... it was a greenhouse. "Is it odd that I actually find it really cool that you have a greenhouse too? I've actually never met anyone else that had one." If there was one thing good that came out of moving to Destiny City it was finding someone who she could share her passion without sounding like an obsessive freak. One thing she had decided, Alexandre was definitely someone she would like to make friends with.

Mei gave Alexandre a genuine smile "That's a good thing, to be happy where you work." Though she has yet to hold down a real job, nanny your Aunts kids doesn't really count, the one thing she valued more than money was happiness where you worked. Too many people these days work so hard towards a higher pay check but end up not happy where they work, they bring their problems home with them and in a lot of cases take it out on their family. Dad... Her father, case and point was one such person to bring work home with him, but then again it can be expected when a family member devotes nearly 20 years to a career in the military.

He was right though, Fall really wasn't that far away. By the time she would be ready to actually physically put the plants in the ground it may be close to mid-September at that point most flowers would be dying. "Question, do you think it would make more sense to work with hanging baskets and some planters while I'm digging up the front yard? Assume maybe two weeks to dig up all the moss and dead grass, if we pace ourselves, plus or minus a few days. It may take a few days to get new soil delivered, and then dedicate maybe two to spread it out and lay down grass seed. I think at that point I could also plant the Arborvitae hedges. To be honest, as shameful as it is for me to say, I'm not too sure how long it would take grass to grow and if I should wait till it's all grown in to start planting the flowers or if it's okay to do it at the same time." If he were to suggest to wait till the grass was all in to avoid potentially over watering the flowers she would more than likely stick to potted plants for now then transplant them into the soil when it's ready.

Noting his interest in seeing the pictures she piped up, "I would be happy to show you the progress photos, it would be fun to get your opinion on how it's going." It would be nice to get feedback from someone who knows what their talking about instead of the normal 'it looks nice' comment she gets. It's not that she doesn't appreciate hearing that, but it's like saying she did a mediocre job. "Oh the Rhodes are pretty full, they've definitely been there for a while" The one thing she noticed from her garden back in Washington was that Rhodes were resilient plants, they were able to survive just about anything the weather threw at them from ice storms in the winter to hot and dry summers. "Shaping them is second on the to-do list when I start the back yard, and this time... I won't be asking my dad for help..." That was a lesson she won't soon forget.

Switching gears to the potential installation of a fountain, Mei nodded her head both in contemplation and agreement,"I completely agree, the sound of water often makes for a calm setting. I might be able to get them to agree to a small fountain in the back yard, but I got time before bringing it up to them, the front yard is priority since that's what everyone sees." Mei took a deep breath imagining the scent of lavender. "That would be a great idea, you can't really go wrong with lavender." Thinking about sitting outside on their patio doing a few Sudoku puzzles immersed in the soothing aroma of lavender sounded so wonderful right now.

Mei shifted her side back so it rested on her other shoulder when he mentioned going to get a pen and paper, "Sounds like a plan." She followed him through the head labyrinth of hanging baskets out door and to the main green house. Though she was behind him, she nodded her head in agreement at the mention of earth worms" I was thinking of getting some worms, though it was more along the lines of getting them for a home compost or yard waste bin." Along the way back to the main green house Mei couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at his comment. "I don't see it as odd, trust me. I honestly don't think that gardening is really gender specific, then again growing up, my best friends father had his own green house and outdoor garden. That's actually where I found my passion for edible gardens, he taught us."

Once Alexandre finished speaking to his co-worker and was ready to browse the nursery with her she piped up "There are two things I do need to get today, technically four but.. anyway. I need to get a small bag of potting soil and three small to medium size pots." She gave him an embarrassed smile "My mom would like her cookware back."

As they made their way through the first few green houses that she had already been through, Mei listed off some of the herbs and vegetables she would like to get one or two of once her green house was ready. When the two of them got back to the hanging baskets Mei turned to Alexandre with a raised eyebrow and almost mischievous grin. "So after what we spoke about a bit ago, what would your expert opinion be in regards to which baskets we should go for?" Yup, she shamelessly put him on the spot, but it was all in good nature. She figured that once they had some baskets picked then they could figure out garden plants based off what was the baskets and expand from there.

Mei nodded her head in response to his statement "I completely agree". That's one reason why once she starts looking for a job she won't settle to work for a fast food company. Even if it provides her with a little extra cash to spend on her hobbies, it's not worth it knowing she would be unhappy there.

It made sense, though she was eager to get some color in the yard, it wouldn't be the brightest idea to spend money on beautiful plants only to have them die a few weeks to a month later."Sounds like a pretty good idea honestly. Once we get our seasonal and holiday boxes stored in the attic I'll have room in the garage to store some of the hanging baskets." With a two door garage there would be plenty of space to store them, least of all there are some hooks already hanging above the work bench that she could use temporarily.

Mei's smile spread from ear to ear when Alex offered to help her see the project through "I would really like that". ' It would be nice to invite him over to see it in person instead of through photos.' Photo's were okay at the beginning when you're ripping the yard apart. But once the plants and grass starts growing, photos just don't do it justice.

"Unfortunately my old nursery didn't have lady bugs available though I always wondered about about them. Thankfully I never really had much of an aphid problem though I'd worry that after buying the lady bugs, they would just fly away." The main problem she had to deal with back in Washington were slugs and the best way to deal with them is drown them in beer. Though disposing of them was rather disgusting.

Mei tilted her head a bit to the side picking up on his sense of longing for what she assumed to be a larger back yard. "Out of curiosity" she paused for a moment "What would your ideal backyard look like? I promise not to steal any of your ideas. Scouts honor!" Instinctively and playfully, she brought up her hand and made the scouts sign.

Happy that he didn't shy away from offering his opinion and say 'I don't know whichever you want', Mei nodded her head in response to his reply "Lets see them! Pots shouldn't be a problem. So long as I get enough new ones when I get the plants I don't foresee there being an issue."