We’re getting wet

Like a dense, early morning fog the spray of the pressure washer rolled into the garden center area of Home Depot. Once voice accosted the cleaning crew, “What are you doing? We’re getting wet. Stop it!”

I saw the giant lift outside the store but didn’t think much of it as I wound my way through the spring display of plants, soil, and mulch. Smaller lifts are always blocking aisles and lifting products off top shelves as workers wave orange flags to keep customers at a safe distance.

After I grabbed a few bags of potting soil and some pink impatiens, I fell in line behind other folks pushing carts full of shrubs, hoses, fertilizer, and tools. An engine roared to life as a man fifteen feet off the ground started washing dirt, pollen, and mildew off the front of the store. The mist rolled through the checkout area as one cashier chuckled and the other yelled out the door, “Are you out of your mind?”

A Spanish-speaking voice from above responded, but she persisted, “Can’t you see we’ve got customers here? Use some common sense!” I chuckled as the idling engine roared to life and a new spray of water floated over a new wave of shoppers entering the store.

Part of me wanted to see this scene escalate. Another part of me just wanted to get home and get to work on a few back patio planters. Everyone was doing their job. No one was really getting wet. The store was doing a booming business.

Just another crazy March day in Florida.