Fun at the Mall

This holiday season, I tried to keep out of the big box stores. Shop small, shop local was my mantra. And I mostly succeeded. But once in a while I would find myself, for one reason or another (usually involving the dire needs of high-school students for electronic devices) in the mega-parking lot of a mega-mall.

But holiday shopping is not my favorite pastime, and before I know it, I find myself wandering away from the stores towards the interesting part of the mall: the unmowed area that fringes the lot.

On one side of the fence: stores, cars and blacktop. On the other side, the good stuff.

A tangle of brambles, dead grass and scrubby trees. Something for every customer.

Shopping for food? There are dozens of species of plants, a smorgasbord of seeds. In the market for bedding? A thick warm blanket of grass and snow, a haven for mice, rabbits, sparrows, goldfinches. Shopping for a spot to hibernate in, a place to roost? Plenty of options.

Who says malls are boring?