The Worm that Turned is a fabulous gardening shop that I've found in the city. The name caught my attention, as worms themselves tend to. I have been told that I have something like a "Worm-Dar" that causes me to detect the vermin with an eagle eye. I say "causes" (instead of "enables") because I would rather not detect the creepy earth crawlers. There is no real advantage to this keen super-sense. It typically brings on an embarrassing bout of hyperanxiety, followed by a surge of hypertension, and then a period of hyperventilation. Before its all over I am usually overcome by a hyperkinetic dance of frantic jumping as I try to shake off the imagined worms that are wriggling up my limbs.
In any event, I braved the shop, pleased to find that they didn't actually carry and worms in stock. Nor did they have any worm paraphernalia, in the likes of plastic lawn ornaments or plush toys, worm figurines or any other oddity that might scare the living daylights outta me if I stumbled upon it.
I'm glad I stumbled upon this shop. They did carry a few interesting pieces including an artsy wrought iron trellis which I intend to buy myself for my birthday. There were also a few books on gardening. I suggested Amy Stewart's book, The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of the Earth Worm to the store manager. A few copies would sell out quick at a place like this. Almost as quick as the flick of an earthworm as it shoots back into the soil on a warm rainy night.
No body believes me, but with my naked eyes I've seen them move at hyperspeed.
