Tired But Still Ticking

The four day Open House weekend (Friday thru Monday) was just enough, though at times it seemed like way too much, to reset my body from furlough to active work.  Saturday evening I felt like every bone and muscle was in serious need of medication.  And I needed sleep.  By Sunday evening I was good. Monday at work (taking the whole display apart) was excellent.  The response, by customers, to the Open House was great.  A good way to begin.

The picture above is of a lovely "Cameo" quince.  It was the star (IMHO) of the forced flower show type display at our store.  I managed the highest bid and it's mine.  On Friday the buds were tight little ovals. And each day the flowers opened a bit more.  G loves this peachy orange color--in his roses and all other flowers, but thankfully, not in his women.  This is the sort of plant you put near the doorway you use the most.  So you can admire it each and every time you come and go.

I have a much needed lunch date with a good friend this afternoon.  She made the time "late" to give me some "sleep in" time.  I was up by 8:30.  Late by work standards as I have been getting up at 6 am. We are going to talk and laugh I hope.  I know we will smile.

I think you will be interested to know that my "smiling" habit of the winter furlough had amazing results with customers in the last four days.  Amazing.  I smile at them and they smile at me and we are both filled with happiness.  It's really quite joy filled.  Now, I need to try forced, fake laughing.  To see if that generates the "real" thing.  I miss laughter. I even found myself dancing to the canned music while I watered plants. So NOT me.  Or perhaps it IS so ME and I just never knew it was?

Life is just so amazing right now.

I wish I could say my seedlings were amazing but they seem to have stopped growing.  Or else this is that awkward period when they make roots and nothing grows up top.  Time will tell.  I need to start more flower seeds.  More zinnia.  Some nasturtiums.  My boxes on the deck are going to be centered with big yellow bushes of daisies.  I bought two small ones and plan to pinch and pinch until they are the size of basketballs.  Then plant them outside where they will get even larger.  We sprayed the indoor citrus today as they had some spider mites.  I need to repot all of them with a new soil mixture.  Half bark (orchid stuff) and half soil.  So they drain better.  Perhaps on Thursday or Saturday.  I have both off this week.

I have to begin working on my next "outside" speaking engagement.  Container Gardening.  April 26th.  The big gardening group in my Town--the annual meeting.  A Really Big Deal.  For me.

I'm really glad I never made a list of things to do this winter.  Remember I made a list of things I would NOT do.  At least I don't have all that guilt riding along with me as we enter Spring.

And we made it through the first three months of G being retired.  Woo Hoo.  I was talking to the  retired couple who so generously gifted me with their maple leaves in the Fall.  They said that once you get past the oil bills (for heating) everything works out just fine the rest of the year.  I guess they forgot taxes and April 15th.  I have my tax program loaded into the computer and the operating system was upgraded.  Sigh.  The next big thing to get past.  It actually takes only 2 hours.  Why do I put it off????