Greetings on this lovely…what day is it today…Wednesday, yes, that’s the day of the week….

Still trying to sort through working from home, being there for my students, being a good mom, daughter, friend and wife. It’s been interesting in these odd times, but I find comfort in the usual routines and the growth I’m seeing in the greenhouse and field. I also find great comfort in our evening walks, usually spent walking hand in hand talking about the day, talking about tomorrow, talking about yesterday…it’s very centering for both of us.

Here we are at the beginning of May, already six days into it, and I still don’t have my green house empty – however – the weather hasn’t been the greatest, and it’s okay to let things hardy up before tossing them outside in the wind and rain! Everything is going to be okay, I know this and can trust this, and have allowed myself the grace to say it doesn’t all have to be done today, there is a tomorrow, and it will be okay. I may have to ask for some help with getting things in, but the neighbor boy has said he is willing to help again, but we just need to find a spot that my work schedule will align with the proper weather conditions to get out and do more planting. I did poke in Heliotrope, Bells of Ireland, Statice, Straw flowers, ornamental grass and more Zinnias in the last few days. I also started to weed our little kitchen flower garden, I have a few things I’m excited to put out there, but it needs to be cleaned up a bit and two bushes need to be removed! It will all fall together.

I used different soil this year, and am a bit disappointed in the growth that things have this year, I’m not sure if it is indeed the soil, but things didn’t grow like last year, I haven’t been putting on fertilizer, but I didn’t last year – but last year I used Miracle grow, this year I used an organic soil that was recommended by a friend and fellow flower grower, but she uses fish fertilizer….so…I guess I’ve learned….I need to use fish fertilizer if I’m using organic soil or go back to the other soil – or maybe it’s just the year, the weather, the seeds? It is often said that we learn something every year – what we learn is that every year is different….and there is nothing to carry over for the next year – other than – next year will be different!!

That’s not entirely true, I’m being a bit cheeky, I HAVE learned a lot of things, one of them is that I’m not interested in a field full of Dahlia tubers! I do very much enjoy growing different types of annuals and am very much looking forward to seeing what Agastache looks like and how it behaves in arrangements, I’m very much looking forward to what Floss flowers look like and how big they will grow, I’m very much looking forward to my five different kinds of cosmos and 15 different types/colors/sizes of Zinnias and the several other new to me flowers I’m trying this year! All of these will be a learning experience, and I will carry that forward to next year. Don’t panic, I still have Dahlias-maybe 50 or so this year?

Last year I did learn that perhaps putting in pumpkin seeds at the end of May wasn’t the best idea, so I thought i would try to start seeds in the greenhouse early on, then plant them outside once it warmed up a bit more. I figured if they all grew, then I would have enough to plant and sell any extra starts. I’m thrilled that most of them are doing so well, but bummed that the one that I really wanted – bottle gourds – hasn’t taken off just yet, but it’s only been 8 days, so I will be a bit more patient!

I’m humbled, excited and happy that I have only five spots left for my subscriptions! I have two new people, and three past customers that have signed up already — with great enthusiasm I might add! Looking forward to making those market bouquets and delivering them, it will be here soon, let’s just hope the blooms arrive before the big day!

Hope all is well in your part of the world. I’ve been having Zoom meetings with fellow Braillist throughout the state of Washington, and it’s been refreshing to hear everyone else’s struggles and realities of sorting through this mess. I hope you have been able to find some sort of group to chat with, friends, family, church members, someone to just talk to and vent to, and have a positive conversation with, if not, let me know, reach out to me, I can be your person, we can chat about the weather, or seeds, or whatever just to try and find some sort of common ground where things aren’t so crazy, where your thoughts are brought out into the open and you are able to be heard. Until next time, hugs to you and yours!