Getting Back In Touch With My Inner Rosarian

I have a little secret to share with you. Wanna know the best thing about moving to the new retail location?

The privacy.

No, not at the new retail location but at the old location which is now closed to the public, which means on Wednesday and Thursday while Trish is at the new location I have the entire place to myself.

Wanna know what I did today, this Wednesday? Whatever I darn well wanted to thank you very much! I consolidated the roses in the large greenhouse, propagated for a while, potted up some new cuttings, did some watering, played with the cats and a few other rose chores. Since I now do all my financial stuff only on Monday, then Trish and I ship on Tuesday that means I get two full days on Wednesday and Thursday to myself to...

Get back in touch with my inner rosarian.

You see, I lost that part of myself when I was battling banks and what not. I rarely got the chance to get out into the greenhouses and the roses and well, play with my roses. I call it play because I have a hard time calling it work when I truly love doing it.

At some point we will move and I will be back amongst everyone on Wednesday's and Thursdays but right now while it lasts I'm going keep doing what I want in my roses. And rediscover why I do this in the first place.

Wanna know what I'm going to do tomorrow, Thursday?

Don't know - haven't made it up yet.

And that's my little secret!

Puzzles, Oceans and Keeping On

Have you ever been so exhausted that even thinking about being exhausted hurts both in brain and body? That's the way I feel right now. Today, April 1, was the first official day at our new retail location. Growing plants in a locale that gets April freezes means you cannot move leisurely in March. It means you look at the weather forecast March 31 and if the next 15 days are above freezing you move NOW!!

Top it off with flying up to and speaking and the Yankee District ARS convention this past weekend when I probably should have been setting up tables etc at the new retail location and you end up with a very tired rose person. I could have gotten someone to build tables but a) cash is real tight in this economy b) I like doing carpentry and c) I'm Dutch and we are not known for spending money when we can do it ourselves.

My Mother gave me a great book to read called The Dutch Puzzle. In it the Ambassador to The Netherlands from Spain off and on in the 20th century tries to explain the Dutch People. He does a decent job but how do you explain a people who in the face of not enough land to grow food simply drain the ocean. You can't.

But I do know that is why I keep moving and push. Quit is not in my Dutch DNA and never will be.

But you know what really picks me back up? An Irishman. Van Morrison. I sit here tonight with Astral Weeks on the stereo, Avalon Sunset racked up next and with every track spirits are lifted, dikes are built and oceans drained.

Heck, if my countrypersons can do that, I can move a nursery.

Tot Ziens
Paul

All Roads Lead To Something.

Boy this has been a week. I started a series of short rose "how to" videos about a week ago and I'm having a blast doing them. I've kept it quiet from my rose world but I spent 15 years touring the U.S., Canada and even the Caribbean first as a comedic juggler/magician, then as a stand-up comic. I even toured Renaissance Fairs in a 1968 VW Camper Van. This whole odyssey ended up on late night TV at ABC as head writer and then comedy segment producer. You might say not only do have I a bit of being a "Ham" in my background but I know how to use it!

I've wanted to write, shoot, produce, edit and host something like this for years but events got in the way and like so many things it went on the back burner. But now that we are moving forward my creative juices got flowing and an outlet needed to be found. Enter the Flip Mino and a down loadable version of Movie Maker Software. This nifty little camera is ready made to put video on the web. Marry it with You Tube and Move Maker Software and we're off.

While at ABC I loved post production work. Taking all those individual segments of scenes and assembling them into a comedic bit was like making a jigsaw puzzle with laughs. And I'm having blast with this too. Not as many laughs but if they make roses less intimidating I'll take it.

What this brings me to is that who knew some 30 years ago when I entered the Dell Arte School of Mime and Comedy and spent two years there learning all kinds of great things it would wind its way to producing rose videos for my nursery. From old Italy to Hollywood to Campobello SC. Not even Robert Frost could write that into "The Road Not Taken"

While you go through life never question why you are on the path you are on. In the end there is a purpose to it all if you just open yourself up to see it. Then suddenly all those jigsaw pieces of your journey merge into one thing. Your Life. I hope it's one less traveled by.

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

Paul mentioned March being the beginning of our spring. I know that while driving around town the daffodils were popping up and the Forsythia has even started to show color. That however was three whole days ago. On Saturday we (I use the term loosely, as I was pulling orders) began propagation. Paul and Michael were hard at work trimming back the plants in the greenhouse and going to town! I love propagation time. The smell of the soil, the feel of the babies in your fingers as you stick them. It makes one feel almost maternal. At least it does me! I always say a little prayer as I tuck the trays into the tunnel with the misters.

This year is different, it was a cold rainy day here in Landrum. Alex came into the greenhouse and proceeded to find the warmest spot, on the heat mat. No dummy, this boy. He reluctantly gave up his spot to the trays that were filled. But what a sight! All those new cuttings on such a day. It was warmer in the morning and we really felt the spring like temps. It came crashing down around us as the day wore on. By the time we closed up the rain was downright cold and the sky was iron gray. Sigh... So much for spring.

So now it is Monday. Yesterday evening the snow began. Real snow, not just a few flakes. We are surrounded by a sea of white today. The town has shut down and the kids are all out making snowmen and snow angels. I was hit by a snowball around 10:30 last night. Jim came in with snow down his pants. A good time was had by all. So the temps can go back up and we will welcome the sun! Come on spring!