Just doing my Best, Mom!
It has been a crazy week and now that the biggest part is over, I am in that reflecting mood of what could we have done more. Mother's Day weekend is a big week for us. BIG... add a small wedding and a Mother's Day brunch event and it becomes CRAZY BIG! It was wonderful, nerve-racking, fun and tiring all wrapped up together. But I am still reflective, that we could have done so much more. I didn't have enough of the perfect flowers but thanks to Peterkort roses, the wedding came out great. A little sample...
I believe we had the right flowers for the brunch, thank goodness, they wanted purple shades.
But having cut every decent flower available, we came up short in the market. In a 5 hour market, we were out of bouquets in the 4th hour. Folks were still looking for bouquets and as hard as I tried to make something nice out of a few stems of anemones, tulips and stock, we were done. I do not like that. I could have sold another 30 or more bouquets. We try and work our plans but this year instead of the weather being too cool or too wet, it was too warm. We have had weather in the 80's and spring flowers just fry in the heat and hot wind that blows.
Our tunnels help keep the Oregon rain off our flowers but it hasn't rained much Great weather to work outside, but hot as heck in the greenhouse or in our hoop houses. Spring flowers just fried.
But the dahlias love it in the tunnel.
But still we need to do better, start earlier in the season, seed more, plant more, build more hoop houses.... on and on and on. Sometimes it feels like there are actually a million jobs to do and only a few hours to do them. We struggle to do more, be so much better and get it all done with some sacrifice to having a clean house, spending time with friends, a day away, or taking care of our self physically. And then wham, my back goes out for a couple of days and you realize that as much as you want to be perfect, get it all done or do so much more, the body says enough for right now. I can only do my best. Just keep trying.
Those last two sentences were the most often heard phrases from my mom and grandmom. I had a very close relationship with these women, more than any of my friends growing up had with their moms or grandmothers. They taught me so many things; good cooking, growing flowers and garden veggies, canning and freezing food, needlework, living within ones means, be frugal and mostly about helping others and seeing the best in people. Especially seeing the best in me. I get super critical of myself and quite often lack enough confidence to do things. Things it turns out that I can do, if I do my best and just keep trying.
So tomorrow is a new day, we will plant 400 lilies, start field planting about 60 trays of assorted flowers, move about 30 trays of new seedlings to the propagation house to get them ready for the field and start seeding and filling the greenhouse with new seedlings. We will work the plan, strive to do better and just keep trying. Tony and I say thanks to our moms, and grandmoms for the encouraging words, the strong work ethic and the drive to succeed. Happy Mother's Day to all Moms!
“Most of all the other beautiful things in life come by twos and threes, by dozens and hundreds. Plenty of roses, stars, sunsets, rainbows, brothers and sisters, aunts and cousins, comrades and friends—but only one mother in the whole world.”
- Kate Douglas Wiggin
