Life is Terrifying...Here's a Puppy

To quote Thomas Paine, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”  Middle TN can’t catch a break. As our cities continue to recover from tornado destruction, COVID-19 has become a national crisis. Meetings, schools, concerts, sports, vacations and book tours have been cancelled. Churches have made the move to stream services online. Bars are being ordered to close, and restaurants are asked to keep their numbers low, or provide takeout and delivery. Grocery stores have been ransacked. We all know about the TP hoarding, but there’s also no milk at my local Kroger or Publix. I found ONE half gallon at the gas station down the road. It cost me $5. A couple of weeks ago, lots of people were making light of the situation. Nothing about Coronavirus is funny anymore. I feel like I’m in a Stephen King novel. The status of this health crisis is changing by the hour. I’ve already had to update this blog post since I began writing it this morning. Small businesses around the country are going to take massive hits financially; this is an undeniable fact. Some may never recover. I work in the garden industry. We are a small family-owned business that relies on the 3 months of spring sales to stay afloat. Though our environment is open-air and low-risk, we are scrambling to make a contingency plan in case most of our spring shoppers decided to stay home. If you are able, PLEASE consider helping out your local small businesses. Buy gift cards to use later when shopping in public isn’t as risky. Here's my first suggestion: https://www.batesnursery.com/gift-cards/

I try to put a positive spin on all of life’s complications, but to say I’m struggling is an understatement. Real talk, I am terrified. That rosy glow I had when I returned from sabbatical is a distant memory. March has been a cruel mistress. Somehow, I’ve managed to come up with a list. I hope it can give some of you a ray of sunshine. Make good choices and stay healthy, friends. 

Puppy visitors- A coworker’s brother got a new beagle puppy, and she was dying to see it. Rachel asked if he’d bring it by the greenhouse, so we all got a little dose of cuteness on our dreary Saturday.

Flowering trees- I know those cursed Bradford pears are making everyone sneeze their heads off, but more desirable flowering trees are really putting on a show this year; in particular, Yoshino cherries and tulip magnolias. They make my work commute along the scenic route that much more pleasant.

Remodeled pantry- For reasons I can’t explain, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my pantry. Maybe because it reminds me of cooking, which I LOATHE. Even after the washer and dryer were moved out and into our new laundry room, I  couldn’t come up with a plan for the new space that I really loved. This room has caused me nothing but stress, which has frustrated my husband to no end, since we seemed to have different ideas. We’ve just now begun working on the pantry and Tim asked my opinion on shelving. I just told him to do what he wants and I’ll live with it. It’s obviously not finished, but after digging through boxes for months, seeing all of my pantry items neat and organized is SO satisfying.  

New books- With small businesses struggling from lost sales due to shoppers’ fears of exposure to this virus, and authors that have had to cancel book tours for their new releases, I popped into Parnassus on Sunday to get a copy of Glennon Doyle’s new book, Untamed. This other book looked so festive and was recommended by Jen Hatmaker, so I picked it up as well. Even though I don’t have much time in the spring to read, at least I’ll have these cheery book covers to look at in my TBR pile.

Mardi Gras French Toast- For the last several years, Tim and I have had a standing date night on Sundays. After a 6-day work week, I can barely muster the energy to go out. I suggested we have breakfast/brunch instead. Yesterday, we ate at Ruby Sunshine in downtown Franklin. Before you throw spears at me for dining out in public during the current health crisis, let me say that we were one of only 5 occupied tables, and mandates about restaurants had yet to be made. I ordered their seasonal stuffed French toast, and it arrived covered in Mardi Gras sprinkles. Festive, no?

Saturday steak night- Another tradition Tim and I have is Saturday steak night. Not every Saturday, but if we’re going to have steaks, it’s most likely on the weekend. This past Saturday was gray and chilly. After work on a slower-than-usual Saturday, I came home cold and defeated. After a shower, I walked into the kitchen where Tim was preparing dinner. He handed me a glass of wine then brought me a plate. How fortunate I am that I have a husband who cooks. If dinner had been up to me that night, I’d have been ordering pizza.

Garden displays- A coworker put this little display together, and I can’t get over how cute it is. 

Fresh Flowers (again)- I know I put this on last week’s list, but I bought flowers at Trader Joe’s this week, and they are GORGEOUS.  

Gerber daisies- Last week, we received our for shipment of gerber daisies. I can’t grow them for love nor money, but I admire the flowers anyway. They remind me of my sister, since gerber daisies were her favorite flower. 

Fiddleheads- The ostrich ferns that were delivered dormant are starting to emerge, and the fiddleheads are adorable.

Things That Give Me Life

It’s been a somber week for middle TN. March 3, in the early morning hours, 4 tornados came through Nashville, Mt. Juliet, and Cookeville killing 24 people and leveling homes, businesses, and schools. While our family is safe and we had no property damage to our home or Tim’s business, our friends were not so fortunate. News has been devastating. Tim has been out around East Nashville all week assessing damage to some of their completed projects and prioritizing the overwhelming number of requests Bootstrap is receiving from homeowners that need anything from simple repairs to massive reconstruction. Usually life works out so that Tim and I take turns being busy and stressed about work. We won’t have that luxury this spring. 

My March Madness has begun. I will soon be launched into the organized chaos that is Spring at Bates Nursery. Here’s an idea of what that looks like:

With all the hours of overtime I’ll be putting in, I will have little time to devote to social media posts. I’m going to try something a little different for a while. I’ve been inspired by Sarah Bessey’s weekly newsletters, in which she gives a list of Good Things she’s seen/heard/watched/read. For about 3 years, I’ve used the hashtag #thingsthatmademehappytoday on Instagram. But lately I feel like my terminology sounds a bit vain. The things that I post pictures of or write stories about aren’t just pieces of fluff that put a smile on my face. Somedays, these things are giving me hope, encouragement, and strength to carry on. So, I’m changing my hashtag to #thingsthatgivemelife, and I will compile a list in a weekly blog post. Here’s my first installment.

Spring is coming!- I figured I’d start with the obvious. No matter how many winters I endure, I am ALWAYS surprised and thrilled to see the plants in my yard waking up from their long sleep; sometimes, I’ve given up hope they’ll manage to return.

Fresh cut flowers- I’m trying to continue what I started during my sabbatical and keep fresh flowers in the house. I got the most beautiful flowers from Fresh Market last week. I also bought lots of spring bulbs and seeds to plant. I tell myself every year that I’m going to have an amazing cutting garden, then I get busy; when I finally DO have time, it’s too late in the season to get anything started. I am determined that this is going to happen, people. THIS IS MY YEAR.

New plants- The trucks have begun rolling in at Bates Nursery, which means hard work for me, but also the pleasure of new and lovely plants. I’ve already blown one paycheck.

Blank canvas- Because of my brainless planting of northern sea oats, evening primrose, and creeping jenny, and the equally stupid decision not to eradicate purple winter creeper and morning glory, my large perennial bed was hopelessly out of control. The only way to restore it was to remove as many perennials as I could, dig out as many invasives as possible, then smother what remained with black plastic. This was a little heartbreaking for me, but now that it’s spring and so many beautiful plants are arriving at the nursery, I’m seeing the potential of this empty space and realizing how fun it will be to paint a new masterpiece. By having all these horrible plants and weeds gone at the start of the season, spreading a layer of mulch, and putting down a preemergent, I’ll be ahead of the game and have more time to devote to planning a new garden and making it a reality.

Little Women- After seeing the newest movie, I wanted to read the novel again. I’m learning that a lot of books I read as a kid were abridged versions. This was the first time I’d read Little Women in it’s original form, and I fell in love with it all over again.

The Wailin Jennys- Sarah Bessey had one of their songs in her Good Things list (a cover of Dolly Parton’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning), so I looked them up on iTunes. Why am I just now discovering these ladies?! They are a Canadian trio and sing the most amazing harmonies. This sent me down a rabbit hole of searching for similar acts and building a new playlist called Ladies Who Trio. 

Friend’s improved health- A friend and coworker has been battling cancer since last fall. Her latest report was excellent, and we’re hopeful that an upcoming PET scan will show she is cancer-free.

Seasonal staff- This is the first year we’ve retained most of the greenhouse seasonal staff from the previous spring. As a manager, it is a HUGE relief that I won’t have to think about training several new people while my brain is occupied with helping customers, keeping the greenhouse neat and organized, unloading trucks, and figuring out where all of the incoming new product can go when the greenhouse is already bursting at full capacity. Some of the seasonal staffers have already stopped by to say hello, and they’re all excited about being back in the greenhouse. I can’t tell you how much joy this brings me. 

Familiar customers- If you love to garden, you are my people. It’s been fun to see the excitement and anticipation of spring on the faces of our loyal customers. Spring fever is contagious.

Chocolate- It’s amazing how just a little chocolate can lift my spirits.

Gloves that fit- One of the reasons I don’t wear gloves on a regular basis when I garden is that I have some of the smallest hands a grown ass woman can have. Ladies small gloves are too big, but kid gloves are too small. On a whim yesterday, I looked in the sports section of Target. I saw that batting gloves come in youth sizes. I tried on a youth small, and they fit perfectly. I’ve worn them in the garden for 2 days now and they work like a charm. I can’t believe it’s taken 45 years to find a pair of gloves that fits me.

Haley Williams solo album- Haley is the lead singer of Paramore, one of my favorite bands. I saw an article about her on Twitter last night and learned that she’s released an EP. I also read that Paramore is in the studio working on a new album. SO. HYPED.