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.