Ann’s Weblog

I ran into a friend at the feed store, where there were bedding plants for sale. Connie was asking me about the perennials that I “still have left” for sale, so I was “talking the talk”, hoping she’d come over to look.

I’ve groomed Connie’s dogs for almost 20 years.. one after the other, as their long lives play out in her home. I believe I’ve done a good job, and Connie always seems perfectly satisfied. Many times I’ve picked up and delivered her dogs without charge. As we stood and talked, I noticed that her oldest little dog was groomed, and I had a little brain fart, saying, “Oh, did I just groom Magic? “, to which Connie replied, “No, that’s a Carol Ann job.”

Carol Ann is the “new” pet groomer in the valley who lives very near where I used to live in Dunster, which is about 30 km. from McBride. I struggled with this notion of losing one of my best customers to her, and asked Connie, “Oh, are you friends through work ?” It was none of my damned business, but I thought that if they are friends from working at the hospital, I wouldn’t feel so unhappy about this. Connie said, well, they’d just met.

I pathetically said, “I didn’t screw up, did I ?”, to which Connie replied “Oh, no…”, and that was the end of the conversation. I feel some professional jealousy and some garden variety jealousy. What else can I say that doesn’t sound idiotic?

So, I was feeling pretty insecure, when the owner of the feed store drove in. She had sold 21 perennials “for me” from the greenhouse, and I thought she’d enjoy another INFUSION of different ones, so I asked if she wanted more. Crystal replied, “No, we got some from elsewhere.” Not “Thanks anyway”, or “Go get your money from inside”, or “Kiss my ass!” or ANYTHING.

I think this weblog entry reads as if I think I should be the only game in town for pet grooming OR perennial plants! My stepmother always told me that I didn’t have to be the ONLY business offering something, if I was the BEST! I don’t have much confidence. I’m very earnest and working so hard, but never feel better than anyone else, and I don’t mind feeling humble. It’s that I don’t know, IF I’M DOING A GOOD JOB, why people aren’t loyal?

I’m not sure what’s the matter with me today. I feel like bawling my eyes out. Gary had to rush back to Winnipeg this week for the funeral of his grandpa, who died at 98. Not many people are in serious mourning about the man’s death, as he was VERY old and NOT a very nice person. But my point is that Gary’s not here to listen to me. I think I’m just feeling a little run down… still too HEAVY and that adds to my exhaustion, of course. I can feel muscle build as I work around the yard, and THAT is a good feeling, but maybe I’m somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of work I’ve created for myself.

So the best solution is to either get back at the weeding and forget my ego, or sit with a beer and relax (while making the decision to NOT feel sorry for myself!). We have had such beautiful weather that a person should simply feel blessed and grateful.

Thanks for “listening”, dear reader. Will be back soon.

~Ann

Nasty expression, hmmmm? Well this is the way it is, and really, it’s all good.

Today I finally finished planting the vegetable garden except for the PEAS, which I always like to soak for a few hours. Some years, I’ve left them soaking and stayed too busy to plant them, and they’ve even started to BUBBLE, but still germinated very well.

Before I got interrupted and sidetracked today, I started a new row of strawberries in the garden. All it consists of is baby plants rescued from the outside row of strawberry plants: we’ll rototill the bigger older plants because they are not producing well anymore.

Folks continue to drop in to look at perennial plants that I have for sale. I used to not PLAN to have so many plants left after my main sale in the spring, but this year I really kept in mind that I’d have “drop-ins” and the Farmer’s Markets all summer.

At the Victoria Day Weekend Dunster Farmer’s Market, I purchased $150 worth of LILACS from my friends who specialize in lilacs of all the hardy types. I know I could purchased lilacs for resale “on my own”, but these two ladies are faithful shoppers at MY perennial sales, so we all help each other out.

Last week I was suffering from severe abdominal pain for a couple of days. Gary got home from his trip to Winnipeg. That night was a particularly bad night for pain, and so I went to the doctor first thing in the morning. The symptoms were absolutely typical of gall bladder trouble, and the doctor will try to schedule an ultra sound exam for me soon. I was given a prescription for pills which help a LOT, and I am also watching the intake of FAT. I’m not much of a drinker, so it’s not hard to stay away from alcohol completely. No one (yet) has given me a “diet sheet” for gall bladder concerns, but a person can learn a lot on the internet.

Otherwise, everything and everyone around me have been just fine. We are so enjoying the spring, planting time, pet boarding and the “whole nine yards”. My middle daughter Susan has been home for the long weekend and that has been great. I look forward to seeing eldest girl Shelly in June, and, I hope, my youngest, Kim, in July.

We live about 170 km. from Jasper, Alberta. MANY people have asked if we went out to see the QUEEN in Jasper!! She’s a fine person, as far as I know, and a respected monarch, but really, I didn’t even consider travelling to get a glimpse of her! I wonder how close she’d have to be, in order for me to be interested?

Gary, Susan and I went to a big barbeque (practically a community event) yesterday INSTEAD, and that was so much fun and more fulfilling for us.

Okay. I want to get that row of strawberries planted before it rains OR it’s time to fix supper.

Sorry, everyone, for neglecting to write in this blog. Stay well, all.

I still haven’t got the hang of adding pictures to an existing log entry, so it’s a separate entry…

Today was the first day of my Perennial Plant Sale (and Yard Sale). There were many customers for plants, and almost no one looked at the “garage sale tables”, but that’s far better than the other way ’round.

The whole business feeds my soul, in a way. Maybe it’s my EGO. People come here and say they’re so glad I’m doing the perennials for sale, and that I make good choices. I DO have a “want list” because many people ask for this or that, and I try to get a feel for the trends. It makes me want to have a PROPER garden centre, though that would be even MORE work! I hardly think about the money, although my desire is to make a modest profit, naturally. It’s very satisfying just to fill a need in the market place.

Gary is away until next Wednesday. I think the time will pass quickly; I feel lost without him. I even lock the doors when he’s away, though i know that wouldn’t be much of a deterent if someone meant some harm…

Dogs came and went today. Am boarding two bunnies, six dogs, and Susan’s two rats. This is a source of fascination for the many visiting children, plus the NEW cat with her week-old kittens. I’ve added more pictures of pets to the pet gallery page, . I hope I’ve typed the HTML code in correctly for that page.

I’m REALLY fading now: it’s only 7 pm. but I feel that I’ve been busy all day. Some of the day was just “schmoozing” with the public; maybe people who came to buy plants wil board a pet here some day.

Take care, dear reader. ~Ann

I got a message from Yahoo Groups that the Garden Room Diet Buddies hadn’t been active for over 90 days. We’re all busy but I’m keeping this group going if I can. I have not been very successful, particularly considering that I started Diet Buddies.

I haven’t had the courage to step on the scales for months. I know that I’ve weighed MORE from time to time, than I do now, but I’m not very happy with my weight. However, everything else is excellent in my life, so I’m just trying to nudge “it” back down. Our busiest time of year is happening from now until the fall. I might decide NOT to step on the scales until after I’ve enjoy a couple of months of greater exercise; then I’ll see where I’m at.

Hope all of you are well and happy, and if you’re fit and trim, my hat is off to you!

~ Ann

… and it IS indeed. What a beautiful day for the annual community yard sale at Dunster. Everyone is invited to bring a table with stuff to sell, and selling is FREE. There were dozens of “vendors” and hundreds of visitors, many who were in a great buying mood.

It was well worth participating in the yard sale. I promoted my “real” perennial plant sale (happening May 13 and 14), and sold many many plants. I always have so much fun visiting: Dunster is where I lived with first hubby and we raised our girls on the farm.

After the yard sale, I went out to the Seventh Day Adventist School Plant Sale: they sell annual bedding plants. I didn’t spend “all” the profits from MY plant sales. There I saw some MORE people who I hadn’t seen all winter and had another couple of good visits. I bought zucchini (because I hadn’t started any YELLOW varieties, and flowers, and tomatoes.

So now I’m home again and in need of a nap. Well, it IS Mother’s Day, isn’t it? For dinner we’re going to get “take out” food from the Greek place; we both like the food at that restaurant and prefer eating at home. I also rented “Ocean’s Twelve” DVD.

Last night after I should have been in bed, I put on a VCR tape that I bought for 50¢ at a garage sale Saturday. It was “Black Like Me”, with James Whitmore, from 1964. At some point, decades ago, I read that book, and it was like the movie: disturbing, poignant, and well done.

Phoned Myrtle for Mother’s Day, but I should have also sent a card & flowers. Her birthday’s in June, so perhaps I can make up for it. I’ve heard from my three daughters today: they are such special human beings, and MY FRIENDS too. I love them so much.

I was given a calico cat on Thursday. Yesterday, that cat had four beautiful kittens: a calico, two white or cream ones, and a black & white one. The cat is a good little mother, but I plan to have her spayed.

If I can find time soon, I’ll post a picture of the cat, the big community yard sale, and more.

Thanks to all who read this weblog. Happy Mother’s Day , or have just a great day anyway.~ Ann

Spent a LOT of time outdoors today: it was great! Did some repotting of some plants I’d started such as zucchini and cabbage, and plenty of weeding in flower beds.

The flower gardens seem “out of control” with grasses and weeds. I don’t know how I’m going to work my way around the yard weeding and actually ENJOY anything this summer. How did I get so much on the go? Did I think that the flower beds, once dug and planted, would be free from the damn grasses and annual weeds for even a YEAR? Didn’t happen.

I ache all over all of the time. I shouldn’t feel so old at 50, but maybe it’s just a process of getting into better shape, working harder, etc.

Have felt quite discouraged about the Garden Chat room lately. People are stabbing each other in the back so much of the time, and then there are those with unfamiliar names coming in and being very cruel to “regulars”. Turns out that I’m not immune either: someone has been calling me “fat and stupid”; I wish I had the know-how to discover THAT person’s ISP to see if it’s the same as any “regular”. The person spouts details of my life that I discussed in the room without knowing that there was an “enemy” present! I’ve been back in the room “lurking” under another name, but my usual chat name did not come up in conversation.

Yesterday, I was to have groomed a little dog which I had sold in 1988 to a family: 17 years ago! Then, the father of this family sent word that Trixie was not feeling well enough to be groomed. As the day went on , Trixie got weaker and weaker until the family took their pet to the vet to have her “put down”. Even the longest- lived pet has few years in this world compared to us, so we’re bound to say goodbye to a number of them. I’m so glad Trixie had such a loving home for a very long time, and was not allowed to suffer.

Am fading and shoud put myself to bed.

Take care, everyone. Sorry I haven’t added faithfully to this blog, but thanks for reading!

~ Ann,/p>

Having company for supper… yippee! I love having friends over. We’ll have chicken which is marinated and barbequed, roast root vegetables (sweet potatoes and yams), asparagus with Hollandaise, and some other dishes for dinner. For appetizer: SUSHI! We don’t make any sushi with raw fish, however. Ours has pollock or real crab, shredded carrot, asparagus or avocado, sometimes omelet, sesame seeds. NEVER raw fish.

Since it was our friend Sharon’s birthday LAST week, and we were all too busy to celebrate, tonight we’ll have birthday cake and ice cream. I MOSTLY cheated on the cake: bought two “uniced” cake rounds at the grocery store from the bakery section, and then iced and decorated at home. The rounds looked perfect, so if the birthday cake TASTES fine, I think I’m onto something. Somehow doesn’t seem as “bad” as buying a ready-made cake, although I’ve never faulted anyone for THAT either!

While Gary was washing the kitchen floor this morning, I went out and moved a bunch of plants around. I moved perennials OUT of the greenhouse until there was extra space in there, then moved an extra table in, and moved plants back INTO the greenhouse. The freezing nights have really done a number on perennials that SHOULD have looked good in their pots by now. They’ll survive, but the growth keeps freezing down. I’ll still try to take a few to a community yard sale on Mother’s Day, and then have my “big” spring plant sale on May the 13 and 14th. That’s life, though, and gardening in the “north”.

I’ll go back to kitchen duty, and later tonight, check in with the Garden Chat room.

~Ann

This is the view of Mount Robson that we see on our way to Jasper.

Took Susan to Jasper for her summer work. We had a fantastic lunch at a Mexican restaurant in that town, then discovered that we’d locked the keys in the truck!

All it took to solve that problem was a phone call to BCAA via their toll free number. Less than an hour later, a scary-looking dude with an affable personality showed up in a big old boat of a car with a loud muffler, and NO automobile club or service station decal. However, since he took 30 seconds to “break into” our truck, and then had the appropriate paperwork, we thanked him, and went on our way. Susan remarked that he probably had some PRE- EMPLOYMENT experience with opening vehicles without keys!

Then, after dropping Susan off, it was back home for me! I feel so tired, but part of it is missing my daughter. And my other two daughters, too. Well, there is a ton of work to keep me busy and my mind off that. And a great hubby too, for company and assistance.

It keeps freezing at night and doing damage to the top growth of the perennials. I need a bigger greenhouse. Hubby suggested I put another table inside the greenhouse, and of course that’s a good idea, but it takes a little TIME, and getting around to it. I have to move dozens of plants outside before I have room to maneuver a table in there. Maybe I can move this job up on the list.. because it’d be worth it to have the plants come along faster! If they keep freezing down, they’ll look like nothing I can sell in two weeks.

Am getting pretty weary…

Thanks for checking my blog. Be good, everyone, or else be good at it!

~Ann