Still Here

43 this morning light overcast and a hazy day.

I'm still here, just busy as the days get longer and there is so much work to be done to get ready for spring.

The daffodils are in fine form this year, such a beautiful display. Last year we had them in bloom the entire month of March, but this year I think they will not last as long since they came out later, and the days are warmer than last year at this time.

These are volunteers on the edge of the woods. Daffodils spread easily here.

The daffoduls in the distance on the left are all that remains of my once huge, long flowerbed along that edge of the yard. 

Little mini-daffodils seem to have planted themselves in this garden, not a bit intimidated by the larger cousins close by.

I'll have to post a few more garden photos soon. Things are slowly coming around. I'm annoyed at a sudden invasion of heal-all, which has all but taken over some of my flowerbeds. I wonder if the seeds were in the mulch we put down last year? I'm trying to string-trim our what I can, but a lot will have to be pulled by hand. Bummer. It's a shame because it is a pretty plant--just wish there weren't so much of it.

The last two days were spent cleaning up the workroom. We made some hard decisions about what we could keep and what had to go. Some things I bought early on in this business were just plain bad ideas, and we've cleared out the things that are not worth our time and effort to repair. Hard decisions, in some cases, but it was worth the effort. We still have plenty. To someone not in this business it would seem like we still have too much, but it's necessary to keep a good variety of stock to replenish as needed. We actually have less than most dealers, but I do not plan to become one of those with buildings and barns full. It was dusty work, but the result pleases us, and makes me feel like getting out there to paint again.

A visit to the posiatrist took up my morning. What a blessing it is to find a doctor who takes all the time needed to thoroughly discuss my issues and devise a plan to move forward. My right foot has problems--a Morton's neuroma and arthritis, basically, that make walking and standing pretty painful at times. While he can't offer an instant cure, there are some things I can do that will alleviate the discomfort. All part of getting older, I suppose, and I'm lucky that most of my health issues are fairly simple things.

The recent shootings leave me horrified and saddened. What is wrong with people who do these things? What satisfaction can they get from hurting people they don't even know? I have not been following the news much lately while I've been so busy, and then when I come back to listen, this is what I hear. It's beyond depressing. 

All any of us can do is go on with our lives, treat others as kindly as we want to be treated ourselves, and pray that our country will somehow heal itself.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.