Barb's Weblog

Home from the Garden Show!

Wow, another record year for us...a modest increase, but still, it bodes well for 2004.

Lowie and I had so much fun doing the show. Ralph came home thursday to work as soon as the medicinal mushroom lecture by Paul Stamets of Fungi Perfecti was finished.
I asked him how he liked it and he said "I learned how to save the world!" Wow again! Wish I could have heard it! Maybe next year.

He held down the fort out here on the island while Lo and I shared a hotel room and worked the show. As much as I wanted to go out in the evenings just for a drink or 2, she made me stay in. So we sat on the beds and ate bento lunch for dinner from Dragonfish downstairs, or pot stickers and cookies and laughed til we were teary-hysterical in the manner of people so tired they coudn't even stand.

It is such an exciting show I have a very hard time sleeping but managed a good 5 hours a night. The show seemed more crowded than I have ever seen before. We had asked to be moved back to the Sunset booth, and it was so wonderful to be near our old friends Barbara and Linda, Bud and Megan. They are the most gracious and sweet people! I just adore them, they make me aspire to being a nicer person!(In my own defense I confess to attacking only one customer all week, and it was on the 5th day, so understandable!) I cried once, but it was from sheer amazement as a young woman I have known since childhood sang for us 'Ave Maria' in her beautiful rich voice, being trained for a career in Opera! I can't wait to hear her at her next State Solo Competition in March!

Sunset Magazine's landscape expert, Tom,quickly became a new friend and we have plans to try to visit here on Whidbey when he comes north for Sunset later on in the year. Whidbey has several amazing gardens and our annual Garden Tour is a completely wonderful experience. It entails a lot of walking and driving all over 'the south end', but it showcases many creative and original gardens that perfectly reflect the essence of island life. Wouldn't it be great if the timing worked out so he could see it! It always makes me a tad ashamed of our wild and unfinished gardens, but its so big a space for 2 full time workers to handle! These next few weeks are my "vacation" weeks, so except for a few orders I will tidy the shop, restock materials and sit on the deck a lot, tend my containers and get the seeds started for the spring and summer, in my new 'GardMan' mini greenhouse so our windowsills and tables won't be covered with starts and parrot vandalism, as Tiko finds new seedlings fascinating and delicious. Grrrrr.

Well, I think I will mosey off to the pile of bookkeeping and laundry. I will edit with a new garden image later, so for now this is all I have for you! B

2:56 PM — e-mail me your comments