Floral Flatulence

NOT DEAD!!!

Well its been a long time since I entered. Lots to update you on but one thing at a time.

I had done a garden, flower, plant show at our local convention center. So I had worked all weekend either in the store or at the booth. Long weekend and was looking for a nice calm Monday.

Monday first thing. Well ok it was 9:20. This lady came in and spoke with my mother. She asked mom if she had remembered her and gave her a hug. She went on and on about her troubles and was looking forward to Easter to give her grandbabies Easter baskets.

She went on and tried to talk to me. Said she wasn't going to cry or anything even though she is sad. She is trying for disability from another office in my building. I did the polite uh huh and nods a few times..

She had to leave and go to her appointment upstairs. Once she left the store she got about 5 feet from the front door. I heard a breaking sound. I wasn't sure if she had fallen or hurt herself. Things quickly got ugly.

As I got closer to her, I noticed that a glass toucan ( bird) from my store was in several pieces on the floor beneath her. Then a glass fish dropped. I at a loud volume asked " What else have you stolen from me?". She brought out a candle and said that was all.

I contemplated about having her pay versus calling the police. I summoned the guy from across the hall to call the building security. He came up and then he called the police.

Police came within a few minutes. Where are the hot men in uniform when you need one? One was an older guy a bit rotundish ( not cute) and a female officer both were professional. They called her identification in and found out she has three previous convictions. Different classes of misdemeanors. Some had been plea bargained down to " theft by unlawful taking" versus " shoplifting". It's a fine line but the officer said there is a difference.

She was cited with citation and left the store. I asked the officers to check to see if anything else was in her possession? They did and nothing else was recovered. The " shop for free " lady wanted to apologize to me. I said " I hear you but I don't accept what you are saying. You would have been better off not coming in and to never enter my store again!"

She left the store and so did the police. Then I looked back at where she was sitting she had removed another glass fish and another candle from her coat while she was sitting down. I did go tell the police of the new items. She went to her appointment and came back down while she waited for her free ( taxpayer paid) ride home. I did go out and tell her that I found the additional items and the police were informed.

What a great start to a Monday..

The sun is shining in Omaha today. A beautiful day is emerging. I went to Dallas last sat/ sunday for a design workshop. It was great and I learned a lot from the workshop. I flew in and out of Kansas City since I had a meeting there Monday afternoon. It was a short meeting for the unit region board. We are planning educational workshops for other florists. One of the ones I am in charge of will be held in June in a funeral home. My friend Kirk, who has the spinal chord cancer, is scheduled to be the presenter. He will again be having surgery post Easter. I ask for your prayers and positive energy for him. He is having a lot of pain and using a cane full time to assist in his walking. Stairs are a major ordeal and his feet frequently become numb. It is possible this surgery may put him in the wheelchair and that will happen someday. He has told his doctor the quality of his life is much more important than the quantity. He just isn't ready for that chair. With your support, I am confident he will pull through.

Work is slow in the flower shop and that is quite normal when spring begins here. Contemplating doing a garden show next weekend. Trying to tap into new markets and sell some product. After all there is always rent, and food to be paid.

Spring isn't springing up in Omaha today.

I had a party at home to celebrate that my Christmas Decorations were down. Yes, I know its late for most people. I had one tree up last year til early July. So I am way ahead of last year.

I awoke this morning and looked out the window to a blanket cover of new fallen snow. EEEEKKKKKKK. Four pm and its still snowing.

I'm heading to Dallas on Saturday. Maybe I should make it one way??

Honesty...

Such a simple word. Why is it that just one word can have so much influence on every aspect of being?

I have been astray from my blog for time. Is it because I am too busy? No! Is it that I have had nothing to write about? No! Has my pc completely crashed and lost all internet access? No!

Its because I have people in my life that aren't being honest with me. Maybe I am not willing to be fully honest with them. A man shows you places where he refers to the place as "us" living there. What am I supposed to think the future holds. He talks of moving to other cities and that he won't go there without me. There are countless other things that are being said in the last month. All are very dear thoughts. Then he tells you that someone has been calling him and he doesn't want to see them because he thinks the other wants more than a friend but goes over there and his suspicions come true.. Why???

I can't answer that question. Not now and maybe not ever. I'm not sure if being honest is worth risking a wounded heart. Maybe its best to not be honest and keep that guard up. I try to allow the walls to come down and allow someone to get close. Then it seems I loose trust and hope.

Well now you know why I haven't been keeping up on here. I challenge myself to look at it from a new perspective. I will be in touch.

Not much time for writing now. I will be traveling out of town to Minneapolis this weekend.

Just to let you know. When you have a gut feeling about someone. Go with it. I had heard from someone that they appeared in the paper. I couldnt access the article until i paid $2.95.

It will be the best @2.95 that I have ever spent.

That should keep you guessing.

Hello. First off, let me apologize for not entering. Life for this florist has been up and down personally for me. I really am not sure where it begins and at this point where it ends. I will sum it up in a few words.

Honesty, Integrity, Happiness, Laughter, Emotion, Kindness, Heartfelt, Conflict, Joy, Sorrow, and of course Love.

All of these are feelings that I have been experiencing and yes I neglected to mention fear. Afraid of making a choice, Afraid of making the wrong choice. Only time will tell if the choices I make will be the correct ones for me for now. Sure I will make mistakes. I am trying to hold on to my heart and letting a person earn it from me.

I am traveling to Minneapolis this weekend for gift market. Gift market is where a retail store goes to purchase items for wholesale. Its like a mall but sometime a lot of the companies have the same product for sale. As you know most of it is imported. Have to look at the items they have for sale, price, minimum quantity, availability, terms of payment while buying for each company.

Its fun of course but also a lot of work. If I see something I want for me personally well that's great but do I really like it enough to sell 11 or maybe 3 dozen more. Market is more mental work than physical.

Off to bed.

It's over. Yes, I survived the big Valentine's Day. Sorry about no updates over the past few days. I worked tremendously long hours and got some well needed rest this weekend. Friday nite I wasn't in the best of moods and didnt want to come across excessively nasty. So I waited til today.

I had to order more roses on Thursday for delivery by FedEx Friday morning. Unfortunately, they decided to keep them in Memphis. I had to order more roses locally at 6 X the price of the ones from California.

I t was a good day on Friday. I had 4 drivers out; three of them had never delivered flowers before. Thankfully they all got done and as of today not a single complaint at all. I have received two phone calls and a personal visit from very satisfied clients. Yeahhhh...!!!!

The FedEx flowers arrived Saturday morning. I haggled with the shipper and was told take them and sell what you can. I was able to offer one of the drivers and his buddies roses at a great price. He is 18 so the girls I am sure are thrilled. I hope they will be back next year to order more. They were so fun to see them all excited about giving flowers. I suspect this maybe the first time they have ever given a dozen roses. I know they were pleased and I think they will be back to order flowers a bit more often.

Today is spent doing some much needed cleaning: buckets, coolers, counters and finding the floor again. Oh yeah and paperwork. My most favorite thing to do.. NOT!!!

11:00 am and the roses arrived. Yeah. Its a good day when the flowers that are the most crucial actually arrive a day late. My were they thirsty for water. Finished all of the mixed arrangements and started on dozens of roses. Left the store at 5 pm. That's actually pretty amazing for me on a holiday to be this prepared and confident. Now its time to sell the flowers. The weather forecast is looking good also. I have the drivers lined up. At this point everything looks good. My goal is to have to order more flowers because we have sold out. A tired florist here.

Countdown continues! I began my day by receiving a phone message from a client. They had wanted 20small vases. 10 all red and 10 all pink for Monday and same for Wednesday. No more than $8.00 each. Well there isn't much you can do in a vase for that amount. Spray carnations and standard carnations were used in the vases. They were cute and small as ordered. They decided they wanted a single rose in each instead for Wednesday going to do a single red or a single pink rose. Unfortunately the other 20 were made for Wednesday. Flexibility in a flower shop is crucial.

At 10:40 CST. I noticed that the roses hadn't arrived by FedEx. Not a good sign. I called my supplier. Seems there is a shipping delay. Looks like Wednesday arrival. Stress level went up a bit more. I'm trying to remember to breathe in and out.

6 days and counting arrrghhh. Valentine's Day stress began this morning. I contacted my normal holiday contract drivers and neither of them could deliver on Friday. Its great to have the arrangements made looking all pretty in my cooler. If I can't get them across town on the day to be delivered, I am in serious trouble. After a few emails and phone calls to friends that may know others I have 2 definite drivers and a possible other that is trying to switch days off. My friend Tom and I went to dinner. I told him I still don't want to talk about the nite in question nearly two weeks ago. That will be a post holiday conversation when the pressure is off. Roses arrive in the morning. So far sales are looking better than I had anticipated. LOng days are ahead calling it a nite soon.

No I haven't forgotten. Just been a bit preoccupied. Its only 6 days to one of the most crazy days in a floral shop. Valentine's Day is Saturday February 14th in case you didn't know. The mixed flower arrangements are primarily ready to go. The roses come tomorrow. At this point I am predicting a decrease from previous year. Simply because of the day of the week it falls upon makes a huge difference to a floral shop.


Irises, lilies, daisies, gerbera daises, carnations, spray carnations, stargazers, larkspur, snapdragons, sunflowers, statice, solidago, waxflower and of course roses are what I have in for this holiday so far. More to come soon.

Snow Snow Snow!!!!!!! Ok Enough is Enough! Got hit last week with 12" ( yes I mean snow). Now I am getting hit with another 12" ( yes more snow). Calgon take me away!!!!!

Let me back up a bit. Friday afternoon. Joe called me. He said he was working on taxes and would see me Tuesday. I would have liked to have seen him Friday and Tuesday but cant get greedy. Later Friday he called and wanted to come up. He lives an hour away. Told me he missed me awwwwwww... Well a few remarks were made and I told him I didn't like the remarks. Said he will work on it. Time will tell.

Was supposed to go to the exciting metropolis of Topeka Kansas on Sunday for a meeting.. What you have never heard of this famous city? Where are you from ?? Iowa?? Meeting was cancelled. Hibernated at home Saturday and only went to work on Sunday to make another funeral arrangement.

Looking ahead - Valentines Day. Will it be busy ? I, of course hope so. I don't have any person beating down my door to spend it with at this point. Joe?? Who knows.. Time will tell.

This coming weekend I will be going to Kansas City Missouri. Of course that is providing the winter warlock doesn't cast a blizzard on me. I and another friend are convincing another to enter a heartland Leather Man contest there. He definitely has the attitude, the leather oh and yea a great looking man. I wish him luck.

Update on my friend Kirk. Not good. I will know more soon. Looks like surgery again. I ask your thoughts and positive energy for him.

Geeeeezzz! I haven't updated for a few days and a few people are saying where you been? Is my life that exciting or Is yours really boring right now? Just the same here are today's thoughts.

Well, I haven't had any outrageous fun. Yep, its true. And last night my friend Tom who I was all in a huff about and I finally talked a bit. Still haven't told him all the reasons I am ticked off at him. In time, he and I will discuss.

Relationships and friendships are closely related. Good times and bad times and yes differences of opinion and outlook on priorities. My thoughts on how he acts and his lack of responsibility are his choice. I know I wouldn't act that way even in a drunken stupor. Those aren't characteristics in my personality.

My thoughts are of my friend Kirk today. I could write pages on him. Here is the Cliff's Note version. I met him approximately a year and a half ago. I helped him with a floral education seminar. We hit it off great. I was asked to assist him a few weeks later with the flowers for a party in New Orleans. We decided a trip to Boston to see Cher was a good idea. We had set a time when I was coming back from Pasadena after working on the Rose Bowl Parade Floats to meet up in Las Vegas.

Between Boston and Las Vegas he had revisited his neurosurgeon. His chordoma (cancer on his spinal chord) had grown back again. This isn't uncommon for recurrence. He had previous battles with this and Chemotherapy is ineffective and already maxed out on the radiation.

Vegas was an awesome trip for me; it was my first trip there. Had a fabulous yes Fabulous time there. Shortly after that trip Kirk had surgery and subsequently 2 other surgeries and round of spinal meningitis all of that occurred in 10 months.

We haven't stayed in contact like we used to. He is a very strong person and very determined. His outlook is unlike anyone else I have ever met. I think of him today because today is the day he goes back for another MRI and CT scan. Yes, the tumor has come forth again. I ask for energy to be directed towards him. He continues to be a driving force behind my goals personally, spiritually, and professionally. I continue to look up to him in so many ways. I am very proud to have met him and have him in my life as a mentor and a friend.

Well sorry I missed the last few days. Yes, I feel a bit guilty for not keeping you up on all the day to day bizarre things in my life. So deal with it! Friday nite I went to the Flower Festival at the big old cathedral here. Damn I looked great. Double breasted hunter green suit with a new dark sage green shirt (got for Christmas... Feels kind of like suede). A tie with purple charcoal and burgundy contemporary design. Get the picture? I looked good. No inferiority complex here. LOL . I did have a friend atttend with me he wore olive green double breasted suit. He also looked good. I had thought possibility of more with him but don't care for sarcasm in remarks at times. Saw the ex again he was alone and avoided me at all costs.

On Saturday nite went to the River City Mixed Chorus Concert . Its a group of gay men, lesbians and gay/lesbian sensitive people singing. It's the groups 20th anniversary season. I do know a few of the members. Such a treat to hear them sing. A great concert. Songs of love, laughter, comedy, and a yes a few that reached into my soul and shed a few tears.

I went out for a bit to DC's was somewhat crowded. I had 3/4 of a beer was bored and went home. Guess I really didn't want to go out at all.

Sunday ehh. Went to work for a few hours. Had to make order for two sympathy arrangements. Awesome arrangements if I do say so myself. ( hehehe ) I think I just sprained a muscle trying to pat myself on the back. Snow started yesterday about 11 and its now Monday afternoon and its still snowing. I am thinking we are at 10+ inches.

10+ inches hmmmmmmm. Don't go there. A guy that used to work for me said more than a mouthful is just a waste.

OK nothing to say about today but brrrrrr and Calgon take me away!!!!!