Monday, October 31, 2005

Like watching paint dry

This has nothing to do with flowers, but might enjoy it for 10 seconds or so. Think of it as a Halloween gift, ok?

Thanks to the Presurfer

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Funeral wreath for a music lover

The family ordered "standard" flowers for this funeral...a casket spray, two side pieces with script** , and this 'fun' piece. Evidently, music was a big part of her life and a real connection for the niece who ordered it.










One of the advantages of working in a grocery store floral is the plethora of items available to us. We had the wreath form, the mixed flowers and the colored wire for the staff. Another designer made the treble cleft.....and the notes? The bakery had 'em! I clipped the pick-part off, painted them black and applied glitter....cool, huh?

**BTW, 'script' on sympathy flowers is a personal preference, but MY preference is "NEVER". If visitors don't know that the deceased was "Mom" to someone, then why are they there?
When I kick off, pass around dark chocolate, but SKIP the script, ok?

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Ok, I blew it

Ha. I thought I started this blog on October 22, 2004. Did I check?
No. Of course not.
I was going on my phenomenal memory....and remembering stuff accurately is NOT why it's phenomenal, trust me.

So, the actual "start date" was the 20th.
Damn, feels like I missed my birthday or something.

But, hey! I'm still writing, and YOU'RE still here. That's good enough for me...lol

Friday, October 21, 2005

Something for your fridge, probably

From an on-line toy, I made this beautiful Delft tile and now YOU faithful reader can print it, buy a frame for it and hang it in a place of honor in your home:















Yes, I suppose you might have an adage of your own to hang below that, hmm?
Ok, click here

(Thanks to the Presurfer)

Thursday, October 20, 2005

The Trail

Here are a few more Upper Midwest Fall Photos of the Lake Woebegone Trail:



(Using the cartoon effect, again...lol)






Sunday, October 16, 2005

A GREAT fall day


Wow...today, we took the bikes to a small town NW of here and tried a new (to me) part of the Woebegone Trail. The scenery was amazing, the smells were evocative and the wind was cool...even in the sun. The first picture is a grove of birch trees so yellow that the air glowed. (I used the "cartoon" effect on it...for, um, effect).

If you've ever noticed wild bittersweet, you know that it's usually high in the trees, out of reach. THIS clump was next to the trail about three feet from the ground, and everybody left it there for others to enjoy. I think that's a blessing.

Strangeness:

It looks as though I'm turning into a weekend blogger. I think about EF during the week, but other stuff always takes me in different directions...lol
Hey, I'll try to post, but don't expect it, ok? You can BOTH find something else to do most likely, even if it's only anticipating next Saturday, which BTW, will be my one year blog anniversary.

I KNOW. I'm as surprised as you are.

Have a great week!

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Autumn, indoors

My house faces west, ok?
So that means (besides the fact that the trim on that side needs painting alot and it gets HOT during the summer), first thing in the morning, it's fairly dim on that side of the house.
Still with me?
(I'm a bit distracted 'cuz I'm listening to a Polka Mass CD as I write...um, don't ask...)
Just now, I went to the kitchen for another cuppa, and glanced into the living room (9AM!):


Wha....? how come there was so much light in there? Lights left on maybe?

Nope....it's the birch trees on the front lawn! Wow, huh?

(By the way, IF the world really, really NEEDS a polka mass, then why doesn't somebody write an actual polka mass instead of this cramming-words-into-songs the band already knows???? Still, it makes you listen hard for tortured phrasing and unfortunate song-use....lol).

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

A real mystery

Ok, I need some answers here.
Last January 4th, I posted a picture of an amaranthus plant. It was a picture I 'googled' to illustrate the beginning of what I planned as "Flowers starting with A" month.
(Obviously, it didn't last, or we'd be doing purple flowers this month or something, right?)

Ok, so here's the mystery:
In the past two weeks or so, I've had maybe 30-40 hits, from all over the world, referencing that picture.
How come it's something people are suddenly interested in?
Was it mentioned on a popular blog...or a TV show?
Is amaranthus part of a new book or something?
Or, a new song called "Love Lies Bleeding"? (Ewww!)

In this whole year, I've had maybe four other hits on that page, but lately, it's 3-5 a DAY....so why???

Hell, I'll even accept theories!

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Mmmm, apple crisp!

I went to a local apple orchard today, expecting to park in the yard as usual and leisurely chat with the woman behind the counter, as usual.


HA! It was their opening day, and parking was across the road. They had music, pumpkins, and pumpkin painting (?), a wool spinner and a petting zoo.

I know. You simply can't buy apples without petting a pot-bellied pig, right?

YUM!

(And don't tell me your oven mitt is any cleaner than mine....lol)

It's IMPORTANT to lie on these tests, right?!


I am 64% Hippie.

"You are not a child of the 60’s but your heart is true to the cause, man. You realize that being a hippie is not just bell bottoms and tie-dye. It is also about the drugs and smelling bad, too!"


Take theHippie Test@ FualiDotCom

Wedding lily

Here's another lily from the bulbs E&S sent home with me after their wedding.

I cut it and brought it inside because it gets pretty cold at night lately, and because it was lovely...lol.


As I mowed yesterday, I saw that one of the white lily bulbs also set buds...five of them....but they look weak and probably won't open this fall. Still, this means I have all three colors from the wedding and they'll bloom beautifully next spring. Hooray!!

Saturday, October 08, 2005

OK, is this a FLORIST blog, or not?

Both of you might be wondering why I'm not writing about flowers and the shop much these days. Sure, it's a lovely area around here, but that's probably not why you have me bookmarked, right?
(Or, maybe it IS! lol)

This week, I pretty much finished my job of 24/7 silks at Central. I shipped 37 boxes of Christmas to our stores on Wednesday, in addition to the Fall stuff I'd sent earlier.

On Thursday and Friday, would I "help with five weddings at the shop, please?"
(One of them, a Friday wedding, was Daud's exact bouquet. It really tickled me to do it, too).








We were so efficient that I took Friday off!

For the time being, I'll be doing some floral related projects for the corporation. I have three lined up right now, and soon, a job interview for another position with the company......so, we'll see what happens, huh?
LOL...I might need to re-name the blog Ephemeral Swing-Person, but that has NO pa-zazz at all!

October in (Central) Minnesota

It's beautiful here folks! Apple weather....baking weather....sweater weather.
We had the first frost this week, with what seems like selective damage: the marigolds are shot, but the peony bush next to them is fine.
And, yes, I do need to mow today, but it isn't as bad when the high'll be 56...lol

Here's the Woebegone Trail yesterday, for your visual gratification:
























Nope, the Trail has no massive footbridge (it has plenty of other cool stuff).
This is on a road that the trail crosses, maybe a quarter mile away. We just wanted to get some better fall-color pics, for YOU!

More Trail pics








View from the bridge....ahhhhh!









This is the road under that bridge...I-94

Sunday, October 02, 2005

A delightful dinner with Daud


You know how an idea can just grow legs?

Last Thursday, E stopped at the store before she went to class (a new phase in her life--she's going back to school at the college she graduated from 7 years ago--six blocks from my job!) and I asked what she'd like for dinner.

We talked of this and that, until I said I had pork ribs and sauerkraut at home. The joke has always been about how colorless that combination is...lol
Eventually, laughing all the way, the menu became:
boiled pork
sauerkraut
boiled potatoes
cottage cheese
milk
and tapioca pudding
Wanna see?

























It was delicious!

Do you keep a portfolio?

There was a time when someone asked me for a portfolio of my work as a florist.
Wha...? Me? A portfolio?
Sheesh, I'd already missed SO MANY possible pictures I should have taken...
Still, just lately I've realized that this blog is a form of portfolio, and one that's much easier to show around. No schlepping an album, no framed photographs--all you need is a computer and a mouse!

But...there ARE some arrangements that make a person shake her head...yes, it's nice, but weird







lol..."sugared" fruit in strange colors. Somebody might buy it, but WHY??