Not enough repetition...right.

(Hi! If you're here looking for 'wrist corsages'...scroll down to 12/13...there's a picture I found on Google...lol!)

A friend sent me a movie of himself a few months ago. I put it on my desktop to play now and then...which I do, lol.....until eventually I've memorized all the words he says, the nuances of his face and the inflections in his voice, you know? If I heard only a few words from the movie, I'd be able to identify where it came from and what he says next...."I haven't painted it yet..." ("ah weel")...end of movie, about office...lol

So WHY is my memory getting so fuzzy about other stuff? Tonight, on-line with another friend, the brand names of spaghetti sauces came up...don't ask.....and neither of us could think of them. ("One starts with an r...?")

Oh, my. I know what you're thinking: "Ragu....it's Ragu!!"

In this case it's the lack of repetition--since I don't own a TV, I don't have a 'commercials list' in my head--but the other stuff I can't remember?

Aw'right, aw'right!...yes, it COULD be advancing age...or my not paying attention....but I sooth myself with this:
There's just SO MUCH input these days: I have a tough time with new roads because I'm compelled to read all billboards; people around me talk and I listen; there are trade magazines with gobs of info; NPR is on all my radios; blogs and news and e-mails on the computer start and finish my day....whew.

It's pretty cool that I remember anything, huh?

Humungo Spring Display Piece

The gerbera daisys are at least a foot across....the crate it's in is sitting on my big industrial garbage can, and the butterflys are the ones you've seen in the background in those Christmas arrangement pics....yup. It's wider than my 'wingspan'...lol

Three new friends

Sometimes I take a picture and think, "I can crop this...it'll be fine." Problem is, you need to get the subjects IN THE PICTURE first! LOL

I'm accepting wagers on how long this'll stay clean....

WHEW! Pant, pant.....this...doesn't happen....very often...! It took a good hour to banish all that glitter and get most of the mess put away. It's funny that only 72 hours ago, I mourned the 'end of glitter' for another year...and then today I was ready to be done with it! Fickle Florist, huh??

Smallest of a set of three spring silk arrangements I did today. Those yellow globs are calla lilys, ok? 

Purples don't photograph well, I guess. This is the middle piece, at about $75. 

Here's the largest piece @ $115...ahhh, it IS nice to know there ARE other colors besides red...! 

Attention! Amaryllis update!

Both amaryllis had second flower stalks, but "straight man" here had five blossoms on each! I know: WOW!

Been thinking about this guy lately....he has a friend nearby that I need to meet...lol (Oooo! Florists can be cryptic, too!! Amazing!!!) 

Moon in the morning...

(I have to work on the day after Christmas...running a few minutes late...hmmm, very little traffic...and LOOK at that moon!)

Christmas Day, 2004

Ahhh...it's Christmas day in Minnesota...and it snowed last night!

I'm invited to feast and celebrate with my beloved 'second family' today...so I have bread in the oven for them, there's lovely Christmas music on MPR, and the snow continues to fall a little....what a wonderful world

-LOL...and it's funny--what little snow landed in my yard today seems to be attracted to my back step--this is looking down at it...

Buying books

I read a theory lately about why time seems to fly as you get older:

When you're five years old, a year is one fifth of your whole life so far. Remember how important being five-and-a-half was?

When you're 10, life speeds up a bit, and suddenly the endless summer vacation you looked foreward to.......is over ALREADY. Wha...?

I remember being 12 and waiting for next Monday. Oh, man! Three unbelievably endless days til then. Isn't it here YET??
(Extrapolate, extrapolate....)
Eventually...a bunch of years go by....and it seems like there's never ENOUGH time. Besides, who cares if I'm 55-and-a-half?
A week now is aproximately one 2,860th of my life...lol....and ohmigawd, it speeds by like a freight train...!

SO, you say..."What's your point?"

LOL...I bought some new books tonight, so I'll have something to keep the "Christmas is over" wolves at bay.

(Lately, I've only read a page or two before my eyes slam shut. It'll be different next week, I know, and I NEED something to look foreward to:)

Oh, I can't wait! I have new BOOKS!

Now, THIS is cool! LOL

Try making a snowflake here:
http://www.popularfront.com/seasonsgreetings/

No scissors needed; just draw lines with your mouse, and post the flake in the winter sky.....awwwwww, cute!

A parka day

Good morning!
It's 15 below zero this morning here in beautiful downtown Minnesota. Ah, but WE can take it...it's the test we Minnesotans look foreward to. (We're actually looking for some serious snow, but this will have to do for now).

My first challenge today will be getting in the shower.
I know.
You can imagine.
But don't worry, it's warm in here.
If it wasn't, the shower would be crushed ice, right? LOL!

Baby, it's COLD outside!

When I left the house this morning, it was nicely below zero outside...with a 16 below windchill and a HIGH expected today of zero.
As I stepped into the garage, I saw a puddle of anti-freeze on the floor under my '95 Ranger (she's white, and her name's Blanche).
This is NOT good no matter what part of the country you're in. LOL but the cold doesn't help...it just seems to make vehicle troubles worse, you know? lol
I'll spare you the details, but when the garage guy called me at work, he said, "I have some bad news...and some more bad news..." $485.00 worth of bad news! gulp.
So now, Blanche has a new radiator and a heater control valve that no longer leaks...AND plenty of anti-freeze to make it all nice and warm tomorrow...so, see? Life IS good here on the tundra! LOL Nope, sorry...a world without lol isn't worth typing about.....besides, it's excruciating to do! LOL!

YES, glitter on roses! Deal with it. 

Part of the fun of a floral holiday is the BIG arrangements I get to make. An all-white arrangement makes you really look at the flowers, to compare the subtle shades. White orchids, lilies, iris, star-of-bethlehem,snap dragons and roses here with cedar, pine and crystal ornaments hanging down. Sometimes I awe myself.  

The last blossom from the first blooming of the amaryllis. Ah, but there'll be more soon.... 

Too cute not to do a close-up, right?  

Tiny orchid plant on the left...and JC in the holiday spirit!  

My kitchen windowsill, a frosty window and the next incarnation of those amaryllis plants (and no lol, Newb!) 

The "problem" with LOL's

See? My total number of comments doubled last night (from 2 to 4!)...wow, huh?
Yes, they were from one of my my sisters, but still....we older and wiser sibs can't just give in...even IF sis is probably right.

So...here's the bargain: I'll try to curb my lol's unless I know it'll really irritate her......lol

(And Newbie, just think what it would look like if blogspot provided smilies!)

Have a wonderful day!

Christmas Week

It's December 20th, and I'm finally/still making silk arrangements for the store. Sheesh, it's frustratin'. In two days, they'll be marked half price--how does THAT make sense?

I got back to the store tonight with today's crop
(pictured below, of course! lol)
and found our new hire ON the job--hooray!! Finally....after four months of just getting by...whew.
Many thanks to the floral gods...but (expletive deleted) what took you so LONG??

LOL...here's what I accomplished today...17 'quickies'...(also did some display pieces for the store's Bakery that didn't fit on the cart, so you'll just have to imagine them, ok? lol) 

A close-up. Hey, the glitter shows on MY screen!

Here's something I forget about until I'm doing candle arrangements again at Christmas: the two candles on the right are right out of the wrapper--and they're shiny in spots from the cellophane. The two on the left have been rubbed with a terry cloth towel to produce that nice satiny finish. Such a simple solution, huh? It works, too, on 'last years' candles (those scuffy ones, ya know...) lol 

Fair is fair, right?

And now, to counter that last post, here's my desktop picture for the Christmas season.....lol........but mine has a caption:

"Just roll me over Darlin cuz I'm layin on yer present"

http://www.strangeavenue.com/postcards/images/1890119736.jpg

Ho Ho HO!

Christmas carols

Here's a site with a whole page of carols playing, one after another...midi's all, but you can click the ones you want, too...

http://www.hymnsite.com/

It's funny how what you became familiar with as a kid still pleases years later...lol My sister is sending us each this CD for Christmas
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4210723
Sweet sing-along music!
Thanks, Newb!

Two dozen red roses...

...in an ARM BOUQUET. Whew!

But that's what they ordered, for an awards ceremony. I'm hoping the recipient is 'statuesque', but you KNOW it'll go to a tiny person with no arm-strength to speak of...lol

This afternoon, back at the shop, I taped together eight sets of three roses....arranged them around some artificial frosted branches...and it worked pretty well!
(I used to make an arm bouquet starting with the top rose and working down, but now I start from the middle of the bouquet and add roses above and behind the first ones. Does that make sense to you? lol
The 'above and behind' stems support the flowers and greens in the middle of the bouquet, and the last few are tucked in 'down in front', just above the bow).
Ok, ok....here's the picture:

You'd have to hold it to count the roses, but there ARE 24 roses in there! 

Christmas lights.....again......lol

Have you noticed how many people are outlining their houses with lights lately? It's ok if the roof-line is interesting, but man....lol

(In the summer, this yard is full of gnomes and goofy plywood cut-outs....I suppose that explains this, huh?)

Now, I like this house, maybe 'cuz it looks so much like a kid's drawing of a house, huh?
"Nice drawing, honey...but how come it doesn't have a roof?"...lol

Saturday morning

Here we are, the Saturday before Christmas...I'll be at Central all day.
(Much better for my soul than being in the shop today, honest! lol)

This week especially, I'll be enjoying the holiday mayhem, ahem. I have ONE day off (tomorrow) before Christmas.

"Check back often to see if she maintains that goofy cheer, ok?"

("I give her til about Thursday...crash and burn for sure!")

lol....lol...lol....hearts.....hearts....lol

Silver Fir

A high-speed and crazy day at the shop today! Whew.

Beyond getting the orders-for-delivery made up, doing the wedding, waiting on customers and answering the phone, this time of year's when old friends show up in the store. (They're home for Christmas, right?) You just CAN'T catch up on the last 30 years in 5 minutes! lol

When I came back from lunch, the first thing I noticed about the floral department was the heady sweet fragrance of pine....oh, man, when you get the chance....go to a flower shop and ask for a small piece of 'silver fir'.

(I know, I know....but none of my three loyal readers actually ARE florists).

Strip off an inch or so of needles, and sniff the stem where they were...it's exquisite! A citrusy pine scent that's very close to heaven....( sniffing my fingers here...lol)

The tree's named "silver fir" because of its light colored bark. Here it is on my desk...what a wonderful aroma!  

Ahhhhh......flannel

It's getting colder here on the tundra.

Every morning, I go outside in my pajamas to get the paper (pre-dawn, ok? lol) Sometimes it's raining...sometimes it's hot....or there's snow....it's a sample of my day, ya know? This morning it's very clear and cold. Nice to get back inside to let the flannel warm up again against my skin....

*****************************

Something I noticed last night while on the web: Every blog I read regularly is written by someone who has cats....wonder what that says about us?

"No prob! 30 arrangements? DONE!"

Yes, I really DO have two pick machines! (One for the left end of the counter, one for the right...lol)...doesn't everybody?