The Tent......

Visiting with Daddy today, he reminded me that this was the week that we use to put up, "The Tent."
 We had a good laugh at all the times we put it up and filled it with flowers.
We needed the extra room and a tent was the answer. Mountain Memories was a small shop but come Valentine's Day we would fill over 300 orders. We needed a place for overflow and a place for me to design.
Daddy worked hard every year to secure it incase we got high winds when the snow came.
This picture was taken in the early years. The tent belonged to Carl Fred. He used it in his yearly years at Kovener and Sons. Adams Funeral Home was kind enough to let us use it one year. Daddy made a hall way by the side door so drives could be covered in case of rain or high winds when they carried balloons. They could back their vehicles close, load and go. The flowers and my design area would stay warm when the door was opened. Daddy decided we needed a gutter to protect them from getting drenched.
Over the years Daddy mastered the tent and it was secure and warm. He would come up with new ideals each year to make it easier to set up and weather proof.
It was good walking down memory lane.

Ready and waiting.......

The buckets are lined up and ready to be filled. Flowers will arrive Monday from market. Roses will arrive on Tuesday from South America. Yes. South America. Our roses are cut and shipped the same day from the farm. Over 2,000 roses will fill these buckets. Other flowers are, lilys, iris, stock, carnations, daisy's, calla lilys, snapdragons, larkspur just to name a few.
The greens cooler is ready with dozen and half dozen vases ready for the roses. Last count we had 100 vases ready just for a dozen roses.
Today, Heather and I went over our list and everything that we could think of to make the day smooth was done.
If you're prepared and things are in order and all you bases are covered, Valentine's Day will be a success.

21 Valentine's.........

Count down begins tomorrow as soon as my alarm sounds. I've been getting things ready for the big day. Clip boards are ready for the drivers. Their packets are filled with pens, door tags, maps and candy kisses.
Vases are taped and decorated. Balloons are in order ready to be filled with helium. Boxes are stacked ready for those who choose to have their roses boxed.
After all these years it's still exciting. Hard work, yes. If you're organized and got all your ducks (hearts) in a row it's smooth as silk.
This will be my 21st Valentine's Day. Even after all these years there will still be a few bumps in the road. But it's nothing that can't be fixed.

Snow......

Looking forward to a little snow this weekend. Maybe not 6 to 8 inches like some have said. Maybe 2 to 3, that would be nice. As I walked out the back door this morning you could see a few flakes floating around. I just need to be able to get to the shop on Monday morning. Have lots to do with Valentine's Day just around the corner. If ole man winter decides we need 6 to 8, I will just flip over to 4-wheel drive and cruse on in.

Wordless Wednesday.....

Get with the program.......

Had a talk with the Rhonde Island Red's the other day. Informed them I was tired of buying these ugly white eggs. They hadn't laid a brown egg in weeks and they needed to get with the program.

Guess the girls were paying attention to what I said. This is what I found today...

Happy fish.......

Bully's, they are every where, even in fish tanks.  The reporter the other morning told a story of a fish that was being picked on. He had a cataract removed a few years ago and the eye never healed completely. They removed his eye and he seemed to be ok for a while. Then the worst happened. His under water friends started picking on him and making him stay at the bottom of the tank. They were bully's. Just because he had one eye, he was different. The workers at the aquarium in Vancouver decided to outfit him with a prosthetic eye. The Copper Rock fish received an eye designed for taxidermy.

Now, he's a happy fish, the bullying has stopped and he is now welcomed back to the swim with the other fish.

Bully's,they are not really good for anything. I could go on and on....but that's what they like, attention. And besides, this is a happy story of a happy fish!!