Day of Deliveries

Neat sprawling, weeping, contorted, goofy Jack pine above (Pinus banksiana 'Uncle Fogy') that looks great along the curbline in front of our visitors center. Don't forget that conifers can be selected and planted simply for interesting form, not just for function (foundation, screen, hedge, etc.)! Not many volunteers today. Janice popped by briefly and Dr. Gredler did more turf work. We had deliveries from UPS and received our first semi-load of shredded bark. We also had a delivery of all our potting soil for containers and starting some of our own tropicals. It's nice to get these materials early as we never know when we can get to certain projects and want to be "poised and ready".

Interesting article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html?_r=2&ref=dining regarding a garden at the White House. I think it's a great idea and while I had heard rumors, I wasn't sure it would come to fruition. Glad to see that it will happen and hopefully will inspire others.

It is definitely picking up around here in terms of activity. Those that know me start to see my transition from layed back winter guy to spastic spring guy. Spring is exciting but can sure be stressful coordinating priorities and activities. Rotary Gardens is truly fortunate to have such great staff and top-notch volunteers. A friend emailed me the information below that might help others assess the impacts of stress on their lives.

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, Raised a glass of water and asked 'How heavy is this glass of water?' Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.' He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. ''As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. ''So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. 'So, my friend, put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while. Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always wear stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be "recalled" by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.