Sometimes You Just Have To Go For It!!!

Frank fell not only once, but twice about 2 months ago.  He is the big strong guy who can do anything and spends most of his days building things or repairing things.  He is one of those gifted people that can design a patio cover, figure out what he needs in the lumber; builds it and paints it mostly by himself.  Then he can repair my dishwasher; do all the tractor work on the farm; restore his old 1957 Jeep truck; fix a friends 1970s window moldings in his car; the list is endless.

So when he slid on the wet concrete floor in his shop and pulled something very serious, he couldn't believe how little he could do without pain.  We did the gambit of doctor appointments, xrays, specialist.  It was really worry-some to think he may have cracked or broken his hip.  In the end, luckily it was a very severe pulling of muscles and tendons that just needed rest, ice and medication to heal.

I guess what it did to both of us, is show us that we aren't young chickens (rooster) any longer; that our property keeps us busy every single day, physically and what would happen if one of us couldn't continue to work?  Frightening thoughts because we both love what we do and love the life we have selected for this phase of our senior lives.

He is recovering, not 100% but he is now back in his shop doing small projects but learning to rest when his hip starts hurting.  He has been on his tractor a few times, mainly because he says it doesn't hurt that much to just sit and disk the field.  And he has mowed the back side field area several times that he started watering and grooming since last year.  It now looks like a golf course.  They may be weeds but it looks beautiful!!.

My main point about this all is I have worked all summer to really have a spectacular flower garden to cultivate my expanded flower business, with Frank's help.  It seemed that August was a perfect time to open up my gardens to classes and tours.  So I scheduled 2 classes in August. The first one was right after he fell and I wasn't having very many people sign up for it.  If anyone has ever been in business will know, you never can predict the public.  But it seems that once kids start back up to school, everything dies down.  

Possibly because families have so much to plan for; so many items to purchase-school supplies, school clothes, still paying for their last vacation before school starts.  Whatever it is, I just decided to cancel the class.  I needed Frank's help to finish up a few projects before the class and he couldn't get to them.  All the apples started falling on the ground so the orchard looked a mess.  And just before

Frank hurt himself, he took every single thing out of the garden shed and riped up the floor.  Water had gotten under the floor and it was becoming unsafe.  But that meant every tool, every rototiller, ever sprayer, every can, ever clipper, every-well, everything was all out in the side yard and it looked like we were going to have a yard sale!!.

My sorting/floral design shed is next to the garden shed so of course, it bothered me to have all that stuff out if I was going to have a farm tour and floral arranging class.

As my 2nd farm tour and flower arranging class date loomed closer, I thought, well, I may have to cancel this one too.  Frank was lots better but the garden shed was still in the same state.  I did get all those apples sorted and raked up, it nearly killed me without Frank's help.  I did get all the weeds pulled in the gardens, only by getting up earlier in the morning to get an extra hour in out back before it got too hot.  I did get the lawns mowed; I did get the sorting/design studio cleaned up.

But then, I only had 2 people signed up for the class.  Bummer, what was the problem??  If there was a flower farm near me, you can bet I would be signed up to take a tour and flower arranging class!!! I started to doubt my new business venture for 2016.

I read on a Facebook flower page about a girl in Washington State that just had her first flower farm open house and sold 40 flower bouquets and had a flower arranging class.  She used the Facebook "Boost" to advertise.  I messaged her about more information.  She helped me out but stated she only had 4 people signed up for the classes but decided since she went to all the trouble, went ahead and had the open house.  She was so glad she did, she sold all those bouquets to people touring her farm and got the word out in her area about what she did..

I decided to Just Go For It!!!  The property is never, really perfect, there is always something out of place or something that needs to be done. Even if there is only 2, those people have been planning to come for a month, a Mother/Daughter couple who were very, very excited to take the tour and class.  In fact the mother drove from Fresno for the weekend so she could attend.

On Facebook, I went for the added "Boost" about 5 days before the class.  Hit the social media and made plans on what I was going to do.  Frank helped as much as he could.  

Three days before class, someone called asked if there was still room!!! Heck yes.  Two days before the class, another person asked if they could come, they just heard about it.  You bet!! One day before the class, another person called to attend; The class started at 10:00am on Saturday.  

At 9:00 am, another person, a friend of someone who called the day before asked if she could come too!!

So in the end we had 7 people and it was a blast.  Everyone had so much fun, they got to cut hydrangeas and green fillers; pick their vases; learn about making flower arrangements; picked dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, echinacea, gueen's anne lace, celosia and more from the flower gardens.  

Each person left with a couple of bouquets, new friendships and a new love of our Windmill Farm.

See, sometimes you Just Have To Go For It!!!