Primrose Lane

One of the hardest things about being a stitchery designer is trying to focus on creating new projects while AT THE SAME TIME juggling a bunch of other important stuff. (i.e.: printing and mailing out patterns, preparing tax documents, arranging trunk shows, answering emails about pattern questions, walking the dog, doing laundry.) And now that spring is creeping around the corner, I have to add WORKING IN THE GARDEN.

At least when it's winter and it's pouring rain, cold and yucky outside, there's not much incentive to go outside and plant flowers. But here in northern California, winter hasn't made much of a showing this year, and all the trees and flowers have decided to move on into spring already. The reason I know this is happening is because last night, when I went outside with my dog for her last trip around the yard, I smelled a definite sweetness in the air. I sniffed and realized that the sweet smell was the early arrival of spring. The apricot and flowering cherry trees all around the neighborhood are in bloom right now and their perfume fills the air. The rosemary bushes and all the clumps of daffodils and primoses are blooming too, adding their soft scents into the air.

So, yesterday, despite the pile up of important things I should have been doing in my office, I gave in to this early spring's siren call and spent the day outside in the garden. I brought my dog, Katie, outside with me so she could lay on the lawn "guarding" me while I pulled weeds, neatened the rows of rocks that line the flower beds, planted six-packs of pansies, separated clumps of primroses and transplanted them in other areas.

All in all, I'm glad I spent the day outside, working in the garden. Because now when I look outside , I can enjoy the flowers and not feel guilty about neglecting the garden. And now I'm ready to focus on the piles of work INSIDE, because I know my garden has been cleaned up a bit and is ready for the flowering of spring. WELCOME, SPRINGTIME!!