How You Doing?

A friend of mine says she keeps checking the blog, not so much for a recovery update, since she gets daily emails, but in the hopes of reading some drug induced ramblings.

I'm going to assume you're here for both...

Surgery successful. Recovery challenging....especially for Susan who has been  on call 24/7.

Need ice machine refilled at 2:30 am, call Susan. Need a saltine and a percoset at 3:30 am? Sheets changed, cats fed, litter changed, caps taken off water bottles, help in and out of the shower, clothes changed, sling positioned, orange peeled, who you gonna call?

Those of you who urged me to give it 3 days were so on  target and these were the words I held on to thru day 2 when I needed all the drugs I could take but my body wasn't interested in housing them for long. I never knew how delicious saltines could be.

But by day 3 I was sipping vietnamese soup and eating crepes filled with honey and bananas. I even got to wash my hair.

Susan (a bit of a cat scaredey cat) is dealing with the cats by thinking of them as dogs. and they understand she's the new boss around here and treat her accordingly. Lucy has taken to sleeping with her.

In between numerous naps I catch up on Downton Abbey, House of Cards and am still struggling to finish last Thursday's New York Times.

If there's anything new in the world I'll  be the last to know.

I have been working on this post since Sunday.  I'm gonna give it up, ask Susan to add some caps and send it on it's way.

Soon I hope to come and visit you.  If I leave a comment it may end up in spam, my left hand has a mind all it's own, and my brain is under the influence.

I may have to run for mayor of Toronto.

Here's looking at you kid.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix

Or into surgery, you'll be rising...

7:30 Thursday morning.

I'm as ready as I never hoped to be.

Prescriptions filled. Prayers said. Mani-Pedi done. Had wished  for hair cut and color but Valentines got in my way.

Who's going to see you my Physical therapist asked. Well I am. Not covering the mirrors in crepe.

My guardian angel friend Susan drove through a blizzard to get down here from the Cape.

She has the dubious pleasure of watching over me for a while.

She has a cat thing though, so we'll see how long she makes it.

They are slightly cabin feverish these days those cats.

 They hid a necklace of Elle's this weekend. Much alarm. And tonight stole her second porkchop out of the pan while she had her back to them eating dinner.

Wonder how long she'll make it. Maybe she'll pack up and go to the Cape with Susan?

Anyhoo, I'm operating in a state of high anxiety and will be very glad when this is over and I'm not worrying the future.

Cross your fingers, say a prayer, burn a candle or do a little dance. Whatever you think will help.

And maybe Susan will be my scribe for a little bit so I can report back while living in a persocet haze

See you on the other side.

.
update

Guns And Roses

We did it. Thanks to the kindness of friends we survived the Smowmagedon that was Valentine's Day.

 Thursday, Elle and Gus shoveled me out of the house and I hitched a ride with a co worker in an SUV driven by her husband and filled with her children, both ways. They picked me up at 11:00am and dropped me off at 8:30pm. Elle had made chicken noodle soup for dinner.

We drove throughthe storm, fought to find an open Starbucks, stripped off layers of scarves and hats, gloves and coats and got to work.

 Our driver armed himself with a shovel and set off to deliver the goods.

For once everyone was home.

Friday we showed up bright and early, picked up our knives and sent flower stems flying.

Five delivery men, with the hearts of cowboys, riding steeds with 4 wheel drive.

Five designers high on caffeine.

Four women working retail. Making loose bouquets, ringing up cards, herding children and answering phones.

Bleary eyed we ate salad and pizza for lunch.  There were two kinds of homemade cookies for snacking and a local restaurant sent over boxes of cake.

Starbucks sent a box of croissants and glazed donuts.

Florists may not get flowers but we certainly get sweets.

At 6:00pm we closed the doors. One more day of work awaited.

Saturday, loads of Valentines party work to do. Centerpieces, buffets, a briday bouquet, Monday morning office deliveries.

Adrenline all gone. Moved as if under water.

Sunday, home: bed, books, House Of Cards, heating pad doing double duty, lower back and shoulder, cats snoozing, my own deep nap, cups of mint tea, Thai delivery.

Bliss.

That was the week that was. Though I'm happy it's over for another year, I'm still extremly grateful for all the care extended to us, the florists. We may not write the songs that make the whole world sing, but on a good day we can put your love in a vase. And we thank those who notice.

 Now you know more about the floral business than you ever wanted to.

How was your holiday?

The Few, The Brave, The Florists

Ah, not only the pressure of a major holiday but now the pressure of a major ice/snow storm.

What's a florist to do?

Start the day at Physical Therapy.

Then take those freshly stretched and massaged muscles into work and freak out?

No, actually, keep your head down, fill the orders, call Thursday's clients to see if their wives are really going to be at work. No? Home address please?

The Governor has declared a state of emergency. Schools, government and churches will be shut down.

But never fear.  We'll be in place.

We've got flowers.

We've got orders.

And clearly we've got mush for brains, because we're going in.

The question remains.  Will we get out alive?

To Be Continued......

( Minimal) Flowers In The House : February 2014

Ay yi yi amigas and amigos, Saturday was a brutally busy day in ye olde flower shop.

As the lights were  being dimmed and the music turned off I grabbed a flower here and there, came home, stuck them in a pitcher of water and headed for the bath.

Sunday, close to dusk, I finally had a moment to check out my loot. But where was it? I usually have more FITH on a Wednesday...

So the pickings are slim but I hope to distract you with the promise of the recipe for Elle's fabulous fondant au clementines in the days to come.

As you dream of a forkful of this dense, flavorful cake, open your eyes and drink in the beauty of this ginornomous ranunculus from Japan.

And the much smaller but equally fabulous one from California.

 Together they're unforgettable.

In the kitchen I have a little vase of seeded eucalyptus and liarope.

And in the other window, gardenia greens and a few pale pink Japanese sweet peas.

Dishwashing, now a sensory experience, not a chore.

A little silver cup that belonged to my father, engraved with a parachute and the words Holland and Bastogne, is filled with hot lady pink roses, more ranunculus, a sweet pea and much love.

He always showed how big his brave was.

an

Even at dusk the dining room feels full of sunshine with a vintage blue mason jar stuffed full of branches of double blooming forsythia. 

Ahhhhh, feeling better?

Winter doldrums banished?

What have you done to brighten up the world this February?

Invite us in.

xo J

What Doesn't Kill You.......

 Oh God here I am again wanting you to do something on a Sunday.

Put some flowers or find somethings flowered in your house and take a picture, or two or five of it/them and link it up.

Monday, the 10th, we'll do February Flowers In The House, yes?

Let's have a house party!

It's February, it's bleak, it's cold and for many of us it's snowy.

For a handful of us it's Valentine's pregame.

Here's how my week will go:

Monday: FITH and an extensive physical for upcoming surgery.

Tuesday: Massive amounts of flowers will begin arriving, phones will be ringing and men will be unable to stand patiently in line to place their orders. They will stick their heads back and ask if it would be easier if I took their order.

No.

Wednesday: More of the above. When we walk out of design area to get flowers I advise other designers to keep eyes down and not make eye contact.

It's like the zoo. If you look them in the eye they think you're going to feed them.

Thursday: Phones ringing off hook, designers imitating windmills as flowers are placed in vases, water changed and cards added.  Everything done in double time. Boxes of flowers still arriving, flowers cleaners stumbling up and down uneven tread staircase with 5 gallon buckets full of water and flowers.

And now the men are bringing in their children thinking this will break down the waiting time, cuteness factor and all.

No. Still can't help you. Have to do 1000 orders for men who stood in line on Tuesday.

Friday. God save the queen.

And yet I still want to do flowers in the house?

My mother always said I was a glutton for punishment.

Game on?

In My Little Town

One true thing I know for sure.

Life is never boring in my 'hood.

I arrived home from work on Saturday night to a pastry making lesson.

I might not bake, but I'm always prepared. Kitchen Aid, a scale, parchment paper, baking pans of all shapes and sizes, you want it, I got it. Well except nutmeg, I seem to be out of nutmeg.
Elle found French butter and her sister  sent recipes.

We started with pate brisee.

 And ended with Quiche Lorraine.

But in between the  Saturday night pastry making and the Sunday eating, quell disaster.


Elle dropped the Kitchen Aid on her foot.  Do you know how heavy a Kitchen Aid is?

Heavy enough to send her off to the emergency room for 4 stitches.

Sunday afternoon , Elle resumed the lesson.

 It was delicious.

Not to be undone by her walking boot she will wear for 8 weeks, she then whipped up a clementine cake.

We did have a Super Bowl party to attend after all.

As I was making my hummus, there was a knock on the door.

My new neighbor's brother was standing there with a towel wrapped around his wrist.

He had just cut his wrist with an exacto knife, another trip to the emergency room and six stitches for him.

There were no accidents at the SB party, though I'm sure Denver fans would disagree.

In the past week Elle has watched her first Grammys, State Of The Union and Super Bowl live.

She has visited an American emergency room, gone to Zumba, and lived through several snow and ice storms.

Gus has also stolen her hair clip and Lucy seems to be perpetually drenched in her perfume.

As for me? I'm being very careful.

Very, very, careful.

                                             Luckily I have my own guardian angel/ peeping tom.