I am back in the states, and we are just 7 days away from the official beginning of spring. I was pretty surprised on my first walk around the yard at how many things were already in bloom. I sowed about 1,300 seeds last week, and I’ll start round 2 next Monday. The hundreds of plants I’ve ordered these last several months have begun to arrive. Though I’ve had some losses, many of my dahlia tubers are starting to show signs of reawakening. Tim is building me a walk-in cooler so I can store even more flowers this year and keep them fresh after harvesting until I’m able to use them. 

At Bates Nursery, my coworkers stayed busy during the winter months building all new tables in the greenhouse. They look amazing! There have been some changes to the layout, so we’ve worked on a new greenhouse map, to ensure that all of the new plants will have a place to go. It’s hard not to succumb to the spring fever running rampant through our staff and customers. 

A coworker and I were chatting about customers last week, and we speculated about what kind of “Creepy Guy” encounter we’d have to endure this year. Mind you, the question is not if we’ll have one, but when. Because this will be my 9th spring at Bates, and there has been at least one CG every season; most years, there is more than one. And every spring, I say, “This will be the year I stand up for myself.” I hate confrontation. I am a firstborn people-pleaser. I am a woman who was raised in the south to be sweet and genteel with men, especially those older than me. And working in retail, I feel a sense of responsibility to be pleasant and accommodating to every customer. That’s why most years, I’ve tried to laugh off inappropriate comments from creepy guys and fume about them later. We women staffers then commiserate and yell about the creeps at the end of the day. I felt like I handled myself a little better with last year’s Creepy Guy interaction. I assisted an older man in finding a plant he was looking for. He’d already put a hand on my back while he was talking to me which was completely unnerving, but I chose not to comment on this behavior. Before he left, he asked if he could give me a compliment. I said, “Sure!” I expected him to praise our helpful staff or our organized greenhouse; maybe the wonderful plant selection we offered. Instead, he leaned in close so he couldn’t be overheard and said, “You’ve got a nice tush.” Part of me was too stunned to react while another part of me just wanted this encounter to end. I said nothing out loud, but my face spoke volumes. He frowned and said, “Oh, please don’t get upset. Don’t be offended.” All I could muster was a sarcastic smile and a “Yeah.” And then I let him walk away thinking I was the asshole for not saying “Thank you.” This happened around noon, and I was still rattled when I got home that day. I recorded a 6-minute-long rant and posted it on social media. 

I beat myself up for days. Why couldn’t I tell this guy that his comment was sexual harassment? Why didn’t I call one of our male staffers and have them confront the guy at checkout? Why must I psych myself up every single year to deal with yet another Creepy Guy? I’ve thought of a million things that I could say, then I forget every word when the next creep comes along. I have no answers. All I can do is make my annual declaration: This will be the year I stand up for myself. And hopefully, every other polite woman out there this year will feel empowered enough to say, “We’re not going to take it anymore.” 

I’ll leave on a happy note. Here’s my latest Flower Power Friday arrangement.