I do have a book update to share! When I awoke Wednesday morning, I found the final copy of my manuscript in my inbox, along with a final proof certificate. I’d need to review the manuscript one final time and if there were no changes to be made, all I needed to do was sign the certificate giving my permission to send it to the printers. YAY!! I managed to find 3 typos, though, so I wasn’t able to give my OK yet. But they are minor corrections, so I’m hoping this won’t cause much of a delay. Seriously, y’all; book editing is like being pecked to death by chickens. I’d gladly write another book. It’s the editing process that sucks the life out of me. I still haven’t received a release date yet nor have I seen any cover art. When I do, I’ll pass it along ASAP. Maybe as a “special edition” blog post.

Work has been exhausting. That is the case every spring, but this year feels like the perfect storm. COVID-19 created a huge gardening boom. A lot of people who picked this up in 2020 as a soul-saving diversion or a cure for their boredom got hooked and have made gardening a new way of life. People have been moving to Nashville in droves for the last few years, and Bates becomes the destination for more of these newcomers every year, looking to spruce up their landscapes or learn how to garden in our zone 7A climate. This past Christmas, many parts of the country endured unprecedented winter weather. Temperatures in Nashville dropped 52 degrees within 14 hours. We experienced -20 degree windchills that lasted several hours. We remained below freezing for 3 straight days. It seems that everyone, EVERYONE in Nashville lost trees, shrubs, and perennials. This past week, Bates Nursery has had record-breaking sales every single day. We’re doing all we can to keep up with demand, but so is every other garden center in the southeast, which is putting a strain on growers throughout the US. We are in The Hunger Games: Plant Edition. I usually joke that Saturday at the garden center in spring is like Black Friday at the mall. This year, every day is Black Friday. It’s only the middle of April, and most of our staff feel the way we usually do at the end of June; like we’ve been hit by a Mack truck.

Enough about me. I want to brag a little about my kids this week. Reagan continues to thrive at MTSU. She is set to graduate in December. Her senior photography project will be featured along with the work of four other seniors at the Baldwin Photographic Gallery from April 20-August 11. Her picture is in the top left corner of the flyer below. We’re looking forward to Thursday’s gallery opening. She’ll be working with MTSU’s True Blue Event Productions this summer overseeing their editing department. 

Pierce is great. We were disappointed that his hours were cut at TJ Maxx after Christmas from three days a week to one. Fortunately, though, Pierce has recently found another activity that gets him out of the house. Last year, we needed to find transportation to and from his job. I made a request for help in our neighborhood Facebook group. Confession time: we are horrible neighbors. We’ve lived here for over 10 years and can barely tell you the names of the families that live across the street and on either side of us. Because of this, I wasn’t confident in hearing from anyone, but I wanted to cover all of our bases. My Facebook post got a response from a neighbor who lives just one block away from us. The Tuckers were delighted to give Pierce a ride and refused compensation. They have enjoyed getting to know him a little better. A couple of months ago, Laurie told me that her church, Brentwood Hills Church of Christ, offers a Sunday school class for adults with disabilities/special needs. We’d heard about the Best Class Ever from friends who attend Brentwood Hills, but we’d never checked it out. She offered to take Pierce to church one Sunday to see if it might be something he’d enjoy. Pierce loved it! He has become a Best Class Ever regular, accompanying the Tuckers at church every week. Church became a sad place for our family once Pierce graduated high school as we struggled to get him plugged into a class or ministry that would take the place of a very active youth group. We are so grateful for this new connection with our neighbors, Laurie and Jerry Tucker, and that Pierce finally has something to love about church again.

I’d planned to be very busy planting out all of my seedlings this week, but the extended forecast shows a threat of frost (low of 36) next Monday morning! Looks like I should hold off one more week. My irises, ranunculus, and Iceland poppies have begun to bloom, so I showcased them in my latest Flower Power Friday arrangement. Enjoy!