I’m already halfway through Winter Sabbatical 2024. My freezer is pretty well stocked at the moment (especially with ice cream. Resistance is futile.). The pantry is holding up. So far, I’ve only needed to supplement with fresh produce. I have ordered takeout a few times. I’m mostly relying on frozen prepared meals I purchase at the farmers market every Monday. They are single portions and delicious, so I don’t feel the need to bother with cooking; though it would probably be a little more cost efficient to do so.

I’m feeling good about the progress I’ve made on my farm plans. Along with the dahlia beds, sunflowers are one of the most complicated and intricate pieces of the puzzle. Kind of ironic, since sunflowers are the easiest flower to start from seed. There are so many different varieties out there, and I have little to no self control when it comes to one of my favorite flowers. In order to have continuous blooms from June to October, I have to chart the maturity dates for all 41 varieties I plan to grow this year. Some are early bloomers, some are late. I’ll need to plant sunflowers every week from April to August. Trying to get the timing right takes hours of planning. But I love every minute of it. It’s almost more fun than having a cooler full of blooms. I put the finishing touches on my sunflower plan yesterday. I don’t want to brag, but it is a thing of beauty. I’ll do a little Instagram reel about it this week. 

I was approached by someone I’ve gotten to know here about flowers for Valentine’s Day. I’ve given serious thought to how I could open this up to more people in the area and make Valentine’s bouquets available to preorder. There is much to consider, though. I asked my friend at the flower stand about how fresh her flowers would be on the day before Valentine’s. They are a really small operation. If I bought the volume of flowers I’d need to make multiple bouquets, I’m afraid I’d clean her out. And I’m sure she relies on the profits that Valentine’s Day pulls in. I would really hate to infringe on that. Then there’s my lack of a vehicle. I’d have to hire a driver to take me to the market then haul me and my buckets full of flowers back home again. How would I present the finished product? If I wanted something nicer than a bouquet of flowers held together by a rubber band, I’d need to find a store that sells paper and string so I could make them a little more gift-worthy, or figure out where/how to purchase lots of small cheap vases. Then how do I deliver them? Do I have people come to me? I could ask the person who sets up the Monday farmers market if I could use their facility for one day and have people pick up there. But I’d have to hire another driver and try to figure out how to get several arrangements into their car and to the venue without any damage. I would love to be able to pull this off, but the logistics are mind-boggling. Would I even make enough money to offset the costs of supplies, hiring drivers, and renting a space? There would have to be a significant markup. 

Chelem is currently in the midst of a “cold snap.” Highs this week will remain in the mid 70s. I wore a sweatshirt on the beach this morning. I have my doors and windows open to let in the breeze. It’s glorious.