Change is GOOD!

Deep sigh. There goes another summer, and half the fall, too, without my having updated this blog once.

That's what happens when the weather warms up and I get busy! My time gets tangled up in planning gardens, planting gardens, and taking care of what I planted. I barely have time to photograph what I've done. And frankly, I don't work that many hours anymore, because the drive from where I live to where I work takes up a fair amount of time. By the time I get home my mind has had time to process what I did that day, what I need to do the next time I'm at that job, what I need to do for tomorrow's client, and then it's racing on to what's for dinner, what needs to be done when I get home... you get the picture. By the time I get home and cleaned up, writing a garden blog is far from my mind.

That isn't my only excuse, either. This year's economic scene has not been conducive to work in general! Some of my best customers have cut back on my hours, and new jobs don't come in as steadily as they have in the past. Inspiration has flagged a bit as a result. The mantra keeps running through my head: time for a change, time for a change, time for a change...

And change is coming. BW and I have decided to head for the hills, so to speak, and relocate to a place where at least the enviromental climate will be easier, if not the economic climate. (Though we secretly know that will be a lot better, as well!) It is time for me to return to a place where there are less weeds, more natural beauty. Where I can focus my talent as a designer and supervisor, cultivating and restoring the native plant communities that are so often lost to a builder's bulldozer and a landscaper's lack of vision. There are a few really good landscapers there already, and I intend to join forces with them, instead of competing against them. Coming in as a landscape gardener allows me to focus on the small, intimate jobs that don't threaten the big guys, but provides the 'finish' to their work. The details, that's my forte! Here's to the picture perfect garden, the quintessential setting for a cocktail party, the sure and certain knowledge that every landscape can be improved upon! Here's to easier work, better pay, and a perfect climate! Here's to a short easy drive, no traffic, and bountiful nurseries! Here's to continuing education! Here's to having work that matches my potential! Hip hip, hooray!!