Tomato Sauce

Hello blogworld!  I haven't posted for an egregiously long time.  I have no excuse for myself. 

The flower shop is going well.  We are hoping to move to a bigger space soon, just around the corner from where we are now.  The new space will have a nice big display window on one of the busiest streets in town.  No more being tucked quietly and unobtrusively inside a large building.  Also, and this is the real reason for the move, our retail space and our work space will be all together instead of on two different floors of a large building.  No more having to leave the register unattended to make arrangements or do deliveries :)  Yay!  We're also in talks to purchase another florist who is wanting to sell.  She's the oldest florist in town, established in 1917.  We get lots of internet business now, but very little local traffic.  We hope the addition of the new client base will change that. 

I'm still driving city transit.  In fact I just doubled my hours to requalify for health insurance.  My asthma meds are too expensive without insurance, so I'll be splitting my time more evenly between the shop and the bus.  Between the 2 I'll be working nearly 60 hrs/week, so if I don't have much of an online presence for the next little while, I'm not ignoring you personally.  Someday the flower shop will be able to support us, but that's several years away, I'm sure, and until then I'll be burning the candle at both ends.  The good news about increasing my bus hours is that I get my vacation hours back, so I'll actually be able to afford a day off once in awhile :) 

In book art news, the exhibit at Pegasus Gallery went well and they asked me if I'd like to keep some pieces on display there all the time :)  Yay!! 

Hmmm...  surely other important things have happened since October...  It all runs together, you know?  Here's a picture of the most recent book I took to the gallery.  It's a bit ridiculous :)  It's called Forever in Love, made from a book of poems, sayings, snippets about love and romance.  I shredded it :D 

 

Oh, I guess I should explain the title of this post.  One day in my seminary class in Christchurch I asked my students to turn to a particular scripture.  They did so, but one girl was having a hard time finding it and one of the boys said, "Geez, tomato sauce!"  She said, "Huh?"  and he explained, "Ketchup... Catch up?"  In New Zealand they call ketchup tomato sauce.  So this is my catch up post.

Halloweenie

Normally I don't dress up for Halloween, because I hate what it has become.  When I was a kid it was awesome.  I could dress up as a robot or an angel or a cowboy and it was all good.  Costumes were imaginative and magical and mostly home made in those days.  Somehow, sometime between then and now it has become a prerequisite for all women on Halloween to wear as little as humanly possible.  It has to be a sexy robot or a slutty angel.  Go to the Halloween store and try to find a modest costume.  Just try.  I dare you.  Unless you're in the men's section you won't find one.  And Halloween decorations have gotten so much less fun and so much more gross.  No more smiling pumpkins.  It's all coffins and blood spattered dismembered body parts, and of course, zombies.  Everywhere.  I've even seen life sized dummies hanging from trees in yards before.  From nooses.  Which to me is not only gross, but totally insensitive to anyone who has actually known someone who has hanged themselves.  It's also racially insensitive.  Wow!  When I started this I had no intention of ranting.  Lol.  Where did that come from?  Ah, well, I have long said I am the Grinch of Halloween.

Anyway, the original point of this post was to tell you that since I work in a building that participates in the downtown trick or treat thingy, I will actually be dressing up tomorrow.  In fact, as I type I am wearing part of my costume, a pair of disco ball antennae.  They are surprisingly comfortable, and oh so chic.  Perhaps I might possibly post a photo.  We'll see :)

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I never really noticed before, but none of the books pictured here on my blog have titles on the spine.  Hmmph.  Now that I have noticed it kind of bugs me.  Too bad I can't name them myself.  "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Trousers"  "Women Who Love Cheese Too Much"  "A Fine and Subtle Stench"  "Why Football is for Sissies"  "My Life as a Hoochie Mamma"  etc...

Madison Avenue Floral and Pegasus Gallery

I have opened my own flower shop.  I am woman, hear me roar!!! Lol.  My friend Michelle and I used to work at the same florist and we've been talking for years about either buying out our old boss or opening a place of our own.  When I found this kiosk for rent we knew it was time.  It's located right outside a Starbucks, so there's more foot traffic here than anywhere else in the city.  Also, the next nearest florist is miles away.  There are only 3 other florists in town, none in the southern end of town or the downtown area, which is where we are situated.  We've been open for a month now and things are going well.  We started out slow, but it's picking up. And most importantly, we love what we do :)  Our very basic website, designed by yours truly: www.madisonavenuefloral.com

 Here is our lovely kiosk :)

One of the perks of this location is that everyone else in the building is super nice and supportive.  The building was originally a JC Penny's, but the current owners have turned it into a hive of small retail spaces.  It's been really fun meeting new people and getting outside my introverted shell.  You'd think as a bus driver I would have to be open and friendly but it's actually made me so cynical and antisocial.  It's really nice to be able to be more trusting and open, to let people in a little more than is my wont.  The folks at Einstein Bagels, right next to our kiosk, have been particularly friendly and accepting. 

In other news, I have been invited to exhibit my book art at Pegasus Gallery over the holidays :)  Woo hoo!!  I'm so officially excited!  It's great to have someone seek me out and say, 'hey I love your stuff and I think a lot of other people will too.  Come sell at my gallery.' I can't wait to see it on display and to see how the public reacts.  It would be so cool if I actually made some money from this ridiculous obsession.  I dropped off a few book sculptures at the gallery last week, just 45, not too many... :D  I think the exhibit starts November 1st.

Happy 3rd

I wonder if they celebrate birthdays on the other side of the veil, you know, like their last day here is their first day there. If so, Happy Birthday Charlie. Today is the 3rd anniversary of your departure from us and your entry to the other side. I hope things are going well for you there.

Nye Beach

I had a very relaxing afternoon at the coast yesterday. The weather was perfect. Sunset was gorgeous. I needed that.

Ho Ho Ho!

When we were kids my brothers and I all had Santa mugs. I remember drinking milk out of mine and dunking cookies in it. I liked it, even though none of us ever really believed in Santa as kids, and as an adult I think Santa competes with Jesus for attention at Christmas. This year I decided to make new Santa mugs for all of us as a nostalgic reminder of our childhood Christmases. I started painting them traditionally but didn't get any farther than red hats before I got bored. Here is the result of my boredom.


I laughed myself silly over these. I love them, particularly the zombie Santa. I know, I'm sick. I don't know why I find the idea so appealing and humorous. Lucky for me, the recipients also liked them :D