I have had a fortunate life. I have been hit hard a few times in my life, but I have always been able to brush myself off and get back up. But it is the Best Days that I think keeps a person going in this world. You hang on, knowing at some point, some day, a bright shining moment will happen. I have seen a few of those Best Days come and go. Numero uno was definitely the day my kids were born…hands down. My wedding day ranks number two (my ex husband had something to do with that). We threw one heck of a party. The day I got the keys to my current house would be third. Craig had something to do with that one. Without his belief in me, I would be nowhere. There is nothing so satisfying like knowing you can make it back from anywhere. That is a strength I hope I can carry with me the rest of my life.

Today was one of my Best Days.

I flew to Macomb Michigan (near Detroit) to present a giant check to the winner of our display contest. This year Denewith’s Greenhouses won our Definitive Display contest and our first “Steppy” Award. Their display was inventive, fun, well placed, well merchandised and was a first class act all the way. We deliberated for a long time over all of the entries, but Denewith's by far hit the majority of our point struture and made a display worth being proud of.

I met some amazing people today. People who believed the same way I do; that if we just reach out to others they will reach back. Denewith’s Greenhouse did just that. They understood the message I was trying to send out to my growers, retailers and customers. Step Forward, Give Back. They built the cutest STEPABLES® display. It was awesome; but what was amazing is the entire staff really put their heart and sole into it as their matriarch is a cancer survivor and they wanted their charity to be the Komen Race For the Cure®. Not only did we present the Race For the Cure® with $5,000, but Denewith’s also raised $1,100 on their own to give as well. Wow! They got so inspired they did their own fundraising campaign too! That was so cool.

Tracy Denise was the lady with the mission. What a talent! She and her staff built the display and gave it their own special touches that definitely put them over the top for Best Display.

What an amazing group of people! What an amazing day! It took us a while to set everyone up for the photos. The heat and humidity in those greenhouses would melt anyone and we were all pretty drenched by the time we were done with the presentation, but everyone had smiles the whole time.

Maureen Meldrum was present from the Komen Detroit Race for the Cure®. I loved her!!! She was great! She was a lovely person with an awesome attitude and it was a privilege to meet her. And she is an avid gardener too! A great personality and good taste all in one…can’t beat that!

At some point or another we even had the entire Denewith’s family and staff there. It was a very special moment I will never forget.

Thank you to all the staff at Denewith’s. Thank you to Maureen and the Detroit Race for the Cure®. You have helped me grow my heart bigger today. You given me another Best Day to hold and cherish forever.
Life is good!

Go get dirty everyone!

Fran

www.stepables.com

Most of you don’t know my history, but I have been growing plants for almost twenty years. I love the industry I have chosen. I love horticulture. There is something so amazing about growing plants. The best part for me is propagating plants. There is something so cool about being able to take a stick and make a plant! It’s something you would think only the big man above would have the ability to do.

I’ve often thought of God as a painter (with one heck of a sense of humor), and the flowers and sea creatures were his finger paintings. There are so many way cool colors both on the ground and in the sea. Haven’t you ever noticed the crazy colors and bizarre shapes of fish? I wish I could have a big enough tank for every kind of fish and coral I could find.

But then again…I wish I had that kind of room in my garden too!
Now notice the bizarre shapes and colors of flowers! Dab a bit of blue here, a little yellow there and smear the rest! Then ta-da! A masterpiece on every stem!
Somebody up there sure has a lot of fun splashing colors together!

I think down deep I really wanted to be an artist…I have no talent whatsoever in this regard. I took some drawing classes in college. I was decent, but horticulture came calling and I guess I turned in the charcoal for a pair of pruning shears.
That’s okay…I wanted to train wild animals too…but got bit by a lion and that thwarted that career move too!

Having both a salt water aquarium and a garden allows me to seek refuge in different places. My garden is very quiet and I love taking my coffee out and fiddling around with my plants. It is very calming. I definitely need that in my life.
Working in my tank is very different. I always have my music on very loud, and enjoy putting my mind on idle while I am submersed in water, scrubbing away. It is a different kind of relaxation for me, that’s for sure

I see so many similarities between the two eco systems though. To keep either going at peak performance level takes a delicate balance of dedication, patience, passion and instinct. You really have to know when to worry about something, when not to over-react and when to make a quick decision to prevent a disaster. From over fertilizing the plants to adding too much salt too quickly to the tank, each eco-system needs just the right delicate balance and keen awareness to keep them both at a happy level.

I must admit that my tank suffers at the expense of my garden. Isn’t that sad! Maybe someday I will have the time to be able to keep both killer at the same time, but I am lucky right now if I can keep my tank from being totally green with algae! My garden is mainly a summer garden, so it has my full and undivided attention right now. I am hopeful my tank will come back to bragging status come November or so!! Maybe then I’ll have pictures worthy enough of posting on my blog!

Signing off for now!

Go get dirty everyone!

Fran

www.stepables.com