THAT'S SHOW BIZ! & THE FARMER IN THE DELL. . .

The Central East Texas Orchid Society hosted their first show to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a society. Two of their members are also members of our society and come very faithfully to our meetings. They made poignant pleas at our meetings for people to set up displays. So in the spirit of charity I finally entered a reservation to do a table top display in the category of five plants or fewer. I knew I would have two blooming plants that I could take, and if a third one didn't emerge I could buy one from a vendor at the show and have three.

The theme of the show was The Golden Age of Orchids. My goal was to have something elegant, tasteful, and celebratory. Then at one of the estate sales I found a slightly damaged pedestal for $2.00, and I knew I was on my way. I found another pedestal of a different height---perfect---at GoodWill; $4.00. Yeah! But then I needed a taller one and finally had to go to Hobby Lobby where I purchased one for $13.00. Oooops! (Production costs are always more than one anticipates.) I also had to make a backdrop for the table top; I already had the table cover and the clip on lights (another estate sale find which I'd been saving for just such an occasion).

You have to understand that I purchased my car almost eight yrs. ago just as a vehicle for me and before I became involved with orchids. Most of the orchid growers I know buy SUV's or vans for their orchids. Many have a second car just for themselves, but I'm not in that financial strata; besides I wouldn't have anywhere to park a second vehicle. My point is that I couldn't do a big display even if I had numerous plants blooming because I couldn't transport the plants, all the paraphernalia for a display, plus my clothes for a weekend in my car. Work with what you've got!

WELL! Two of my three plants won 3rd place ribbons, and get this, one of them won Best Grown Plant in the Cypripedium Alliance. WooHoo!!! That is the center plant in the picture, Paphiopedilum Natasha von Fox (I'm so jealous of that name), and there is a ribbon running down to the "trophy" which is actually a crystal salad plate with etched orchid pattern around the edge. Here's how the display looked.



I was really going for Best Display with 5 or Fewer plants, but, obviously, that didn't happen. Here's the one that beat me out, and there was only one other display out of 14 table tops in that category.



She had five plants, and I didn't even realize it until after judging because they are all so big and lush. She is an excellent grower and one of our society members. She got a sugar bowl and creamer. Maybe if all the trophy winners got together we might come up with service for two and some serving pieces.

All in all it turned out to be a terrific show---much better than I anticipated, and everyone had a delightful weekend including the vendors who had really great sale results. I'm so glad I did that though it may be my vacation for this year.

While intermittently trying to get my display together I was also trying to get our garden started for this year along with Jaz, my daughter-in-law, and one day with Oyster, the granddaughter who was on spring break. Remember that humongus planter we had built last summer to enlarge our garden? Well, we finally put in topsoil and an almost equal amount of compost donated by Travis (of the driving to & from the airport adventure last summer). That compost more than paid me back for the taxi service. You can't imagine how much soil that thing holds. It has about 29- 40 lb. bags of topsoil and about an equal amount of compost which we hauled over from Travis & Jane's house which is about three miles away. (Actually this was really an exercise to get Jaz in shape to begin moving from one house to another which she is currently doing, of course, along with Chillax, Oyster, and the menagerie.)

Ever the bold one, I started with seeds this year putting in radishes and spinach on March 5. A few days later Jaz buried onion bulbs. On March 15, Oyster and I transplanted 4 Buttercrunch lettuce plants, 4 Romaine lettuce, an Early Girl and Better Boy tomatoes, and planted some herbs in the cinder blocks around last year's garden patch. We were so proud.


Emerging radishes



Emerging spinach


Emerging onions


Newly transplanted Romaine (3/17/2010)


Some of the newly planted herbs

Things were looking really good. AND THEN a weather bulletin forecasting another winter storm. We had done all this work on Wednesday, and the following Saturday Jaz and I were battening down the hatches. Here's the result:





We just got them all covered before the temperature dropped significantly and the rain started. Later in the day I discovered the rain water was pooling in the tarp over the walk-in area of the big planter and pulling it off the edges. So with tall stick in one hand and hammer in the other I ooched my way under the tarp to drive the stick into the ground and heaved the water off the tarp. There are moments, folks, when one is really torn: you don't want your neighbor looking out the window and seeing you do such strange things or you hope they're watching in case you don't come out in a reasonable time. Fortunately, the temperature stayed just above freezing, and I do mean just above, one degree. And though a few of the leaves of the basil went a funny color, everything survived, including me. But it was scary.

I was going to tell you about what I did today, but I'm tired---you probably are too. Here's the way the planter looked three days ago, and everything is a lot bigger now. We're into the great growing season. More another day.