This has been a week that I know someday will storm my memory bank, take me by surprise, and leave me with a deep, heavy sigh. After a week off from work for a well deserved vacation, Tuesday found me back in the office and DS at his first day of 7th grade. I had so many phone calls while on vacation that DS finally took my phone away and turned it off with a stern reminder that "we're on vacation", but I had already received word that my office would be moving to the Headquarters on Tuesday. I knew I would be overwhelmed with packing, moving and trying to conduct operations and for the first time in 8 years, I didn't take DS to school on his first day. He said he understood but I could hear the disappointment at the base of his words and felt a stab of regret at breaking our tradition. He survived the first day, and I survived the 12 hours of packing up the office and moving to my new office on the 3rd floor...an office with a view! And AC! Phones haven't been transfered yet and I can't help but enjoy the solitude. It will be short lived, I'm sure. I managed to unpack the necessities but there are still 25 boxes of files to deal with, pictures and plaques to hang, and boxes of old mementos to haul home and retire to the attic. The new office is smaller so I'm forced to downsize...it was hard trying to weed through all the stuff, trying to decide what held the most value to me, what I really wanted to display, what statement they made. I've decided that the office should be professional but still have a touch of whimsy that defines who I am. All my awards will be packed up, I am not defined by those words. Instead, I've decided to frame the unit t-shirts I've been given, many which are works of art, and display them. My Iron Mike statue which is an award of sorts will share the spotlight with the GI Joe given to me by a unit, and the Knight in Shining Armor, given to me by my DS. Professional, yet whimsical. That's me. This week also found me in the company of my dear friend who returned from Italy last August. While we've stayed in contact over the past 3 years, I needed the distance between us to dissect every minute detail of my emotions in regards to him. It hurt when he left, there was a void that I never thought would be filled. As I dissected, I decided what I felt was an infatuation with him, and that left me with 2 options. I could let myself be infatuated and possibly scar a long term friendship, or I could grow up and understand that true friendship is priceless. Where I thought a void existed, I suddenly saw that it was just my imagination, if I had looked hard enough I would have seen that his friendship never waivered and he never really left me. It was ok, I was ok. This week was wonderful, we spent a lot of time talking until the wee hours of the morning, we laughed, I cried, we went to dinner, he brought breakfast to my office, we shared secrets, we had intelligent adult conversations, we dreamed and planned our futures...it was like old times, except I didn't feel that tug on my heart strings like I did before. He left around noon today to head home but at 5 pm my phone rang, he called to remind me it was Friday and I shouldn't work late. As we talked, retreat sounded and I watched the flag retire for the night and was suddenly filled with such a warm, happy feeling...everything just felt right, life was good. Reality hit me on the drive home...this is what love feels like! Not being in love, we're definitely not in love with each other, but we do love each other. It's an easy love, a comfortable love, perhaps even an unconditional love. Most of all, it's the kind of love I need in my life right now. Although I'm exhausted from all the late nights, for the first time in a long time I can honestly say that I'm truly happy. I know that some day, when I least expect it, this memory will storm my memory bank and I'll heave a big sigh of happiness. Maryanne

Lady, you are truly a wonder woman! Maintaining your focus through all you've endured just amazes me! "Almost over," my foot! You're just THIS CLOSE to beginning to enjoy the bountiful fruits of your Herculean labor. You go, girl...we're proud of you.

Mantis - I was referring to Shelby as finally multiplying well. The fans trippled last year. This is the first season Hold Your Horses has performed nicely for me. But it spent its first two years in a pot and then I planted it in a drought year. The scapes are finally their registeredd height and bud counts are in the mid teens. In past years the scapes had been short and I had less than 10 buds per scape.

Maryl - I used to have a problem with rabbits, but having 3.5 outdoor cats on patrol took care of that. Valentine Sweetheart's form is consistent. It's not an early morning opener, but it is typically open flat between 8:30 and 9:30. It fades some, but looks good at the end of a hot day. Some blooms occasionally have small blemishes, but no splotches. And, yes, I really do show different blooms each time. LOL. Nancy - Kentucky Lucky was really showing its polychrome colors of peach and yellow well today. Debra