5 Signs You Are A Hortie In The Spring:

Five signs you are a hortie in the spring: 

5. Your friends start calling to make sure you are still alive. Throughout the late fall and winter, we are very social people. We have dinner parties and enjoy hosting friends at least once a week but sometimes more. By the time February comes to an end, we can usually see it coming. Our schedules start to get crazy. Sometimes it seems like overnight our social lives come to a screeching halt. I can hear the brakes squealing as I type this. Just like that, it’s over. You probably will not see my outside of work again until later in the summer unless you go to my church. Don’t be offended, I still love you, I just have to switch gears to survival mode until the spring rush calms down.

4. That brings me to lunch break. I had a friend call whom I hadn’t seen in a long time and we were trying to make our schedules work to get together for a little while and catch up. She said, “Well, we could at least meet on your lunch break.” BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Lunch break?! I forgot that was a thing. The only lunch break I’ve had recently is the 2.5 minutes it takes to swing into my house, throw a sandwich together, and inhale it in three large bites while driving to the next client meeting.

3. Spring means all household chores are immediately pushed to the bottom of the list. I am not proud of these admissions, but I have literally reached in the cabinet for a plate and realized they are all in the sink. I also can vouch for a fellow competitor who I ran into at Target buying a pack of underwear for his son because he was wearing his last clean pair that day. The struggle is real. I’ll follow this up with a post about the trials and tribulations of being a landscaper’s kid.

My kitchen this spring. Sigh… 

2. Our phones start ringing with vendors bringing sod, irrigation supplies, plants, etc. at 6:30AM. The only way we even keep our eyes open until the sun goes down is because we are still working. When Uncle Andy worked with us for a summer, he coined this phenomenon with the phrase: “Go to sleep in the field, wake up in the field”. So true. My do not disturb on my phone is set from 9pm – 6am. No calls or texts after 9. Who gets the irony of this? My mother would be so proud. That was her cut off for me on school nights.

1. Spring means so much chaos by lunch time, you have to find ways to take deep breaths and regroup. We’ve learned to take a lap periodically throughout the day. Just get outside and BREATHE. It’s when you switch from the good wine to the Bota box. From a 12-pack to a keg. Quantity over quality, my friend. Y’all know I’m joking – moderation is key. We still have to function the next day.

So, here’s to you, landscapers everywhere! You did it! You worked long, hard hours. You’ve created some incredible spaces and you’ve witnessed amazing transformations! It’s not over by any means, but I hope you can take a little rest and recharge your batteries for the second half of the year!