NCW Dahlias and Other Growing Things in North Central Washington: PERFECTLY HUMAN

I've never thought of myself as much of a perfectionist....being abundantly fallible, I make more than my share of mistakes. I've always tried to do my best at things, but if I messed up, it was OK, and I have tried to be that way with others in my life. However, since I've been growing dahlias, an obsessive aspect of my personality seems to have emerged, and I now spend hours sorting things, like tubers, seeds, pictures, irrigation bits/pieces, clippers, guides, publications, lists, garden tools, soil amendments, stakes, indelible ink pencils, labels and pens, even things like string and wire. Plastic trays, pots and ziploc bags have become the "coin of the realm" for me, as I work to produce an infrastructure intended to produce the PERFECT dahlia! The internet has become as much of a curse as a blessing for me, as I've discovered so many articles, newsletters, memoirs, listserves, Facebook pages and millions of dahlia pictures (I've heard these referred to as "dahlia porn!") that result from a search of Google images. Oh yeah, and heaven forbid, dahlia gardening marketplaces that are as close as my paypal account.....and don't even get me stared on HARDWARE and GARDEN STORES...You already know the weakness I have for those (reference my March 12, 2012 blog entry)! I am in the process of coming to terms with this emerging entity who seems to sit on my shoulder, much like Jiminy Cricket, reminding me of what I need to do, and how to do it right.

Towards that end, I spent yesterday in Seattle at the Spring Workshop of the Federation of Northwest Dahlia Growers (FNWDG). Raising the bar for myself requires that I take advantage of every opportunity to learn more and to be better. I was not disappointed. I walked away with a metaphorical "full belly" after another wonderfully nourishing day, hobnobbing with dahlia celebrities, some of whom are legends in their own time. The basement of the Faith Lutheran Church in "Li'l Old Lake City" was packed with some of the top hybridizers in the world. Owners of the prefixes Camano, Chimacum, Valley, Verrone's, Lakeview, Clearview, Mak's, Skipley, Lo-, Narrows, Bloomquist, Sandia, NTAC, Lulu Island, Tahoma, AC - all were in the room yesterday....Talk about lightning in a bottle!

These days always start with coffee and donuts, as we recognize and greet our friends, old and new. Lots of hugs, smiles and handshakes were encountered as we worked the room. The formal program included specific topics, including ADS color classification and how to amend dirt to create the best soil. We honored 2012 Hall of Fame inductees, and remembered some who have gone on before us. But by far the best thing about the day, as it always is at our Spring workshops, was the opportunity to bid on some great new introductions in our Tuber Auction, and to network with each other. We also picked up the latest edition of the Puget Sound Dahlia Association's publication, Dahlias of Today, and received our Federation Show Annual. There was a bit of a carnival atmosphere in the room, with a circle of tables offering us chances to buy raffle tickets for the dahlia quilt and/or rhubarb wine, place a bid in the "silent" tuber auction, or purchase tubers and dahlia plants from Ken Greenway (Accent Dahlias), with all proceeds going into the Federation coffers. As the hosts of the 2014 ADS National Show, FNWDG is working to make sure we have the resources to fund a great show, and our activities yesterday were a giant step toward accomplishing that goal.

Finally, during the last hour of the day, a presentation on navigating the websites for ADS and FNWDG was planned. Bob Schroeder and I had a hands-on demonstration planned, where we would act as virtual tour guides. We would lead members on a trip through the sites, showing where and how to find out more about our clubs and how to access valuable dahlia resources. But alas, as the saying goes, life is what happens when you're making other plans! We soon discovered that the wireless internet connection that was supposed to be available to us was not able to pierce the lath and plaster separating the church basement from the office, where the wireless server is located. I ended up turning off my computer and "punting", doing a stand-and-deliver talk on the overall purpose and goals of the ADS site, as well as how to access and locate different things on both public and members-only pages. While an adequate introduction to the website, the presentation was not what I had wanted it to be, and I found that that little perfectionist on my shoulder was wagging her finger and "tsk-tsking" at me - I was pretty disappointed. However, when all was said and done, Rosemary Freeman suggested that maybe we could re-schedule this topic for our summer workshop, where we would most certainly have web access. It was then that I realized that most people are willing to give us second chances, and that it is not a big deal if things don't always work exactly as we'd hoped they would.

As the day came to a close, and our members prepared to climb back into our rented Ford van for the trip back over the Cascades, I was filled with gratitude for the day. So many people donated so much time, energy and treasure to making the day a success. And a personal shout-out to my mentors, Dick Williams, Bernie Wilson, Mike Alexander, the Parshalls, the Brants, the Connells, the Freemans and anyone else who has helped me with resources, pointers and support...you are all amazing! Everyone came together, and even though it didn't go exactly as we had planned, it actually ended up being simply - what's that word?...... PERFECT!