I clicked the print button as I stood up for a good stretch, and as my eyes necessarily squinted with my body, I saw that the printed papers were to fall to the ground—it was a life moment when the value of personal satisfaction outweighed the impending organizational disaster. During the internal dialogue of responsibility over relaxation and pleasure, I picked my papers up, organized them, stapled them, and placed them next to cup of cold, burnt coffee that I was about to drink to keep me going. I’m 26, and while this was o.k. for term papers in college, my body now pleads for a reprise.

No such luck in my future, for the two dogs at my feet will absolutely need to use the restroom in a few minutes. The blast of 28 degree air will keep me going as I try not to slip on the ice in my flip flops. Flip flops! Yes, and with my socks on to. In fact they’re black socks and thick green cords with a long sleeved shirt on that I got at some semi-formal in college. Fashion doesn’t matter right now, and as long as the dogs are next to me, they don’t care how I look.

We have a gentleman coming out to interview me and the company tomorrow morning. I think all I will be able to show him are the frozen Roman hyacinth blooms. Good thing I took even more photos of our paperwhites before this storm because they’re gone now…I mean really gone. The gold cupped tazetta to the left is the Chinese Sacred Lily (Narcissus tazetta orientalis) blooming in the cold frame. The solid white tazetta is a paperwhite we picked up on our journeys and one valued for its form. Hanging it's head, is the Roman hyacinth from Salado after last nights winter freeze. He has to look worse right now because it's 27 degrees F. At the top is a jonquil and the smell makes me think that spring is around the corner, but it isn't.