“As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful. They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness…” – Laura Ingalls Wilder
Dear Members, Sponsors, and Colleagues,
The cool, wet days, of spring are now a memory as we step into the warmth of the summer season. Daily garden tasks now include dragging the hose and filling buckets to water-thirsty plants, once rich with precipitation and now desperate for a drink. But even as heat and humidity take their toll on me and my crew, I am lifted by Ms. Wilder’s words, for summer is a time of exuberance. Perennial gardens burst with color and hum with activity as birds and insects busily go about their business. Grasses explode with energy as they send seed heads skyward and dance in the soft, warm, breezes. It’s also a time to reflect on the busyness of spring and the preparations and planning that went into early season projects. A time for site visits to past projects that reinvigorate our creative juices, and a time for happy customers to warm our hearts.
So yes, although my task list is a bit longer these days, and I am tired, overheated, and sweaty, at the end of each day, I am grateful. I’m grateful to work in an industry that makes a difference both in the lives of our clients, and the environments that surround them. I’m also grateful for the relationships and interactions that happen on each project and with each client. These may be the dog days, but they truly add common, everyday blessings to our common everyday lives, things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness.
Speaking of relationships and interacting, we’re now just one week out from the annual APLD conference. That’s right, next week from July 21 – July 25, the conference is back in person, and in Chicago! Attendees will hear great speakers and tour beautiful gardens. Check the events calendar below and register today!
On a local note, APLDCT is planning another local event for late August. We’ll share the details here and on our social media outlets when the planning is complete. I hope to see you then!
Once again, I’d like to invite you to connect with APLDCT on social media. Are you following us yet? Are we following you? You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Houzz, and Pinterest. Please give us a follow and stay part of the discussion. We’re following as many members as we can find, so if we’re not following you yet, let us know!
And remember, we want to promote you! That’s right if you have an idea for a blog article, an interesting post, or would like to share a recent project you’ve completed, let us know and we’ll share, retweet, or publish it on our own social media or website. APLDCT members are encouraged to use the chapter’s resources to help promote their businesses. You can do so in the following ways:
· Take over one of our social media accounts for a few hours or a day
· Write a post on the APLDCT blog
· Write a case study about a project you’d like to promote
· Forward breaking news about you or your organization for us to share
We’re here to help you, so reach out and let us know!
As always, thank you for your time. I hope the stresses of the day are not too great and that you find gratitude in common, everyday blessings each day, and that your lives are filled with comfort and your hearts with gladness.
All the best!
Scott Hokunson
APLDCT Chapter President
Cell (860) 982-8635
scott@blueheronlandscapes.com