...It's off to work I go! Actually, scratch that. The last thing I want is that song stuck in my head, given that there are several shelves at work devoted to lawn ornaments. Someone thought bobble-head garden gnomes might be a real cute idea, if you can believe it.
Two days of 'official' work now - full-time from here through July. Mostly so far it's been a round of unpacking and placing plants, trying to help customers, and watering. But a few impressions so far:
- It's a long day when you have a 9 hour shift, and close to 3 hours of travel every day.
- It's really true what our nursery plants prof said - plants (especially shrubs) dry out really fast in the garden centre. The watering is almost a full-time job in itself, and this is just a Canadian Tire, not even a commercial nursery. We do have some sprinklers, but not everything is covered.
- Different CT stores get plants from different sources, and decide on their type and quantity. And this store has some neat stuff. A variegated plectranthus, which I hadn't seen, for instance, and a little euphorbia like the 'Diamond Frost' cultivar for hanging baskets, but with leaves that are burgundy-black with a green edge. Also a whole rack of native Ontario plants in biodegradable pots. Tropicals will be coming later too. Mother's Day shopping will be very easy.
- I'm a little surprised (but happy) that wearing my steel-toes and walking for 8-9h per day is not giving me blisters or making my feet too tired.
- I am super-impressed at how well people working there know locations. I'm still at the 'well, I think it's a row or so away from the shovels and things' stage. Most everyone else is at the 'oh, that's in aisle 23' stage - even for things not in their department. I have a lot to learn.
- Oh, and evidently work can sap your brain. I took my knitting on the bus, finished the hand and one finger of the glove on the needles...THEN remembered that the reason I had put it down a few days ago was that it was a right-hand glove - and I already had a right-hand glove done. It was the left I needed. Now I have to rip back to the base of the thumb and move the gusset...tomorrow. Bed calls, since I have an 8-5 shift tomorrow, and that means getting up at 5:30.
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