It would be far more honest of the university to say ‘we have one week off in February’ instead of giving it the lofty title of Reading Week.  I’ve yet to meet one single individual attending UBC Okanagan who actually read.  One of the women from my gym went to Mexico with her boyfriend, Luke’s girlfriend Michelle went to Calgary to visit him, and Nicky played ball hockey in the yard with his friends.

Not one of these people read, studied, or worked on any assignments whatsoever.  And of course the downside of a week like that for me are the hoardes of locusts that suddenly cluster in my basement.  I’m telling ya, another few months of parenting is probably my limit.

I was very excited to write my February newsletter last week because I was able to announce my new chocolate bark venture.  My web designer Steve’s already put some beautiful photos on my site, and I’m now working on the wording to go with them.

I’m not sure if you remember this, but in the beginning of the fruitcake business I was crazy for the idea of making wedding favours.  Then I got a couple of orders of 200 pieces of fruitcake wrapped in cellophane and a ribbon.  After I’d done a few I decided my sanity came first and stopped advertising this product.

So then what part of my mind had gone on me when I excitedly told Joanne at the gym that I’d happily make 300 individual pieces of bark for her convention?  Around day three of ribbon cutting and tying bows I went, “Oh yeah! That’s why I got out of the wedding favour business.”

Oh well.  This week 300 people in Burnaby will be reading my little sticky tag on the back of the cute little bags of bark.  All I could fit on there is “Homemade in Kelowna using Okanagan Fruit” and then my website of course.  So maybe some will actually go ahead and order.  I have big hopes and dreams for the bark.

Another big dream I have is to be able to apply the many fabulous things I learned at the xeriscape workshop I attended on Saturday.  It was put on by the Okanagan Xeriscape Association, and the guest speaker, Owen Dell, is well-known in sustainable landscaping.

All I could think of while sitting there was how I need to win the lottery so badly now.  The lawns have got to go, because they’re wasting so much water needlessly.  And the photos he showed of converted yards were really inspiring, not all dead and ugly at all.

I’m thinking the odds of winning the lottery are going to be low, so it looks like I’m going to be stuck with whatever grudging labour I can get around here.  But the kid’s learned that Reading Week means Hockey Week, so I’m guessing Gardening Week will mean I’m Busy with Friends Week.  See what I mean about that time limit on parenting?