What's up at Cynthia's Floral Design, Jewelry & Gifts

Why me?

It's been a while since we've had anything of interest to report in Driver Dailies....but just let me take over driving for a few days and it all hits the fan! 

Our regular driver is on vacation for a few weeks so I decided to take over the delivery duties while she is gone...that was my first mistake. 

Last Saturday started out like any other, and the delivery addresses ranged far and wide throughout the metro area, as usual.  My first stop was to an assisted living facility in a very scary area of the inner city, not the best place for a female to be driving a delivery vehicle alone, even in the daytime; however, I arrived without incident, locked the van and scurried into the assisted living apartment complex.  I arrived on the 5th floor, exited the elevator and found the correct apartment.  Knock, knock, knock...no answer.  Oh great.  Knock, knock, knock...finally I hear some noise from inside.  The door opens and a little lady peeks out from behind the door.  I smiled, explained who I was and what I was doing there and asked her to sign for the flowers.  She opened the door farther but made no move to sign. 

As we often do for folks in assisted living, I asked if she would like me to bring the flowers in for her.  As she said yes, I entered the little apartment and she swung the door behind me and, oh my goodness, she was as naked as the day is long.  I looked everywhere but at her, quickly found a flat surface to set the flowers down and scrambled out of the apartment as she was apologizing.  Forget having her sign for them!  Oh Lord, why me?

Driver Dailies

Hey, here's one for the books.  Recently we had an order come over the wire for a large floral spray that was to be delivered to a funeral home across town by 2:00 in the afternoon for a graveside service to be held at 3:00.  Easy enough, right? 

I left in plenty of time to deliver the arrangement by 2:00 and then...uh oh....traffic jam.  Oh dear.  Detour....nope that's not going to work either.  Everyone else is doing the same thing.  Traffic was just plain snarled up.

Okay, so I get on the horn to the funeral director and he says not a problem, just get it here as soon as you can.  Well, by the time I skated into the funeral home parking lot, the funeral procession was already lined up, engines running, with the funeral director standing outside the lead van.....you guessed it.....waiting for me.  Red faced, I pulled through the procession (yes people, I'm the idiot you're waiting for), past several black limosines, past the motorcycle cops, up to the front of the line where the funeral director couldn't help but stand behind the van and laugh.  We unloaded the flowers from my van and secured them in his van with all the others and as I slowly cruised into the back lot to turn around, the procession began to roll. 

Now THAT was embarrassing.

Driver Dailies (11/19/2009)

Welcome to Driver Dailies, where we talk about the adventures of our delivery driver!  We should have started this blog some time ago as there have been some hair-raising stories and many funny stories to tell! 

Let's start with Thursday November 19, 2009.  Cynthia was filling in for her normal delivery driver, who had the day off, and of course the deliveries ranged far and wide.  Okay, let's get the one on the mountain done before dark...so off we go!

I knew from the address it was going to be waaaaay out there.  After 30 minutes of driving winding roads, constantly rising in elevation, my GPS is telling me I've arrived at the address.  Okay, so where is it?  I see every number on the mailboxes but the one I'm looking for.  After driving back and forth twice in the vicinity, I finally spotted an opening in a huge 1/2-mile-long hedge that was barely wider than my delivery van and lo and behold in teeny white lettering on an even teenier sign, I spotted the number.  Okay this is it.  I felt like Alice in Wonderland going through that opening in the hedge.

What's on the other side?  Acres and acres of overgrown tree farm with a long narrow dirt road, wet with mud, going straight through it as far as I could see.  Hoo boy.  I began the drive through the abandoned, eerie tree farm and 1/2 mile later the muddy road started to go downhill and around a corner, then it became a one-lane road carved out of the side of the mountain with nothing but a homemade stone retaining wall on one side of the road, complete with sheer drop off to the road below, and the moutainside hugging my van on the right side of the road....then the switchbacks started....one, two, three of them, each one steeper downhill than the other. 

I've now traversed a steep downhill muddy road into the bottom of a canyon and there's a fork in the one-lane road WITH NO SIGNS!  Eeny, meeny miny mo...I'll take the left one.  ...oh great, I just noticed I have no cell service now that I'm in neverland... 

Ah, finally there's the house...a beautiful sprawling country estate....and no one appears to be home.  It's dark, empty.  I get out of the van.  The quiet is deafening.  The forest is soggy, quiet, I'm all alone.  I approach the house with my beautiful bouquet of flowers to deliver to the homeowner.  Yes, this is the right house, I see the number under the doorbell.  For sure no one is home. I ring the bell anyway....30 seconds or so goes by...seemed like an eternity.  I look around, a little bit nervous.  I decide to leave the flowers in a safe place under a table on the porch, out of the rain.  I then turn tail and begin to slog through the mud to my van and wonder if I'll be able to get out of here now. 

I begin the drive up the muddy switchbacks.  My van is whining, RPMs rising.  Oh please Lord, no....my wheels start spinning in the mud.  C'mon girl, you can do it.  All of a sudden the tires catch and the van lurches forward a bit.  I drop it into low and grind up the muddy switchbacks slowly.  When I finally came around that last corner and crested the top of the hill, I breathed a sigh of relief.  Thank you Lord.

Do we have a "won't go there again list?"  Yup!  Is this address on it?  Yessiree Bob.  Thanks for coming along on the adventure....join us again for Driver Dailies!

Christmas 2008 Snowstorm

Posted by Cynthia:  December started out pretty normally for the shop, with Christmas shoppers bustling about purchasing gifts and ordering flowers, but by mid December the snow started falling...and falling...and falling and by December 23 the floral orders were piling up almost as high as the snow.  Our community had not seen this much snow since 1968...1-1/2 to 3 feet, depending on elevation and which hill you live on. 

Being a brand-new flower shop I wasn't sure what the first holiday would bring to the shop as far as orders but soon found out folks were discovering us on the internet and by word of mouth.  Orders were coming in from as far away as England.  Now, with a foot of snow outside our door and much of our delivery area in a "state of emergency," what to do about getting these special Christmas flower orders out the door....

Have no fear, Ken is here!  Our delivery van, not being 4-wheel drive, was "grounded" for the storm  so Ken and his trusty Titan saved the day.  While my designer, Davi, worked feverishly in the shop filling orders, Ken worked tirelessly to get the deliveries out to homes in our community located in the heart of some very steep terrain. 

Deliveries went nonstop from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Christmas Eve.  Luckily some of the snow had melted off and  Ken got all his deliveries out by 5 p.m., then my husband Doug and I took over until 10 p.m.  Many of the deliveries that evening were from sons and daughters sending their love through flowers to their parents residing in assisted living and retirement communities, and it was so heartwarming to be a part of their special delivery.  

Christmas Day we had just one more delivery left to make and it was waaaaay out in the country.  Cynthia and Doug set out about 2 in the afternoon amidst heavily falling snow to a beautiful country landscape to present a special delivery to a mom from her son.  He had requested her favorite flowers, Dutch iris, be included and she was so touched.  We love our jobs!...okay, so sometimes not so much.... Let's go back to the last delivery Christmas Eve (this is Cynthia speaking) Of course, this one was in the hills off Regner Road.  Ugh!  I had to pick my way across the top of thigh-high packed snow, sinking to my knees with each step, down a 100-yard long driveway then down a path to finally reach the front door of this country home.  Well, halfway down the driveway I discovered too late that I was walking on top of a small retaining wall and all of a sudden the bottom fell out from under me and I went head over heels and landed head-first upside down in the snow.  Being a rather large woman, you can imagine my predicament.  It's 9:30 at night, I'm in the middle of a snow covered driveway upside down, completely out of Doug's sight.  (Luckily the centerpiece had plopped down perfectly in the snow and was left undamaged.  My ego, however, was quite bruised) 

Anyway, feeling much like a beached whale and still nearly upside down, I rolled over on my back then discovered my bottom was sort of on top of the retaining wall and my head and shoulders were hanging over the side of it so I had to just flip over (inventing the new snowbound back flip) crawl up to the wall and roll onto the driveway.  Okay, that done, now how do I get back up to my feet? (which were so cozy inside ginormous boots, preventing any semblance of balance)  I had to pile up and pack snow to form a shelf so I had something to lean on to get up.  By then I was soaked from head to toe.  I composed myself, trying to bring back a shred of dignity, all the while wishing I was at home in my jammies, and continued my trek down the driveway....careful to avoid the evil retaining wall!  I hope those folks enjoy that arrangement!  LOL!!

Okay, so back to our last delivery the next afternoon, Christmas day.  I had to carry the centerpiece the whole way since the roads were so bumpy from ice and snow and Doug's truck has...well...not the smoothest ride.  Again, this one delivery made it all worth it.  She was so touched by our trek out into the country in the snow on Christmas Day and so thankful to her son for sending her favorite irises.  Yes, I do love this profession.

Ah, done at last!  After an exuberant high-5, we set out for home to our own Christmas dinner.

Special thanks to Davi, my awesome designer; Ken, my cousin and driver; and Doug, my wonderful husband, who helped make the first Christmas for Cynthia's Floral Design a very successful one!