# Greenhouse freeze-out update - May 4.



## John M (May 5, 2008)

Hi everyone. I've updated the mega-thread over at OSF with more photos of how I'm progressing along after my freeze-out disaster. I am on dial-up; so, it takes FOREVER to post photos. I hope that you don't mind the fact that I didn't upload everything to this post as well. Please just click on the link and look at the update that is already posted on the OSF. Thanks. p.s. Make sure that you scroll up to the top of the page to see all the new photos posted tonight.
Link:http://forum.theorchidsource.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=005689&p=3#000106


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## NYEric (May 5, 2008)

Tough deal. "Endeavor to persevere." _Outlaw Josie Wales_


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## smartie2000 (May 5, 2008)

I'm sure some of your prized collection will grow back, especially if some part of it is still still alive.

Thanks for sharing the photos. I dream to one day have a green house too. I'll have to make sure heating is top priority


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## Candace (May 5, 2008)

I finally got a new fan installed this weekend and I threw out like 6 or 8 paph seedlings that had gotten rot from the lack of air movement. I felt like crap and can't imagine what you're dealing with. That dumpster makes quite a statement. Hang in there if you can!!


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## SlipperFan (May 5, 2008)

So devastating! But it did look like some made it though the cold. Sad to have lost so many beautiful plants, though. I'd be crying every day.


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## Ron-NY (May 5, 2008)

John when you offered me that Cattleya percivaliana a couple of years ago, I am sorry that I didn't go for it....RIP perci


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## JeanLux (May 6, 2008)

Ron-NY said:


> John when you offered me that Cattleya percivaliana a couple of years ago, I am sorry that I didn't go for it....RIP perci



Oh, Ron you should have!! it was an exceptional beauty!!

I am very sorry for all of this happening to you John, and hope, you still have the strength to restart! Jean


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## Heather (May 6, 2008)

smartie2000 said:


> I'm sure some of your prized collection will grow back, especially if some part of it is still still alive.
> 
> Thanks for sharing the photos. I dream to one day have a green house too. I'll have to make sure heating is top priority




If nothing else (and frankly, there's a lot more here!) but take heart that this is a really good lesson for the rest of us growers. Someone in our society had a flood last year and it shut him down quite completely - but in that instance as well, we all rallied, and he's still at least coming to meetings and participating in the Society. 

Friends, even far flung ones, appreciate knowing what is going on with their other orchid growing companions. Hang in there, John. You're doing amazingly well despite the facts.


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## Greenpaph (May 6, 2008)

Incredible photos! 

God bless your future endeavors!
:clap:


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## John M (May 7, 2008)

Thanks everyone!


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## Heather (Jul 21, 2008)

Hey John, 

How are things going these days in the greenhouse? Have you managed to start rebuilding the collection?


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## John M (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks for your interest Heather. I am managing to hang in there....but, it's by the skin of my teeth. I've used the donations from members here and the folks over at OSF to keep up with expenses (thanks to everybody who helped!) and I've managed (somehow!), to arrange for more line of credit and a bigger mortgage at a new bank. I hadn't thought that was possible; but, when I approached a different bank, they calculated that I had more equity in my home than my current mortgage holder did. So, they were willing to talk about a new, larger, equity based mortgage. Unfortunately though, I had to go for starting right at the beginning of a new 40 year amortization to make it work. I'll be 84 when I make my last payment. Sheeshe!

However, so far, I'm still here and trying to make things work again. Rebuilding my personal collection isn't really on my radar. That's big bucks! After all, it took me 28 years to build the collection that got frozen. I've been more concerned with trying to get some resale stock in, so that I can get some positive cash flow going again and save my business. Although, I did receive a few plants (for me), from wendy and I did buy a few others (for me), from her too. That's all I've done in the way of buying "myself" any plants. I didn't even buy annuals or packets of seeds for the yard. I've planted nothing, not a single thing. I decided to just be happy with mowed grass and whatever weeds come up in the flower beds. I'm surprized the neighbours haven't complained. Ha, ha, ha! They probably just think of me as the crazy orchid guy! I've got a bit of colour in the yard though. My hardy Cactus is blooming and I've got a few Daylilies doing their thing without any help from me. Besides, I'm too busy and too tired to do all the yard work this year. The greenhouse issues have taken all my energy and available time.

I've not yet had any sales since early January. In January and February, I had a bit of a slow down because the plants weren't spiking. It was so dark last winter. Then, in March, everything woke up and started to grow and spike; but, the freezing ruined them before they could be sold off. Recently, I did finally manage to buy in some plants for resale a.s.a.p., as soon as they spike. Some are showing spikes now. So, I'm pleased, as I may finally begin making some income again within a month or so.

Plus, Frank Smith wrote to me last Monday afternoon to say that he's pulled together some plants that he wants to send up to me next week. So, that will be a very welcome event and should help a lot. Thanks Frank!

Sorry that I couldn't report to you that everything was just tickety boo! However, orchids are expensive and so is living.....and unfortunately, paying the bills and buying in new plants is hard to do when there's no income. I've just got to focus on carefully choosing plants to buy that I can turn over and sell quickly. Not having plants sit in the greenhouse, taking up space and using up overhead costs, while they grow up is important right now. If I manage to acquire stock that will be saleable very soon, I'll do a lot better, of course. That way, I'll be able to put the money right back into the business without having to spend too much of it on day to day expenses. If I can make it work like that, I'll be able to make some ground up and hopefully(!), my situation will steadily, albeit slowly, improve. 

Even though it's all OLD news to other people, I still miss my personal collection plants terribly. Some were major purchases to begin with and some were huge investments in time, years in fact, to grow them up to a large size. In some ways, this has been the longest 4 months in my life. It seems that my heart has ached for way longer. Then, at other times, it feels like it all happened just last week and I'm still in shock. I and my identity was so deeply connected to my personal collection and my orchid business. It was as though a huge part of me died when they were destroyed. It's been surprisingly difficult to bounce back from that. 

Man! I hope that everyone learns from my misfortune and takes very good care of their heating systems before this winter! My problems stemmed from the fact that I was doing maintenance on my back-up heater during the time of year that it should not have been "offline". Then, while that was going on, my main heater broke down. The back-up heater should've had it's maintenance done months earlier, before the very cold weather arrived. In fact, it was overdue maintenance that caused my main heater to break down. So a word to the wise, maintain your heaters this summer/early fall....no later!

I figure that I'll know whether or not I'm going to get through this and really recover, or not, by the time Christmas roles around. I hear that Natural Gas prices could double again. That thought gives me the heebee-jeebee's! There's no way I could handle that. We'll see where I am and what I'm doing in a year's time. I hope that I'm still here and things are really looking up by then.


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## SlipperFan (Jul 23, 2008)

Thanks for the update. We are pulling for you!


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## NYEric (Jul 24, 2008)

I tried to get some plants to John, man what a hassle!  Obviously there will have to be some rum-running this fall! :ninja:


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