And it’s done. The move from the ex’s house is now complete, and with it the move of all of the plants, containers, and accoutrements. Leiber’s ashes now sit on the mantelpiece of my new house, the reference bookshelves were moved from the gallery and now severely impress my new landlady, and I now have a surfeit of walls on which to put up artwork locked away for the last two decades. Next up, the office and the workspace get organized and situated, and then it’s just a matter of waiting until spring.
In many ways, all of this couldn’t have happened at a better time, because all of the flytraps and Sarracenia were still well into dormancy and therefore tolerant of the necessarily rough handling of putting them in tubs and hauling them to the new growing area. As can be seen above, the crew at U-Haul either had a very much appreciated sense of humor with the 10-foot truck reserved for said move, or the inadvertent advertisement of the truck’s contents could be taken for a good sign for the rest of the year. Knowing the crew at my U-Haul, dealing with me for the last 12 years, I lean toward the former.
In any case, it’s done. The next stage involves moving a lot of supplies and accessories from the gallery to the new house, where most of the essential enclosure fabrication will happen in the future. Having room for construction, as well as not having to compete with wind and neighbors over paint drying space, means that the next generation of enclosures will have a lot more in the way of features. As it is, the workroom already has the nickname “The Greeble Room,” and it may require a sign on the door designating it as such. That additional room also allows longer construction on a new series of converted aquaria, without worrying about paint or glue curing time being affected by appointments or open houses. Oh, the crew at Reynolds Advanced Materials are going to be sick of me by the end of the year. This, along with the ex moving out of the front area of the gallery by the beginning of May, means that you can expect a lot of new enclosures and designs by summer, and it’s only going to get weirder by Halloween.
As for gallery events, everything is still dependent upon weather for outdoor events, and considering that February 2022 is determined to kill everyone it meets before it leaves, this may be a while. (As I write this, the Dallas area finally got measurable liquid precipitation yesterday and today, followed by a series of storms and cold fronts over the next week, including the possibility of ice. March couldn’t come soon enough.) Rest assured that indoor events will continue, starting with the Fifth Anniversary (At This Location) open house on February 26. This coincides with the debut of two new enclosures for sundew fans, and then things really get going for March. By June and July, you won’t recognize the place, especially with some of the plans for re-renovating the main gallery.
Well, that’s February. Expect a lot of events in March: the only reason why the gallery will be closed on February 19 is because of an essential road trip for supplies, just so things can stay open on Saturday (and the occasional Sunday) next month. In addition, Triffid Ranch show season starts with the Dallas Oddities & Curiosities Expo at Fair Park on March 26, and then it’s off to the races.