This Sunday we were slow because of 3 previous days of rain, cloudy weather and Sunday mornings are usually not busy. My daughter Sherri wanted to extend a front flowerbed that everyone sees when they pass by the nursery. She enlists the help of the weekend load up guys that were available. Two of them are high school boys that have been working with us for a couple of years. The third young man has been with us for about a month.
         They are students that excel at their studies. I fully expect to write letters that endorse all three of them for college scholarships. I have to admit to discrimination in my new hiring practices. I ask the high school kids that apply for weekend jobs what their class rank is.  If I hold out for a top 25% class rank I get a smart, serious, productive worker.  If I settle for below that I have a 1 in 3 chance that I get a good employee. My business, like others, can't afford very many below average employees.
         So these young men are asked to make a flowerbed. They have not done this work before. They have heard us tell customers how it should be done. They start the process and then it starts misting.  They continue their work. It starts raining harder. They continue. Sherri realizes they are getting soaked and tells them that they can stop and come inside to dry off. They refuse. They were actually excited to do the work that they know our customers do on a regular basis. This was their opportunity to put into practice what they had learned at the nursery. Rain was not going to be an issue for them. They completed their task soaking wet. These kids showed how smart and thorough they really are. They made Sherri promise not to tell their parents of their newly found flowerbed making skills.  I am very impressed!