By Eric Rosane / ericr@chronline.com
Thelma Hauge commutes for 30 seconds. And it’s beautiful.
The drive from the front door of her fifth wheel to her greenhouse may be a hop, skip and a jump, but it’s a view the 79-year-old Vader resident can’t overcome – especially on warm, cloudless days.
“Every day when I get to work, I go to the rose arbor, get up and look at the kindergarten and say, ‘I’m so damn happy to do that,'” Hauge said one last spring afternoon. “I’ve been working for myself for so many years – you know the old saying, ‘I love my job, I love my boss. I am self-employed. ‘”
The work? Gardening. And so much more when you are your own boss.
Hauge and his husband John Glasser (77) run the Blueberry Hill Nursery and Art Gallery in the hills between Ryderwood and Vader. Since Hauge opened the kindergarten 20 years ago, the company has provided seasonal support for teaching and training prospective hobby gardeners and horticulturists.
The couple took a temporary hiatus a few years ago but are back this year with their third annual sale.
The rural nursery at 165 Hendricksen Road will open its doors to customers on Saturday May 1st, selling inexpensive vegetable starts like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and carrots, as well as a full range of perennials, flowers, herbs and deer-resistant plants.
It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but opening times may vary.
For Hauge und Glasser, sowing and maintaining a full kindergarten is a labor of love. The sale only lasts two months a year, although the couple spends more than six months preparing and organizing the effort.
The Chronicle came by on a warm April afternoon. Youthful starts and small flowers were just beginning to appear and the designated sections in the greenhouse were taking shape. The couple meandered, making sure the plants were watered every few hours, planting new seeds, and making signs for each pot.
The couple, who met 12 years ago, have worked in the garden most of their lives, and although they are master gardeners, each new sunrise offers the opportunity to learn something new about the home garden, which has always been the case in recent years became more popular year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“You have to do it because you love it. You can’t make it look like it’s a chore, ”said Hauge from her freestanding art studio, where she also teaches painting and watercolor. “And the other thing that is important is that there are no silly questions when you are a new gardener. Buy your plants from someone who can give you good advice because the advice is free. “
Gardening – whether with friends, family, or alone – is a social activity that, according to Hauge, becomes more exciting and fruitful the more you learn.
Hauge originally moved to her small property on State Route 506 in 1992 after a 15 year career in law enforcement. Her claim to fame was that she was the first female officer in the Mason County Sheriff’s Office and served as an investigator for the State Gambling Commission.
When Hauge moved to Ryder, most of her property was grazing land. So she started planting oaks and other bushes. It wouldn’t be too long before the two of them met.
“I taught ballroom dancing in Ryderwood, where I live, and she came up with someone who was interested in learning,” said Glasser.
The two continue to dance to this day, despite the pandemic ruining any opportunity to attend organized events. Dolly, one of two mannequins posing in Hauge’s art studio, wears one of her red sequined ball dancer dresses.
With the outbreak of the pandemic last year, Blueberry Hill switched to an online store approach. The outbreak of business, with everyone at home social distancing themselves, surprised the couple.
“We set up ordering online so people don’t even have to get out of their car. All they have to do is order online and we can get them ready to go,” said Hauge. “However, a lot of people chose to pick up their stuff from the greenhouse and we had a large number of first-time gardeners because they really felt the pinch.”
The couple estimate this year should be about the same as people still have this “pandemic mindset”. Glasser said gardening has proven to be a good family activity during the pandemic.
Keeping business stable during the pandemic has been a comfort for the retired couple. Last December, a house fire broke through the two bedroom, one bathroom ranch. The two currently live in a fifth wheel and hope to fully renovate the house this summer.
The kindergarten will offer around 6,000 plants this year. They expect some high demand plants to sell out within a few days. Some plants will go on sale in June.
Online orders will be possible this year, and the kindergarten accepts debit and credit cards in person. The kindergarten does not have a Facebook page, but online purchase information will be posted by the couple on the Facebook forums at a later date.
The farm can be reached by phone at 360-295-3488 and 360-749-0634.
