The forecast changes every time I look! I'm hoping any "serious" weather will come earlier or later, but you're right, we could be dealing with it. Drive carefully -- and if you decide against coming, please let us know by posting on this thread, because we worry about our friends... I'd hate to wonder if anybody who didn't show was stuck halfway here. And I happen to know Sally has a fancy new phone, so I can ask her to check for posts. :-)
(If you missed Sally's recent article about her new toy phone, click here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3564/ )
"THINK SPRING!" Seed Swap Feb 11 in Frederick MD
LOL! Yeppers, I can have Robin looking at DG for last minute updates. Woo hoo!
Gita will have to be patient with me if I go slowly...
YAY! I get to play with a "smart" phone and noone besides Sally will see how dumb it makes me look, lol.
haha!
Sally--
Since I do not know the way by myself--I will be patient following you.
I worry more about other drivers--some can be real idiots!
Is Judy coming--for sure?
As of this AM, they are calling for about 2" of snow here. Cold weather......
I have to first go to Dundalk to p/u my daughter. Then off to Sally's.
Coming back--I will, probably, not go your way as we get closer to Baltimore.
Probably stay on I-70. Then catch I-95 off of #695. through the tunnel.
Does that sound reasonable? Got a better idea???
G.
Gita -- print out the directions, too... your daughter can use them to navigate in case you lose sight of Sally. :-)
I had an idea for gift table "picks" this year... instead of going one at a time and then telling the next person (which always takes longer than you'd think, because people get busy of course), we'll set it up according to time... The first 5 people take their picks... 10 minutes later, the next 5 people come up, 10 minutes after that the next 5 etc. We'll do a numbered list of names and note the time after which people may come up and select from the table. If you "miss" your time slot, you don't miss your turn, just come up to the table any time after the time by your name. And after the ending time (maybe 3:15, we'll see) everybody is free select another item from whatever might be left, but I don't think we need to continue taking turns at that point. I think it will be easier than it sounds when I try to write it down in words! LOL
Gita and Sally,
It is unlikely that I will be attending this Seed Swap. So, maybe you all should ride together and play fancy tech phone and visit on the way to Frederick and back. Let me know if your meet up time changes from 10"30 to earlier in case I can engineer getting my promised trades to you all to take to the Swap. Maybe Robin would be my designated seed swap fairy???
I would be glad to be your seed swap fairy, do I need special wings and a wand for that? lol
Joyanna might let you borrow her wings, but she'll want them back...
Judy--
You gonna miss it again!!!! How come???? You know that no one has seen you!
On that order--I printed out a picture of you and Robin from 2010. Will pass it around....will attach it here as well....
You know how everyone wants to put a face to a name.
In that case, Sally--I may be riding with you anyway........I like that idea.....
Robin--I will give you Judy's seeds that she requested. Fly away! Oh, faerie of ours...:o)--to Judy's door-step.
Gita
Whoever can show up here ten thirty, or by eleven tomorrow,, is welcome to ride. I better clean my back seats.
I will show up--sooner or later......
Will allow some extra time if the roads are bad......DO NOT leave without me!!!! AAAGGHHHHH!!!
WHY, OH WHY--with all this wonderful weather we have been having--it has to be Yukky on THIS weekend?????
Life is not fair!!! Gita
Jill, I doubt if we will be coming now because the weather is so crappy. Sorry Buttoneer.
Gita- I would never leave without you.
Buttoneer- We'll miss you! But yes that's a long drive for you in bad weather.
And don't be concerned about those dark clouds- THat's all the dog hair I've got rolling out of my van while cleaning...
lol Gita, I forgot about that photo! I look as tired as I feel after delivering 900+ newspapers for 5 - 6 hours before gathering at Sallyg's. Because of the iffyness of the weather, tomorrow mornings deliveries could be routine or take even longer because of road conditions locally. So, I plan to sleep as much as possible tomorrow so I can be ready to deal with quite possibly slippery driving conditions again for the big Sunday paper. Can't do my route by rote when weather is yucky.
Guess I'll just have to remain a mysterious unknown MAF er a bit longer! (like that perennial that still hasn't bloomed, my roots are going deeper and stronger)
Be safe and have a great time all.
PS Sally be glad you have a shepherd and not a husky type...I hear they shed enough to make wool for two sweaters per year!
PS Gita, have a very good and Happy Birthday outing with your daughter. I know she will see how loved and valued you are by all of us.
This message was edited Feb 10, 2012 7:28 PM
AWWWW, Coleup!
I do not know HOW you can deliver 900 papers in the early morning--no matter what the weather...
Do you toss them on the driveway as you drive by--or do you have to deliver them by hand in a mailbox?
I imagine it must pay well enough for you to keep doing this......You are NOT a big, husky woman--just a slip of one--
with good muscles, i am sure.
I will give your requested seeds to Robin to "faerie them over" to you.
I sure hoped you would be coming this year......The great weather we have had. It seemed so optimistic!
I tell you--this is a conspiracy from the weather gods!!
Try to make it to Holly and Ric's. You will love it!
Rest up and stay warm and well. I will miss seeing you.
Gita
Well, now I don't feel so badly after reading about you others being concerned about the weather conditions too. After all the hoopla and real excitement I have had over the past couple of months, dang it....we won't be coming either. I believe that in my first message here I mentioned that any sort of precip was going to keep us homebound. So, I will hopefully be able to catch up on some things that I would be putting off for another weekend, tomorrow.
I am going to really miss seeing all you great folks, but I will do my very best to make it to Holly and Ric's in May or whenever. For those I have promised seeds to, I will be mailing them. For those of you who had so kindly offered me houseplants, please wait until Ric and Holly's or warmer weather and we can do a mail type of deal. Mail works quite well I have found.
Anyway....so sorry we won't be making it, but you folks have a good time and eat some of the yummy delights for me. I have a feeling John is going to be making a run for chinese one night this weekend.
I will look forward to hearing how things went and seeing some pictures if there are any. Speaking of pictures, I had envisioned Coleup being a larger woman too. The hair I got correct, but that is probably because she told me about it at some point.
Ruby
Ruby
I'm still crossing my fingers that the snow will be a non-event, at least as far as slippery roads go.
We went out to Dutch Plant Farms today, and their new indoor pond is lovely! They have a pretty good selection of plants on their half-off "polka dot" sale (look for plants bearing a polka-dot ribbon), and they also are offering 50% off all their glazed ceramic pots (selection outside as well as on the shelves near the front, note that the big ceramic saucers at floor level aren't included).
I've left a couple of messages for Mike (the owner) to see if he can offer us a group discount again this year, but I haven't had a call back from him. So -- ask at checkout if there's a Dave's Garden Club discount today, but the answer might be no. (But if we all ask about it, maybe the answer will be yes again next year.)
Photos from Friday's stop at DPF:
Joyanna got to meet Pogo, who was out & about with his person!
They've just finished installing a new koi pond / waterfall, and they've got things generally looking pretty good there. (I didn't stop to see if the women's restroom is less drafty yet!)
The Polka Dot Sale is in full swing. I think there were 4 tables, including a table with orchids (not in bloom). By * large, the plants didn't really look scraggly or anything to me... some that I think just needed to be repotted and possibly split (and if you're like me, that's the one you look for anyway LOL).
Jill,
Would you know if they have ceramic tops to bird baths?
Mine is all in pieces--as I forgot to take it in before the frosts hit.
I still plan to glue it back together with Epoxy and maybe coat the
inside of the "bowl" with something glazed...Not sure what yet....
We have a slight dusting of snow as i write this--and it is flurrying.
The are calling for 1"-2" starting later this afternoon from the second storm coming this way.
That should not be a big problem--as the roads will be clean--I am sure.
Sorry that Ruby and John have now dropped our--along with Buttoneer.
Well--it will be less crowded at the tables.
Aina and I will be coming with Sally, after all, since Judy dropped out.
See you soon. Gita
Gita, I know they carry birdbaths, but I don't know what they have in stock right now since I didn't go around outside. Maybe we'll have to have a (warm day!) March get-together for hypertuffa and/or concrete leaves... I could see a big leaf serving as a bird bath!
I'm packing up a couple of boxes and still splitting off "just a few more" seeds from what I have.
OK, everybody... when you arrive, please put on a name tag from the table just inside the room and give Sally your lunch money ($12 or $14.50 with soft drink) :-) There will be a table (or two) against the wall for gifts. The name tag table will also have "goodie bags" which serve as seed mailboxes... if you've brought seed for a particular person (or for one of our awol friends), put it into their bag.
And don't forget to have fun! (as if!) LOL
I'm so excited.
Drive safe, everybody!
THINK SPRING!!
This message was edited Feb 11, 2012 9:11 AM
Thanks for a great afternoon. Nice to put faces to the names.
Drove home thru multiple blizzards.
Think I'm going to turn the fireplace on and get a cup of hot tea.
Yup, we saw many 'old' friends and met great new ones!
We had clear sailing at 5-6 pm when we left Dutch PLant Farm.
THanks again Jill for getting us together and Jim for being a willing partner to this madness. Jill's parents too are some of the nicest people I have ever met. No surprise there!!!!!
Another great Seed Swap! Was great seeing everyone and of course the food was terriffic. I did hold myself to my resolution not to take seeds (still have plenty from the last swap) but lost the battle to be good once we got to Dutch Farm. Somehow I think the seeds would have taken up less space in my room.
I wanted to be the first to post a picture of our darling Joyanna, so her she is! The lady behind her is Jill's mom, a really nice person.
So nice to visit with old friends and meet new friends too. Jill, you certainly gave us a wonderful afternoon. Apparently it had snowed more while we were at the restaurant, because the route home looked like the woods had been replanted with white birch.
Qwilter----
It was nice meeting you!
Did you actually drive through blizzards on the way home?????
When Sally & company left---there was no more snowing going on. Just nasty windy and cold.
All I bought at the Nursery was a 20lb. bag of Espoma's Bulb Tone--which I have been out of for a year.
Need to make a point to go ore to the BIGGER Garden centers around here. I am such a miser.....
The roads were clear and we all got home with NO problems.
Aina (my daughter) loved the day and seemed happy to meet you all and enjoyed the whole day.
I told her our Plant Swap was on May 15th at Holly's--and asked if she would like to come again to particiapate.
YES! was her answer......
Hmmmmm.....maybe i will give her a gift subscription to DG and show her the 'ropes" of this web site.
It DOES take a while to find the right paths and learn the ways and ropes of DG.
I think the gardening Bug has bit her......:o)) Smiling.......Proud mama!!!
Jill--Thank you once more for organizing this. It was wonderful! Thr food was awesome--as always.....
I will upload the few pictures I took tomorrow--RIGHT HERE. Time to get to bed soon.
Gita
Yes, I'm so glad we made new friends -- in person-- by having Gwilter & Marlene there! Marlene, I apologize Icoffee must be wearing off), but I can't remember your friend's name... Duessa? SHe's such a sweet person, and she just radiates a calm taht i wished I could tap into a little as I bounded around today,
My parents loved watching such a positive group dynamic and finally getting to put faces to some of the names they hear most often.
It was just a great party! Thanks to all who braved the weather to come, who shared seeds and also shared themselves. i do believe the event has taken on the form of a tradition! :-)
So sorry I missed all the fun. I know Ric had a great time and I will hear all about it tomorrow.
It was a full blown blizzard down 70 till just before 29. All traffic was staying ~60, so you know it had to be white out. Snow was even sticking some in the left lane.
Got home & there was NOTHING at all happening here so it stayed a bit north of us.
I'm so looking forward to getting my seeds into some dirt.
If' I'm still in the area come May I'd enjoy getting to the plant swap.
Thanks everyone for such a nice day and especially Jill and Sally for the organization. It was a pleasure to meet everyone and as I anticipated Jill's parents and are as much a Joy as Joyanna. We didn't have snow on the way home, but quite a lot of wind.
Looking forward to May so we can let the seeding begin. I don't start mine inside anymore as I lose too many in the transplant.
Jill, I'm sorry I forgot to compliment you on your centerpieces. They were beautiful Ric
This message was edited Feb 12, 2012 3:20 PM
Jill also brought another flower to the swap, her pictures are over here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1138849/#new
I'm pretty sure I got pics of everyone who attended I'm not sure I got all the names though. LOL Ric
I was lucky to sit with Marlene and Daphne at the beginning, and hear about their vegetable and flower gardening pursuits. Marlene had the perfect shirt- a wanted poster for Mr Squirrel the birdseed thief LOL
ssgardener, Terry, I apologize again for stealing the chair from your poor swollen ankle!
Jill in her yellow shirt looked like Sunshine Mom~Yes, those amaryllis centerpieces came from that sunroom that we all deeply envy, and were beautiful. I'm going to need a Harry Lauder Walking Stick bush so I can have a curly branch, it looked so nice with the Amaryllis.
I've already told my DH he's coming to Ric and Holly's. We'll be happy to give rides and or caravan it up there with anyone from this area.
It was great seeing everybody including the new friends. I had a wonderful time and am looking forward to seeing everybody again at the May swap.
Bob & I are so sorry we didn't make it last Saturday but I've been sick with this upper respiratory virus going on 3 weeks now and I didn't want to spread it & the driving was poor up here with us anyway. It takes a LOT to keep us from going to these fun get-togethers and I am so sorry because I wanted to enjoy everybody's company, the camaraderie & the bodacious food. Hope everybody had a great time and we will look for another get together later. Judy & Bob.
Buttoneer- take care and we should see you in May right, much closer to home for you?
OK! Ric! You shamed me into uploading my pictures as well....
I LOVE the new 5-picture posting!!!!!
SO! Here are my contributions: Gita
A few more shots--This is all I took!
Gee- Joyanna is having such a hard time warming up to Marlene at their first meeting - ROFL.
Terry ssg was so cute playing with Joyanna and the litttle stuffed anmals