I( I have this theory that bananas have been bred to ripen diferently in the last 30 years- they seem to stay green on the stem and yu can't open them the way you used to, so easily... like they need to have harder stems, but thats my version of a conspiracy theory, I guess I don't think on the scale of world domination)
Think Spring! Tea Party & Seed Swap on Sat., Feb. 23
I read somewhere that there is a man (or a couple of men) in these huge warehoused whose sole job is to decide WHEN and HOW MUCH to ripen any bananas before they are shipped. We all know they are picked solid green. They do it by exposing them for different lengths of time to the gas that causes ripening. WHAT is the name of it???? Like--putting ripe apples in with your Bromiliad in a plastic bag to cause it to produce a bloom....
Just thought I would share this incomplete tid-bit of information....
Gita
It's methane and you can put an apple in a brown paper bag with the banana to ripen also. :)
LOL!!! Are you sure that you don't mean Ethylene????
Ethylene, yes.
This thread is getting lengthy, and I don't want people to feel entirely overwhelmed if they're just finding it... let's try to keep non-party chat to a minimum, please... or at least take it over to the swap thread, which has already gone to its second thread. Thanks!
Critter
It sounds like you've pretty much got things under controll, but I wanted to check in to see if there was anything else you might need someone to bring? I'd be happy to contribute in any way I can.
Patti
Patti, we'll let you in the door if you bring nothing but a smile... I can't wait to meet you!
However, anybody who wants to bring a sweet treat for "afternoon tea" is more than welcome to do so... please bring something that can be eaten with fingers.
This is an exciting gathering for me, because the people planning to come include friends I've already met, friends I only "know" from the DG forums, and folks I'm looking forward to meeting and getting to know!
I will bring a yummy "Sweet" (finger food) besides my pickles.
Ever have those saltine/caramel/chocolate Crisps? THAT'S what i will bring......
Gita
It's a good thing Grandma's dining room table is so sturdy... a lesser table would surely groan under the weight of all these goodies! I know I will be taking a break from my winter dieting that day, LOL.
Just checking in to confirm that I will, in fact, be out of town on the day of the swap, so I will not be able to attend. I'll send some seeds along in my absence though. Have a fun time!
I trust this means good news on the puppy front?
YEP! We're going up on Friday to meet the babies. We've now narrowed down the possibilities to two or three, so hopefully we'll have made a final decision by the time we leave there ... Fingers crossed.
I'll either drop the seeds by your house this wknd, Happy, or mail them out instead (I had to run my car to the shop this AM with a leaky radiator, so I'm stranded at home now).
What kind of puppies?
Aw, nuts, Wrightie! But good news if that means you can see your pup!
I need to post an SOS... "Save Our Swap."
I was back at the doc's for more tests this week, now getting referrals scheduled so we can figure out what's going on since it's clear this isn't just some bug. This could clear up as suddenly as it got worse, so I'm not willing to throw in the towel just yet... but I'm going to need some extra help, since I can't manage much in the way of physical activity at present. I promise I won't risk my health; if I need to cancel or come up with an alternative game plan (like Dutch Plant Farm + local restaurant), I will (reluctantly) do so... but let's at least see what might be possible.
I think I've already got a couple of volunteers to come early and help assemble sandwiches and set things out. Happy mentioned earlier being willing to help with post-party stuff... maybe somebody else would be willing to hang out a bit with her. With luck, cleanup will be limited to wiping down serving plates and loading the dishwasher with cups & mugs.
I need two people to be in charge of beverages during the party -- one to keep the coffee coming, another person to keep the teapots (decaf & regular) full.
I'd like one or two people who can be here for sure by noon to organize our "sweets" table as people bring things... It just helps if somebody is on hand to arrange things, and I have a supply of cake plates etc. that we can use to "show off" the goodies.
I think we should set aside an hour to really concentrate on seed swapping, perhaps from 2 to 3. (Obviously, you can swap at other times too, and if you're not interested in seeds you can just keep visiting.) It would be helpful if a couple of other people who know a lot about plants and seeds (Shirley!) could help answer questions and keep things moving during the swap time as needed.
And I could use some good thoughts, prayers, etc. to get me back on my feet so that all this extra help is just a bonus! :-)
HEY--You are not allowed to be sick! Those docs need to straighten up their act! Do they want to risk the wrath of half the Mid Atlantic Forum????
seriously- hoping for good answers soon and especially you feeling bettr for real!!
Thanks. Odds are that this may have crossed over from being a viral issue last month to being an uncommon side effect of a medication I'm taking to prevent migraines... if so, it could resolve quickly. :-)
:-)
Just got a Dmail... I've got a volunteer to come by at noon and take charge of the "sweets" table. Thanks!
Critter, sorry to hear that you're still not feeling well. Maybe re-scheduling is in order?
Doccat, Great Dane puppies. We lost our last one to old age last Summer and this has been six months in the waiting, so far. I'm sure that everyone here is getting pretty tired of hearing about it by now. lol
Oh my, they are so beautiful. One of the gals who bought one of my Boston Terrier puppies was telling me her Mother had 2 Great Danes. It was such a hoot, since Micky (the Boston) was such a wild child. They would play and play. The Danes would lay down so she could close enough to play tug of war. She was probably about 11 lbs at that point. LOL I just got new pictures from her mom and dad at Xmas, she's up to 28 lbs and is spoiled totally rotten. I was over at Mom's house for lunch at one point and it was hard to eat, we were all laughing so hard. Bostons are very social little souls and love the attention.
Critter, I'll be happy to help anyway I can. I'm not sure when DH and I will arrive, but I can pitch in when I get there. I hope you're feeling better real soon, my dear.
This message was edited Feb 14, 2008 1:43 PM
Heh, my pup will probably have "Boston" (aka Mantle) markings, so he will look like a twin to your Bostons! lol
Just a little bit larger though. The black and white Danes are just beautiful. You gotta do pictures!
Oh oh -- I can't stay very late, Critter, to help clean up because (I had forgotten) it is my teenager's 14th birthday party. I don't know what the official "ending" time is for the swap, but I'll need to leave by 5pm. I'm so sorry!!! I can arrive as early as noon -- will that help at all? I am delighted to take on anything you want to assign me between noon and 5pm.
That's fine, Happy, no worries! Plates can be stacked and dealt with at leisure, anyway. That's what turning out the light in the dining room is good for! Can you be either my official coffee person or tea person? That's just a matter keeping an eye on the carafe and brewing another pot when it starts running low...
Just talked to my neurologist, and I'm switching daily medications asap. Hopefully that'll clear things up quickly. Extra hands will still be very much appreciated!
Jill - got hold of Chantell and we will be there earlier to help set up :-)
Dolls! Both of you, absolute dolls! If things clear up and I don't need as much help beforehand, we'll go over to DPF to play, instead. :-)
Jill...
I will help.. Sorry for the late reply... I have had a bad day.. :)
Jenn... Hope your bad day turns into a delightful evening, to make up for it a bit.
Thanks so much to everybody for coming through so quickly with offers of assistance, not to mention support & encouragement!
The main thing right now is this -- Don't cross the date off your calendar!
I may have to come up with a "plan B," but right now I have no intention of canceling/rescheduling. :-)
Well huggles to you Jenn.....:) Not crossing off anything unless you say so critter. But if you're not feeling that well then do reschedule, please. :)
This message was edited Feb 14, 2008 7:55 PM
We can reschedule Jill... No one is going to mind..
I will have a good evening if more work from work does not follow me home. I could swear right now but I am going to be good..
Well, I know everybody has been trying hard to keep this date clear -- and we already had to reschedule once! I figure March is going to start getting busy again, so I'd rather figure out how to work around my limitations for the 23rd than to bump the party date back a couple of weeks.
I will handle coffee AND tea. Easy peasey.
Can't do much the day of the swap because of the wedding, but is there anything I can help with next week? My life should be getting back to pretty normal by then (God willing!).
Miata, I'll let you know. Thanks! I'm glad to hear things are going more smoothly. :-)
Happy, I'm sure we can recruit a partner to keep an eye on "hot beverages" with you. If we keep all the "jobs" small, everybody will still have plenty of time to visit & enjoy!
I did have one insight last night... Most of my "day of the party" tasks were because I was planning tea sandwiches, which can't be assembled in advance. I'm going to simplify the plan, start a little later and make the party a little simpler. We'll start at 1, rather than at 12, and refreshments will be tea/coffee/etc. and sweet treats. I don't think anybody is coming just for the sandwiches, anyway. :-)
Anybody who wants to come up earlier can plan to meet up at DPF and have brunch/lunch beforehand.
An even easier alternative (if I don't bounce back in the next few days) might be to meet somewhere else... perhaps gathering first at Dutch Plant Farm and then heading over to a local restaurant to eat and swap seeds. Jim and I are going to Chef Lin, our favorite local buffet, for lunch today, and I'm going to see if there's any chance of using their back room next Saturday.
Although several people have suggested it (and I appreciate your flexibility!), I'm not sure rescheduling is an option... the next couple of weekends aren't so good for us, and then we'd end up pushing it until after Easter (March 29)... that's getting a little late for a seed swap, even if Holly is willing to hang onto those bananas that long! So I'm just juggling ideas that'll work for the 23rd.
Jill,
So---are you saying NO sandwiches at all? I ask, because no one is going to eat pickles with banana bread.......
IF NO sandwiches--then I won't make the pickles. Be glad to bring an appetizer of some kind??????? Something that "sticks to the ribs"????
I am glad you are simplifying things, as no one needs to eat and eat and eat......but I DO understand your generosity as a good hostess and that you want to make everything just so. I would feel the same way.
Will you have something cold to drink? I am not a coffee drinker. One cup of tea is OK. I can bring fresh lemonade or iced tea?
Let me know--I know you will....Gita
Right. Let's skip the sandwiches and the pickles. I don't think we need "stick to the ribs" food... let's keep it simple. We're not having an all-weekend party in the middle of the woods... nobody will starve if the tea party food is "dainty." :-)
I said above (somewhere, LOL) that if anybody wants something to drink other than coffee, tea, or water, please bring your favorite soda, etc. with you. That way, I don't have to pick up a dozen different alternatives, trying to guess what people will drink.
Great! Thanks....
Less eating--more time ti talk gardening and trade seeds.....Gita
I'll be bringing my hardy air potatoes (I have a lot of them, some are starting to root), brown eyed susan seeds, Cassia marilandica, Cassia hebecarpa, and anything else I have a lot of. When will we receive the email or link with directions to the tea? I think Holly & I are carpooling. Thanks. P.s. Thanks for the banana bread recipe.
Hi Buttoneer, Yes I am still planing on car pooling and will give you a call mid week to set things up. Not sure if Ric is going to come along or not.
I will be bringing Ornamental Sweet Potatoes "Blackies" Right now I have 15 starters and I will be bringing some of the rooted tubers too. I'm looking for Zinnia and Bee Balm if anyone has those. Also Carolina Jasmine. I think I may have to stop at Critters house before we head to the Nursery, Not sure if I should let the plants I will be bringing sit in the car?
I don't know what happened to my previous post linking to the new thread... trying again...
I'm doing better since starting to get off that medication, so I think at least part of the answer was a side effects issue... unfortunately, getting off the medication that prevents migraines means I'm starting to have trouble with migraines again. I thought it might be easier and more certain to find a "Plan B" that doesn't depend so much on my being up to par again by the end of next week.
I really appreciate everybody's willingness to step forward with offers of help when I sent out SOS signals recently. I hope the new plan won't inconvenience anybody too much and that everybody will still plan to attend!
Please go here to check out our Plan B! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/814246/
Thanks!!
As I said on the swap thread, I know a couple of people wanted episcia stolons and houseplant cuttings... I'll try to bring a few things along to Chef Lin, but it's also fine with me if anybody wants to just drop by my place afterwards.
HollyAnn, please save me a start or two of 'Blackie'! I've got some cuttings rooting now from a 'Tricolor' that's overwintering in my sunroom... trade? :-)