Great suggestions for U & a point for each of you. Missmshell just join in again on Monday. I realize I'm a few hours behind you all, so will begin to post on the night before for the next day. That way if you're on the computer early in the morning it's there waiting for you.

Remember busy gardeners, keep it simple & save your back. Think smart before you lift something heavy especially if you plan to lift & twist. Don't learn the hard way -- ALL large pots are heavy when filled with wet soil + plants. Don't do it!

Corrine

The letter for Monday isC
L1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34,smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34,smitties
C________
K________
Y________
4________
L________
E________
A________
F________
C________
L________
O________
V________
E________
R________

List of March players
*flowergirl34
*smitties
rosemctier
*missmshell
*cryptid

We lost a player since tl.graham emailed she did not have time.

Does anyone else want to take her place? Sunday is the last day to sign up & I assign partners on Monday the 12th.

Corrine

Good morning everyone. Hope you all have a great week :)

celtis (deciduous tree)

cyclamen (annual)

Rain, rain, and more rain but the temps are mild so that is all that matters. Our dog is a needy dog and doesn't like rain so when it is raining, I have to go out with her and make sure she goes. Sometimes they are more work than kids.

Have a good Monday, Margo

Happy Monday!
Beautiful out today! This whole week is going to seem surreal. High 60's to high 70's...LOVE IT!

Yellow Thunder didn't do as well as hoped. Oh well! We still had a great time. 82 girls showed up to race!! All made different cars. The Boy Scouts had a race that morning and they didn't even get 30 cars to register. This is only the 2nd year for the Girl Scouts, and what a turn out!! The Boy Scouts ran the race, since they own all the equipment. The man who was in charge couldn't believe this many Girl Scouts showed up. It took 3 hours for everyone to get registered. Taylors car made it through to the 2nd heats and then we were beaten by a car that looked like a large pencil (very cute!). She didn't even care about the race, she was too busy playing with all the new "sisters" she met that day. Girls came up from Pennsylvania and Binghamton. Can't wait till next year!

Game Time :0) Here's my "C":

Cheshire Cat: Tall Bearded Iris (perennial)

Have a great day!
vina

My big green today was the 1st of the season bright green Anna's hummingbird flitting about in our backyard landing on a trellis, going to a blooming Indian plum tree, and pulling moss off the bark of a douglas fir then zooming out of sight toward the cedar tree. Could it be building a nest there? I wanted to get partners assigned before our wind storm kicks up as we're expecting 60 mph. We're hoping & praying no more tree damage as we are finally down to one cart load of branches in the backyard from the ice storm in January. It's loaded & ready to be moved out. We had hail & snow yesterday while working in the backyard then gave up when the snow became heavy. Brr, it was cold & wet.

Sending list in ABC order
flowergirl34 sends to smittes
corrine1 sends to missmshell
cryptid sends to corrine1
missmshell sends to cryptid
rosemctier sends to flowergirl34
smitties sends to rosemctier

(I double checked that none of these matchups are repeats for Jan or Feb, but didn't check 2011.)

Contact your partner via email for their address & possible updates to wish lists.

Remember to mail your Lucky 4-Leaf Clover package by March 20 in either a small flat rate box or a flat rate bubble envelope with Delivery Confirmation. Please post the DC # when you mail. Post contents after you receive your package.

Next letter tomorrow is K. Don't wait for my post, just give your plant name on Tuesday. I will post points every few days from now on & we'll have letters on weekdays only.

Corrine

In this game you earn a point if your plant name isn't posted by anyone else on that day.

The letter for Tuesday isK
L 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34,smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34,smitties
C 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34,smitties
K________
Y________
4________
L________
E________
A________
F________
C________
L________
O________
V________
E________
R________

Wednesday's letter is Y
Thursday's is the number 4
Friday's is L
Then we'll take a break until Monday.

Last night we had snow again & still this morning lovely fluffy flakes a-floating down. Last night I agreed to a sub job in town then got a call this morning for the school here at camp less than 1/2 mile away. No delay posted for that district, so the hills will be slick. Good thing I don't start until 2nd period today. The way it's heavily snowing I might not have a job today after all.

I saw the green hummingbird in the afternoon perched on a cherry tree limb. Where is that little one now? I saw calendula sprouts yesterday & moved a few around closer to the wooden edges of the beds. Sliced a green & black slug in 1/2, too when moving a small columbine. That felt good. I dislike those slugs & they reign in our wetness.

What green this week?

Corrine

My green for this week is Girl Scout Green! :) Everyday we are doing something for Girl Scout Week. Monday, Taylor brought in a special cupcake snack for the class. Complete with little shamrocks and green sparkles on top. And today, I totally surprised all the girls by having them get called down to the office this morning. They all walked in thinking they had done something wrong, and got the most puzzled look on their face when they saw me. And then they were asked to do the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom and read morning annoucements. They were happy and shocked! :) Happy Citizenship Day!!!

Game Time:

K: Knapweed (perennial)

Corrine, be careful in that fluffy stuff :). And, have a great day subbing (that is so fun!).

Talk to later!
vina

Margo, I have your addy. I will TRY to get your package mailed before Friday. I am really going to try. We are leaving Friday night for a week. And Friday afternoon is the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. Oh Lord! I am co-chair of that!

If I'm late this month I apologize in advance. I won't be back in town until after the deadline. Corrine, don't scold me too bad :)

Have a great day! :)
vina

K=Kochia (annual reseeder)

Happy Y Day! :)

Y: Yarrow: Cerise Queen (perennial)

:D vina

Y-yellow Cosmos, (annual)

Beautiful weather here and I have been weeding this afternoon. Margo

Yellow Evening Primrose :)

The letter (number) for Thursday is4
L 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
C 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
K 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
Y 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties

4________
L________
E________
A________
F________

C________
L________
O________
V________
E________
R________

Yeah, the snow has nearly melted now, so I can see the yellow primrose & pink as well as white Pulmonaria flowers. They did just fine under the snow, but I missed them. The onion chives have leaned over and we'll be snipping them off every day now. Does everyone know to snip from the base, not the tips for regrowth? I didn't know that at first & the chives didn't thrive. Now, we have more than enough from March - October. We don't feed them to the chickens because we don't want onion flavored eggs in cakes & muffins. :o) Corrine

Snow Crocus are all out springing up everywhere! :) All my chives are coming up too.

Happy 4 Day!

4 O'clocks: Broken Colors (annual)

vina

4 O'clocks (annual)

Gotta check my chives to see if they are up yet and get them on my baked potatoes, yum.

Hope you all are having the great weather we are. Gotta break out those shorts. Margo

Another mild day here. It's a bit cloudy and there were storms last night but my windows are open today and that is all that matters.

L-Levisticum (lovage) Herb

Happy weekend to everyone. Margo

Smitties, do you have lovage, Levisticum officinale in your garden?

If not it is sure worth seeking out. We had our 1st harvest last spring. It made our rice salads amazingly tasty with a celery-like taste. Then when we had summer warmth the stalk shot up & the leaves were bitter, so couldn't harvest anymore. It was a lovely plant in the herb garden for the rest of the season & I'm hoping for seedlings to share with my garden friends this year. It's about 6" high now & much bushier this year.

The letter for Monday is E
L 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
C 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
K 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
Y 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties

4________
L________1 pt for smitties
E________
A________
F________

C________
L________
O________
V________
E________
R________

Happy Monday all. Very warm here and although some are actually complaining (forget that we could be in snow and cold), I am thanking God for each degree about 32.

E Echinacea Perennial

Looking forward to tomorrow as we are going into the 80's again. Yeah to flip flop weather.

Margo

Corrine,...as of today, your box is on its way!:)

DC# 0311 2550 0001 5859 9194

Woo hoo! Got to bust out the flip flops this past weekend!
Cryptid- your package is on its way!

DC# 0311 1660 0001 1706 7688

missmshell
Here it comes! DC#9405 5036 9930 0452 5928 17

The RAINBOW, GREEN, GOLD, & HOPE of spring packages:
flowergirl34 sends to smittes
corrine1 sends to missmshell - sent
cryptid sends to corrine1 - sent
missmshell sends to cryptid - sent
rosemctier sends to flowergirl34
smitties sends to rosemctier

The letter for Tuesday is A
L 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
C 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
K 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
Y 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties

4________ no points
L________1 pt for smitties
E________ 1 pt for smitties
A________ (Tues)
F________ (Wed)

C________ (Thurs)
L________ (Friday)
O________
V________
E________
R________

I'll post totals at the end of the week :o) With only a few of you participating I felt I was posting too much with the daily letters. Hopefully, this will be easy to follow for your daily posts. I've been enjoying the variety of plants submitted plus earning swagbucks when searching for them. I am almost ready to buy another gardening goodie from Amazon using my free gift cards earned on swagbucks and think it will be a vegetable gardening book called Grow, Cook, Eat by Willi Galloway, but I'm not certain yet.

I just love it that some of you are having a warm spring so that I can "enjoy it through you" and it gives me hope that pleasant weather is coming. I try to work the mixed borders before the vegetable garden is ready, so despite the cool weather (cold, wet, snow, rain, hail, wind) I've been out there wearing 2 of everything to keep warm enough. Since the ice damage flattened our green vinyl wire fence & the underbrush grew into it we just put in new fence posts about 12' further in the forest to hold the fence. Now we have room for more shrubs there, so I've been moving some shrubs to screen our backyard from camp as we have many gaps left by the ice storm and we prefer a bit more backyard patio & hot tub privacy since we live right at the camp.

Another spring project is expanding the edge a bit out front for daylilies from our backyard. When my husband helped last night he couldn't believe how many rocks I'd dug that afternoon (3'x 4' lawn cart with a 15" layer of rocks plus piles on the ground of pumelo & grapefruit sized ones). After a few minutes of digging he understood & was thankful our teen son had loaded the cart with the bulk of the rocks instead of buckets too heavy to lift. The rain will wash the rocks clean & we'll add them to our rocky path/dry creek bed (burial ground for the thousands of rocks we dig out). The funniest rock looked like a low profile size 12 shoe minus the laces. We've got to do something fun with that one on display.

Today I'll work outside only if it isn't raining. Otherwise, I plan to sort through some vegetable seeds for sowing and do housework before I go to work in the late afternoon.

What are you doing on the 1st day of spring?
Corrine

Hello all, happy, happy spring. Very nice day here. Hit a record high in the low 80's. Coworker turned on the air this morning where I would have opened the door to get the wonderful spring air. The customers tend to walk in on the way to the cafe next to us too.

A-Ajuga (perennial)

Wow Corrine, I a sorry you are still having to wear layers. Sounds like you are getting work done despite the weather.

We received some strawberry plants I ordered and hubby is digging the garden for them tomorrow. Can't wait. I haven't grown strawberries in years.

I am curious how you earn swagbucks for "searching for plants". Please explain as I am a swagbuck member too. Thanks

Happy hump day tomorrow. Margo

P. S. I have been in contact with Rose and she knows my package is going out late. I am working on it tonight and finishing up tomorrow so hubby can mail it Thursday morning.

Quick drop by here. It is going to be 84 today, another record.

F-Foeniculum (fennel) herb

Good day to all.

Margo

Where is everyone? I know I am not the only one playing the game. I need competition. :)

Today is forecasted for another record breaking day in the 80's. That is too warm to keep the store doors open and I work all day. I prefer that to air conditioning but we have candy at the counter and it will begin to get soft if we get too warm in the store.

C-Calliopsis (perennial)

Hope everyone else has lovely record breaking temps today.

Margo

Margo, good question -- you're racking up both the points & the warm weather! Vina is on vacation. What have the rest of you been doing?

We had snow overnight again for snow 3x this week, but the roads clear quickly and if not too deep melts by afternoon like today.

Margo asked how I earn swagbucks searching for plants, so I'll explain. Join the free swagbucks & login daily then use their search engine either from the website or download the toolbar. Not every search is a winner. The points vary, like I just searched for Calliopsis & earned 7 (swagbucks) SB. The most I've earned was 27 SB I think. They have some special days & codes that come up for more SB. You can also earn points for watching their SBTV videos on various topics (only a few gardening). I let the points accumulate until I have 450 & buy a $5 amazon gift card with the points. Then wait a week or so until they give me a code to credit my amazon account. When I have enough gift card credits to buy what I want that also qualifies for their super saver shipping -- it's free because the gift cards pay for the sales tax, too.

My Lucky 4-leaf Clover box came last night full of delightful garden surprises. Cryptid really stuffed that box full! I will post the contents later when I have more time. I'm on a brief break between both my part time jobs today & teach all day tomorrow again.

:o) Corrine

i sent vina's out today. does anyone know when she will be back?

I just finished printing Rose's label out so I am mailing her box tomorrow morning.

DC 9405503699300456281472

Sorry you are still experiencing snow Corrine. I wish I could sent some of this nice weather to you. I was upset cause everyone wanted to turn on the air at our house tonight. I just enjoy the good fresh air. The night cools down nicely anyway. I think tomorrow is our last record breaking day and we are going down to the 60's. I'll take it.

Margo

Got my package from corrine yesterday! I got a coffee mug which I never seem to have enough of, filled with yummy GREEN tea bags. For the hope of spring I got a pack of lovely bath salts for relaxing in the bath after a hard day in the garden. My rainbow came in the form of all kinds of seeds! Then, I got a little calendar for keeping track of them all. For gold, I got a bag of gold coins (chocolate :) ) and it came with a cookie cutter and a yummy recipe! Thank you corrine! This was a lot of fun, I look forward to doing some more exchanges!

And the box went out this morning. Sorry about that being late Rose. I also forgot to include my wish. With everything that went on this past week, (Rose is aware) I was just rushing and forgot. I feel this was not my best planned box.

L-Lily of the Valley, perennial

Margo

My flat rate small box from cryptid was stuffed full of all sorts of goodies for the garden & gardener in me with a lovely leprechaun card with an Irish blessing & a sheet of paper with the list of everything.

There were so many things in the box it amazed my family as I kept pulling out something to find what category it fit (rainbow, gold, green, hope of spring). We were at the table playing Blockus 3-D at the same time, so I was very distracted, but I still came in 2nd place. Yeah!

rainbow: ladybug streamer windsock, rainbow colored beet seeds + rocket larkspur, rainbow colored envelope for the card

gold: 4 types of seeds with golden flowers (rudbeckia, coreopsis types, cosmos) + chocolate coins YUM

green: bareroot pkg Oxalis regnellii bulbs (shamrock or clover lookalikes), seeds with green flowers or green foliage Bells of Ireland, Irish Eyes Rudbeckia & Green Envy Zinnia

hope of spring: tiny flower pot with silk flowers, hand crocheted by his wife green & black sparkling butterfly pin, soil testing kit (Good for 10 tests & since I've never tested any soil here will be very interesting) + a flowered covered small notepad (I'm a big notetaker, so this will be handy in my gardening toolbelt.)

plus more seeds Cosmos Picotee, purple tomatillo (how interesting!), silver origami owl with googly eyes, & LED keychain light that is super bright!

Plus there was no frost or snow this morning & the weather has changed for the weekend with partly cloudy & warmer temps even 60 possibly! I'm thrilled to be in the gardens all day here & down at camp then have a birthday party for my married daughter. I think I'll be exhausted, but it's all fun! Have a great Saturday & weekend all.

Corrine

My chock-full box o' "Lucky 4-Leaf Clover" goodies from Michelle (missmshell) arrived, day-before-yesterday! And a nice BIG box it was, too! :)

RAINBOW: Skittles! Perfect choice (I gave `em to Elly),...and seeds!

GREEN: To green up our house, a large (three wicks) Mainstays "Bamboo Water" scented candle,...and seeds to green up our garden!

GOLD: A set of bright, yellowy-gold dish cloths, really nicely hand-crocheted by Michelle herself (major thanks from Elly),...and gold flower seeds!

To represent the coming of Spring: A wonderful, red hummingbird feeder, fitted with a suction cup for attatching to a window, along with a generous bag of nectar concentrate.

THE SEEDS: Bachelor Button, "Blue Boy" / Snapdragon, "Tall Deluxe Mixed Colors" / Balsam, "Camellia Mixed Colors" /
Sunflower, "Lemon Queen" / Sunflower, "Autumn Beauty" / Tansy (gold blooms) / Dark green Italian Parsley / Mediterranian Oregano (really looking forward to trying this puppy!)

Uber "Thanks!" Michelle for such a fantastic, well thought out box of goodies! :)

Now, I'm off to the Rate & Review Exchanges forum to leave you a good one indeed...!

Your SO welcome cryptid! This was a lot of fun :)

Hey everyone! I'm BACK :0)

Got back into town yesterday, and on my doorstep was my Rainbow from Rose! What a welcome home surprise.

In my package from Rose was:
~the cutest handmade rainbow card with the seeds taped where the colors should be...very cute!
~Red: Albemus: Oriental, Red/Orange Brighton Rock, Red: Gomphrena
~Orange: Little Finger Carrot, Sweet Pea: Mammoth Salmon Cream, Irish Poet Tassle Flower
~Gold: Nipple Fruit, Morning Glory Tree: Pale Pink
~Yellow: Canary Creeper Vine, Fuzzy Face Sunflower: Yellow, Music Box Sunflower: Yellow
~Green: Dragon Tree, Green Envy Zinnia, Hairy Balls: Green
~Sky Blue Cluster Vine, Columbine: Blue Dwarf
~Saphire Tower: Turquoise, Lilac
~Chinese Houses: Purple, Tansy: Fiddleneck: Purple, Passiflora: Purple
~Black Pearl: Ornamental Pepper, Mini Angel's Trumpet: White, Penny Blacks

WOW!!! and last but not least...the GOLD at the end of the rainbow...Reeses Peese's and Tolberone...both are already gone. :0)

Rose, HOLY MOLY!!! What can I say?? Your awesome! Such a unique and intersting way to send my seeds, and SO MANY different kinds. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Are we still playing the game? and if so, what are we on for Monday? :)

Margo your package will be going out this week.

Have a super Sunday!
vina

ps. we had a terrific time in Myrtle Beach! :)

i'm so glad it got there okay and happy you liked it :) let me know if you have any questions. i bet the chocolate was melted into a puddle-- but i'd like the foil of a toblerone clean LOL did you find your earrings?

The letter for Monday is O
L 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
U 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
C 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties
K 1 pt for flowergirl34, smitties
Y 1 pt for missmshell, flowergirl34, smitties

4________ no points
L________1 pt for smitties
E________ 1 pt for smitties
A________ 1 pt for smitties
F________ 1 pt for smitties

C________ 1 pt for smitties
L________ 1 pt for smitties
O________ Mon
V________ Tues
E________ Wed
R________ Thurs *WINNER ANNOUNCED

--
The RAINBOW, GREEN, GOLD, & HOPE of spring packages:
flowergirl34 sends to smittes
corrine1 sends to missmshell - received
cryptid sends to corrine1 - received
missmshell sends to cryptid - received
rosemctier sends to flowergirl34 - received
smitties sends to rosemctier - sent

The birds are sure singing this morning here & the tree pollen arrived in full swing last Friday along with sunshine. Pollen + woodsmoke from someone nearby has caused an asthma flare, so even though it rained overnight I'm picking up more meds this morning. I love spring and want to enjoy it!

We'll wrap up the game on Thursday & I'll send the prize to the winner.

We're leaving for vacation Friday night or Sat morning if the tulip fields are blooming up north. It's great we live within just a few hours of acres of tulips. If you ever get a chance to visit a field it's breathtaking!

Corrine

Good evening. I used to live near the tulip capital in Michigan, (Holland) and would you believe I never went to see them?

O-Oyster plant (tropical, tender Perennial)

Hope you are able to get up to see the tulips this weekend.

Margo

Good Tuesday everyone. We got cold last night but I don't think it caused any problems.

Vervain (herb)

Margo

2 more points for Margo -- Have the rest of you given up? Should we declare a winner?

:o) March is flying by quickly, so be sure to enjoy the day ~ Corrine

Afternoon all!

Yes, Corrine, I think I have to give up on the game. There is no way for me to catch up with missing last week. It was fun though. I'm happy for you to declare a winner if you wish :0)

Rose, I didn't see any earrings in the package? I still have the rainbow card all attached. I'm going to plant some this weekend, so I've kept them together till then. The Tolberone was melted, that just made it easier to not share :)...and alas, the reeses came through totally fine. So hubby and the kiddos got to fight over them. :)I hope they didn't get chucked with the box :(?

Margo I am putting the finishing touches on your box and should be mailing it out by Thursday...the latest. Thank you so much for allowing me to play catch up with this swap. Taking a week off from your life certainly puts things a little behind. :)

Have a great night all!
vina

Vina, no problem and I totally understand.

I am giving a bridal shower for my daughter. Actually, her sister is the one giving it but since she is in college, the job is basically mine. Anyway, this is planned for May 6th. Does anyone know of any quick recipes for a group of twenty. Basically I want to do more quick things rather than a meal.

I will have to check on the DC number and see if the package for Rose has arrived. It should be there by now.

Margo

Congratulations to Margo~~ our winner of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Margo I have sent you an email.

Welcome back, Vina, vacations are so worth it even though it's work to get ready & when you return. We're getting ready to leave ourselves for 5 days and our backyard poultry & rabbits are getting extra care this week with clean pens & more water/feeders to make it easy for a friend to come check on them, but won't have to do much at all.

The forecast is 70% chance of rain & thunderstorms increasing to 100% tonight, but the skies are bright blue this morning & 42 degrees, so I'm going out to the garden a bit before the rain comes. Sounds like perfect transplanting weather & there are all sorts of perennial seedlings to move.

Corrine

Margo, your rainbow is on its way. I mailed it out yesterday afternoon. The DC is in my car. I'll post it later today. :)

Hope you enjoy! :)
vina

Thanks Vina. I will let you know when I get it.

I did hear from Rose that she received my package but was unable to get on here and post. I think she will follow through once she solves the problem.

Margo

The RAINBOW, GREEN, GOLD, & HOPE of spring packages:
flowergirl34 sends to smittes - sent
corrine1 sends to missmshell - received
cryptid sends to corrine1 - received
missmshell sends to cryptid - received
rosemctier sends to flowergirl34 - received
smitties sends to rosemctier - received

I'll check back in after we get back from vacation. Of course, I'm taking plants with me to transplant at Grandma & Grandpa's. :o) Corrine

Received my box from Vina yesterday and it was packed with a rainbow of flower seeds. Vina grouped them each in a color grouping to make a rainbow. Seeds to numerous to list but fantastic selections. She also included a mini shovel which will work great with transplanting seedlings and a frog that hangs on a planter. She also included a very nice rainbow poem. Thank you Vina for the great package.

Was busy in the garden today. It was not an expected project because I didn't think the weather was going to be good for it. I started weeding and mulching the garden next to our garage. I usually start in the front of the house and this garden is the last one I get to so I decided to start there this year. I have a rough time with it because the soil isn't very good. After five years, it is finally starting to flourish so after weeding and mulching, it looks pretty good. I still have the roughest part to do. I let it go last year and a weed took over. It could be an invasive flower for all I know since I am always planting new things. I like the little white flower but hate the plant so have to pull it all out. It really hangs on when pulled. Will start back on it tomorrow.

Margo

YEAH! I'm glad it made it!! :)

Happy Easter Everyone !!!
vina

All of the RAINBOW, GREEN, GOLD, & HOPE of spring packages were all sent & received, so this swap is over.

Happy Easter~
Corrine

Thank you Corrine for a great swap and Happy Easter to you too. Margo