Sorry I've been MIA, came home last night, ate dinner and then took another all night nap. This is getting silly!

Then, I got an Amazon gift certificate for my B-day and one of the things I got with it was a threader, which came in the mail today. It punches holes in your home-made cards so you can thread ribbon through! And yes, I've been experimenting ALL night long! The cats are loving the ribbon!

Well, reading seems to be the "other" thing we would do if we didn't garden. How about everyone else? What would you be doing if you didn't garden?

Ruth, what plants did you get?

Janine, you lost your jogging pants? Quite the dream, funny if you weren't in it! Plant sales and no money is not a good thing!

Jeanne, would love to see pics of Piper when she is done shedding!

Katie, I have at least 4 different penstemons (beardstongues) coming up out there and none of them look like that. But I WSed 6 different kinds, so maybe I'll get one like that! Great looking plant!

Margo and Jeanne, wishing you both speedy recoveries!

Greetings, Alana and Annie!

Hope to hear from Vina soon about the Robin. Can't wait to see what she adds!

Back to the drawing board!
Talk to ya soon!
Shirley!

Thanks Shirley, for the prize. Sometimes being number one Last has it's rewards, lol.
I love the white Borage seeds and will be planting some soon.
Alana

Received my prize seeds too. Good choice to in sending blanketflower. I love them. Thank you Shirley and you are doing an awesome hosting job. Margo

Received my prize of Magellan Sunburst Zinna Mix seeds yesterday, good choice as I plant zinna and marigolds around my garden. Thanks Shirley.

Hope everyone has gotton over their illness, sure was alot of flu and crud going around.

My winter sowing sprouts are doing well despite the weather except for my poor tomatoes. I started them in small divided seed starting flats and first they got to wet and alot of them died. Our weather just refuses to stay a normal temp. Couple days of 60 then rain and cold.

Not sure what I'd be doing if I couldn't garden. probably making seed envelopes or fishing if the weather ever straightens up.

Hope everyone is doing fine and Margo glad your healing OK.
Suzanne

I got really good stuff at the plant swap.
You have to really discipline yourself not to bring home one of each, and there was lots & lots of plants there.

This is some of the stuff I brought home.
Agave
Naked Lady bulbs
Pink Firespike, Odontonema callistachyum
Prunus mexicana S. Wats./Mexican plum
Ribes aureum var. villosum (R. odoratum)aka/Buffalo Currant, Clove Currant
Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'
Yarrow, white
Large 25 gal. and under nursery pots

Anybody able to identify this plant?

Heidi, I think your plant is a Plectranthus of some kind.
Ruth, nice haul!
Shirley, I also got my prize today. Thank you so much for the Sweet Pea seeds. It's been a long time since I've grown them!

Heidi,
I'm in agreement with Jaynine. Commonly called Swedish Ivy around here - Google says that is Plectranthus asutralis.
Jeanne

My prize arrived today. Thanks so much, Shirley. You chose well on the seeds and I love the note card with daffogils!
Jeanne

Evening! Just wanted to post that the robin still hasn't landed :(

Hopefully tomorrow...
vina

Evening All! Glad everyone got their prizes; Suzanne, the swallowtail butterflies love the Magellen zinnias, not sure why, and I know it sounds strange, but those were the ones they were attracted to. The flowers get large, and they have a long bloom time; bright clear colors.

Ruth, that sounds like a great haul! Some really interesting plants. Need to google the Firespike.

Alana, I'm hoping the white borage does as well for me as the common blue always has. Love the flowers, so do the bees!

Heidi, what computer are you on? I hate computer problems; and while I am really glad my granddaughters live closer now, that also means my SIL, the computer tech, does too!

Janine, I'm trying a sweetpea/container/tomato cage combo this year, will post pics when I get them started. The website where I got those seeds is Great!

I see Jeanne has started the May FOTESS swap, another great idea by our resident "Great Idea Lady!" Check it out and join in the fun!

Margo, you introduced me to Gaillardia, I think I sowed 5 different kinds last weekend!

Vina, we're waiting with ya!

Hey, off to bed!
Another jam packed weekend comimg up, hope my "sleeping sickness" doesn't kick in!
Have a great Friday!
Shirley!

Shirley,

Thank you so much!! I received my prize....gardening gloves, Nigella seeds and a garden flag which appropriatley says, "LIVE LAUGH GARDEN".........

Happy weekend!!

Annie

It's HERE! The robin arrived this morning.

First let me thank Robin for the Blue Enchantment Convolvulus seeds! They look so pretty! Morning glories in bush form. Perfect! And they are something new I've never grown before...super FUN!

I gave my best shot at poetry...hope it does the rest of the poem justice...here goes...

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all of God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the coming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Elusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow,pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of the bounty yet to come.

Janine, the robin is headed your way this afternoon when I take Billy to school. :)

Happy Friday!!
vina

Fruit trees blossoming - another aspect of Spring covered! How about apple blossoms, orange blossoms and maybe that Currant that Ruth was talking about?
Well done, Vina and good poetry too!!
Thanks for posting, and for putting the Robin back in flight!

Janine, the Robin is winging its way to you!

Would you believe we only have 5 more people left to add to the Robin? Woo Hoo! We aren't going to finish the poem by the end of April, but thats okay. I kind of figured we would go over.
Here is the flight path:
Vina is sending to Janine, who lives in Connecticut;

Janine will send to Suzanne, who lives in Ohio, who will start a new verse;

Suzanne will send to Margo, who lives in Ohio;

Margo will send to Katie, who lives in Mississippi, who will start a new verse;

Katie will send to Dianne, who lives in Alabama, who will finish the poem and send it back to me!

Annie, glad you liked your prize, and a happy weekend to you too!

Well, another super busy weekend planned. It's supposed to be nice, hopefully I'll get some garden clean up done!
Happy Weekend to All!
Shirley!

Hi Everyone, hope ya all had a nice Sunday! It poured rain here today, all day. Yesterday was good, in the 60s, got a lot of clean up done outside.

My Bleeding Hearts are covered with buds, even the pink one, which usually looks like it is dying. I'm thinking it's a little early for these, need to check when they bloomed last year. AND!! Two of the Turtleheads are up and running! Can't remember where the other two are, hopefully they are out there somewhere! I am so pleased with these, they are the host plant for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterfly!

Have a great week, All!
Shirley!

I got it! Vina so generously sent seeds of Columbine 'Leprechaun', which was once in my garden but has vanished. Perfect choice for me~thank you!
Will reassemble and put out in tomorrow's mail....look out, Suzanne!
Does our poem have a title?

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all of God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the coming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Elusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow,pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of the bounty yet to come.
Days lengthen, the earth grows warmer:
summer's just around the corner.

Great lines, Janine! They make a good turning point in the Poem. Good rhyming!
Thanks for posting and for getting the Robin back out in flight.

Suzanne, the Robin is headed your way!

And no, the Poem doesn't have a title. Hmmmm? Has anyone else thought about that? Any suggestions?

We had a really beautiful day here. And it's supposed to be nice all week. I can live with that!
Have a great day tomorrow!
Shirley!

I'm ready for the poem! One idea for the title, "Thoughts Of Spring"

Looks like a nice day ahead, off to transpland tomatoes and dig in the dirt. Have a good day everyone.

That's a good one, Suzanne!
Maybe we should keep a list (I'm great with lists!) of titles we can choose from for the title for the Poem:
Suzanne - "Thoughts of Spring"
Shirley - " A Spring Journey"
Anyone else have any ideas?

Oh how I hope no one asks how we're going to choose the title, because I haven't a clue!

Beautiful day here today! 70!!! Not much garden work done after work, but lots of sitting outside and dreaming!
Hope you all have a great Wednesday!
Shirley!

Great lines Janine! It will be interesting to see how the poem ends.
Finally good weather here for a few days, take care all.
Alana

Hey ya'll...sorry I caused the robin to get off track and caused ya'll all worry and confusion!! ...i'm here and doing well ...just a bit frazzled lol ....so much going on here...and it seems to be never-ending! but such is life and i'm blessed to be living it :))

I wanted to say a special thanks for the coral vine seeds i received in the robin that i didn't get back out in flight!!! i've been wanting coral vine for a couple of years now and couldn't find it anywhere so was super excited when i got it and had planned to add my lines and get it back out in the mail right away but kept getting sidetracked and then eventually just forgot about it :((...to tell ya'll how busy i was i had library books i turned in today and owe over $200 in fines for them they are so late...i feel so stupid and know that is such a waste of money...just in all that has been going on lately the library and the internet have been distant as i intend to get things organized and goin back in order but then get sidetracked with a phone call or having to jump up and run somewhere and then forget what i intended to get done...

i've had a few family friends that are like family to my family that have been having heart surgeries and i've been helping take care of things for them and my mom has needed me more than usual lately and my 4 kids keep me running plus i've been watching a friend's kids for her emergency situations and for her to work...been helping another friend through some emotional issues and hubby has been working out of state so i have it all by myself...currently i have an uncle that is on life support and i may have to go with my mom to be with her if she has to make the decision to take him off life support, the van blew it's motor, the other vehicles keep breaking down and can only be trusted around town, and 2 of my girls have had softball tournaments almost every weekend and will be going on a 3 day trip to the state softball tournament the weekend of mother's day...so i've been staying really busy but am healthy and fine and my immediate family is healthy and fine :) ...I don't mean to ramble on but just feel so bad i haven't paid much attention to my online friends and neighbors like i should be...i'm behind on a few trades other than this one and once i get caught up i probably won't trade for a couple of months unless life slows down a little but i'm gonna try to get on here and at least check in and chat from time to time...i appreciate and love you all!!!

Take care, Dianne

Diane, thanks for posting, it was good to hear from you. I hope things slow done and straighten out for you. Do you still want me to add you on to the end of the Robin's flight path? Please let me know what to do. Thanks!

Another beautiful day here. 73 degrees! I had to go shopping right after work, but at least it was warm! I think I can store my hat and mittens away now!

Will talk to ya all later!
Shirley!

I'm really not sure where I'll be when it gets to the stage of getting back around to me...I'd love to join in and be a part of the poem but I don't want to get it sidetracked again or make it later than I've already made it...so I guess I can sit out the poem part and besides someone has already sent me seeds so I don't need a 2nd set of seeds as I don't want to be unfair...I do however want to send someone seeds to make up for my mishap so if we could figure out how to do so that would be awesome :)...if the only way to do it fairly is for me to add to the poem and send on to you, Shirley, then we can do that...I'll just try to make it a point to check in more often and actually get it off in good time...gosh i'm really sorry that i've made it so complicated and such an inconvenience...thanks for thinking of me, Dianne

Dianne, how does this sound: You send a pack of seeds to Jeanne, that's who you were to send the poem to. I'll send you her address if you don't have it. Then set out this swap and any other that you need to. It sounds like you could use a break or two, and you can come back to FOTESS when your life is a little less stressful. And you can always stop in and say hi and stay in touch, okay!?
Let me know.

These 8 am starting times are killing me! I'm a night person, for the love of pete!
Shirley!

:) Thanks Shirley! That will work fine for me...I think I have Jeanne's addy but just in case please email it to me again...have a good day at work...i know how it is when you're used to a schedule and then get flipped...i worked swing shift jobs for so long and then worked straight day jobs when i'd work overtime at night and worked straight night jobs where i'd work overtime at day...it can throw a body for a loop sometimes...hope the rain slacks off here...so much i need to do while i got a minute to think about doing things outside...we needed it for a minute there but it's drowning a bit of my plants now...Mother Nature is busy these days too lol...have a good day today!! ---- Dianne

Okay, Dianne, stop by and visit us when you have a chance!

Okay, here's the game plan:
Suzanne will send the Robin to Margo,
who will send it on to Katie,
who will send back to me!

Another great day here, got some cleanup and weeding done after work. And the furnace is off for the summer!

Have a great Friday!
Shirley!

Our poem is here! Jane also sent me Aladdin Skyblue Petunia. Was thinking of buying more petunia seeds, thanks Janine.

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the comming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Exclusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow, pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of bounty yet to come.
Days lengthen, the earth grows warmer;
summer's just around the corner.

Awaiting to see the hummingbirds flight,
so magestic, what a delight.

And it's off to Margo. Get ready!!

Great Lines, Suzanne! Very good! Yet another aspect of Spring - I forgot about the birds! The hummers, the robins, the warblers and all those other little guys I hear every morning on my way to work! Good addition, Suzanne, and nice rhyming! Thanks for posting!

Anyone have any more ideas for a title? Ruth? Heidi? Alana? Peggy? Melinda? Jeanne? Robin? Vina? Janine? Margo? Katie? Let's hear your ideas!

Well, the Robin is going on to Margo, then to Katie and then back to me. It might not be too long before we are finished! This Poem has been all over the country! And I think we've all done really well with it, so far. Can't wait to see what Margo adds!

Finishing up the laundry and then it's off for an early bedtime. It's supposed to be nice here this weekend and I have so much I want to get done outside! Need an early start!
Happy Weekend!
Shirley!

I am thinking about what I am going to add. I feel the pressure Shirley since you can't wait to hear what I add. LOL

I was thinking a title linking the word friends since we all worked on it together.

Words of Spring from friends
Friends and their thoughts of Spring
Friends and their vision of Spring

Something along that line.

I am looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow I run the 5k with my son, daughter, and son in law. Then I am going to garden, garden, and more garden. On Sunday, we head to Columbus to see our son and daughter in law from Texas, (the ones having our first grandchild). All five of our kids will be gathering together for a lunch. I can't wait.

I hope everyone else is expecting a great weekend.

Margo

Just got home from running my third 5k. Didn't do as well time wise because my daughter was having trouble with her ovarian cysts acting up. She probably should not have run it but we still made it. Had to stop a minute or two for her to get over some pain then walked more than ran but it was still fun.

When I arrived, my card with poem and seeds was here. I received candyman dwarf calendula seeds and the poem from Suzanne and they were tucked inside the prettiest card. Thank you Suzanne. I did my part of the poem and will get the seeds and poem off hopefully tomorrow.

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the comming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Exclusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow, pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of bounty yet to come.
Days lengthen, the earth grows warmer;
summer's just around the corner.

Awaiting to see the hummingbirds flight,
so majestic, what a delight.
How fast and silent its small wings zoom,
intending to drink nectar from every bright bloom.

Katie, it will be at your door soon. Will let you all know when I mail it.

Margo

I'm ready, Margo! Those are some great lines you added. I better start thinking of some good lines to get Shirley started on wrapping the poem up. Shirley, do you want me to write something that rhymes with "the end?" Haha.

DH and I are working on expanding the flowerbeds this weekend. It has been an ongoing process which has gotten interrupted on a regular basis, but now my attention is undivided and the weather is cooperating for the moment.

Here's a pic of one of my natives in all it's glory, Arisaema triphyllum.

Beautiful, Margo! But I knew it would be! And ya know, Hummers ARE fast and silent, and very intent - good capture!

Katie, that might not be a bad idea, ie, "the end." See what you can do! And thanks for sharing the great picture! What a beautiful plant, is that the color it will remain, or will it change?

Worked outside ALL day! I got a lot accomplished and am set up to do all the rest of my annuals tomorrow! Spent most of the day doing clean up, but I did get 4 pots of sweet pea seeds planted and did one pot of Nasturciums. The rest of the nasties are going In the wildflower mix, which, hopefully, will get done tomorrow too! GREAT day!

I hope everyone else had a good gardening day!
Talk to ya all tomorrow!
Shirley!

Hello, FOTHSS'er! Our poem is really beautiful. Here is one of my suggested title: Spring's Joyful Journey. I planted a row of red/green cabbage's and alternated the colors as I planted them. The purple cabbages were planted last week but a few of them will need to be replaced because the cows took a walk through the garden. A mini vacation was enjoyed by the family last week when we traveled to Boise. Our son from Cheyenne flew in to join us. I was able to can up a batch of pickled asparagus last week with my niece. It was fun to spend time with her on this project while the rest of the fam went golfing. I am happy that she is carrying on our family canning tradition. Today will be more planting in the garden. Hope your day will be full of sunshine and smiles.

Margo, great addition to the poem. This poem is lovely!!! A name for the poem...great suggestions above...maybe "Springing in to Summer",....

Rain "might" be on the way...would love it. I need to get out and finish putting in my tomatoes.

Happy Sunday!

Annie

Hi Everybody!
Hope everyone had a nice Sunday, and that you all had a chance to get some gardening in.

Hi Peggy, nice to hear from you! The pickled asparagus sounds good, do you use the same spices as you do for pickles?

We're getting some great ideas for the title for the poem. Feel free to share some more!

I got all my annual seeds planted out in flats today and transplanted the Echinacea and NE Asters to their in ground homes. The Hardy Geranium that has spent the last two years in a pot also got transplanted to a space in the garden. I could almost hear the poor thing breath a sigh of relief and start stretching his/her roots out!

Well, my muscles are really sore, had a choice of motrin or dry white wine to help with that. Just got done with the wine. At least it's all natural.

Have a great Monday!
Shirley!

Good morning everyone. Had a lovely day yesterday with all my kids and kids in law gathered together at my oldest sons house. So good to have them all together and so lovely to see them all interact together. Now realize why my grandmother would just sit back in her rocker and watch when we all gathered, that wonderful smile across her face. Nothing like it.

The poem was put in the mailbox yesterday so believe it will be picked up this morning and be on its way to Katie. This was such a great idea Shirley. Maybe some time we could do this type of swap again and instead maybe write a little story together. Loved it.

Have a good Monday, Margo

Margo, it's even better with a grandchild for everyone to interact with! I love to watch my sons, who aren't married, interact with Tabitha and Myrna. Ter treats them like they are made of glass and Todd gets down and plays games like "wild wolf " with them. This involves lots of growling and shrieking! Fun to watch!

And that's a great idea, to do a story. Will definitely keep it in mind! And maybe starting a little earlier would be a good idea too! I'm glad you enjoyed it, Margo!

I can't believe we are almost done with the Poem. I'm trying to think of a good ending. I guess it all depends on what Katie sends me. Can't wait to see it!

I was exhausted and sore all day, been awhile since I used some of those muscles! It turned colder here, sunny, but really cold and windy.

Talk to ya all later!
Shirley!

Hey Everyone!
Should be hearing from Katie soon, and then, TA DA!!
THE END!
Can you believe it's almost over?
It was a really nice day here today, starting to warm up again, which is a good thing. Hope it lasts until the weekend!
Have a great Wednesday,
Shirley!

The suspense is killing me!!
Have a great day tomorrow anyway!
Shirley!

Hang in there, Shirley! I've got my part already written up. Got seeds picked out. Just waiting on the postman. I suspect it will arrive tomorrow. I live in such a little town; it always takes longer to get mail.

The end is coming...to the poem that is!!

Shirley, this poetry round robin has been so much fun! Thanks so much!

Happy Day!

Annie

FOTESSers, the wait is over!

I was pleasantly greeted by MargoâÂÂs card, seeds, and the poem when I checked the mail this afternoon. Margo sent a lovely card and 4 (!) different types of gaillardia. Such exciting seeds and so very generous. Thank you so much Margo. Shirley, the next flight of the Robin is headed your way tomorrow!

And now for what weâÂÂve all been waiting for:

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the coming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Exclusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow, pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of bounty yet to come.
Days lengthen, the earth grows warmer;
summer's just around the corner.

Awaiting to see the hummingbirds flight,
so majestic, what a delight.
How fast and silent its small wings zoom,
intending to drink nectar from every bright bloom.

Spring has sprung, the blossoms bloomed,
Now there are plants to tend.
Never fear, SummerâÂÂs almost here;
But for Spring, this is â¦.

[take it away, Shirley!]

Oh sure, Katie, leave me the hard part!
Just kidding!
What a beautiful ending, perfect, Katie!
I'm adding my part now, so we can all read how the poem fits together. And I'll post again when I get the poem from Katie.
And I just want to say: Great job, everyone! Not just with the poem, but you all did an excellent job of keeping the Robin going, in a timely manner, for which I am really thankful! Wasn't quite sure how this would work out, but it turned out far better than I could have hoped for. Thank you all for being such great FOTESSERS!

And one more thing, I really enjoyed doing the Robin (and hope you did too), and loved Margo's idea for doing a Round Robin Story. SOOOO, we may borrow another month from Jeanne and do this, maybe in the Fall. Keep it in mind and I would appreciate any imput, ideas or suggestions for a Round Robin Story.

And because I didn't have to work very hard to finish up, I thought I would give the Poem it's title:

Friends of the Earth's Spring Journey

A haze of green and longer days,
And lots and lots of rain!
Helps nature work behind the scene
as sunshine pushes through the grey.

Upwards push the tender tulips.
Companion of the daffodil
So lovely, but I sigh, there are evil weeds to dig,
battle them tomorrow, for now a glass of wine.

First blooms of Redbud glow pink and bright,
under a clear blue canopy in the morning sunlight.
As with all God's creations, spring brings forth the beautiful flowers.
Which are doubly enhanced by the coming of April's showers.

Pollen-nation! Oh the sneezes and the misery;
the price we pay for leaves on the trees
and a colorful array of bright Spring flowers.
Let the rain come back again - the irritants to devour.

Descending from cloistered winter aeries,
Exclusive silver-winged garden faeries
dance in the flower beds
among blossoms of yellow, pink and red.

Cherry trees blossoming in the sun,
give a small taste of bounty yet to come.
Days lengthen, the earth grows warmer;
summer's just around the corner.

Awaiting to see the hummingbirds flight,
so majestic, what a delight.
How fast and silent its small wings zoom,
intending to drink nectar from every bright bloom.

Spring has sprung, the blossoms bloomed,
Now there are plants to tend.
Never fear, SummerâÂÂs almost here;
But for Spring, this is THE END!

Shirley!

Clever Katie! Nice ending and perfect title Shirley; the FOTESS poets make a great team.

Shirley, love the title of the poem and it is a perfect eding. It did go smoothly, didn't it. I think because the poem was posted each time it was added on to, it gave us time to think of the lines we would use.

Great weather here again. I gardened for 4 hours yesterday and barely put a dent in the job. That first weeding, thinning, and mulching takes so long. I ended up picking up some kind of rash from weeding. It is on my arm and although not itchy, it is very nasty looking. I am applying cream around the clock on it to get it healed before we head to Texas.

Margo

Our poem is awesome! Nice job everyone. I am baking in the unusual heat of 93 degree weather. Took a chance and planted some tomatoes. Will have to be ready to cover when frost warnings come and I do believe they will come because I planted tomatoes. O well.. it won't be the first time I have had to replant because I couldn't wait until the last frost date.

Wonderful poem and I think we finished rather quickly This was lots of fun!

This post was edited by sandlapper_rose on Mon, May 13, 13 at 20:07

A perfect finish to the poem.......and the title, so appropriate!!

And a short story for a future "FOTESS" adventure, that will be fun for sure!

Thanks Shirley...

Annie

Well, the March/April FOTESS Round Robin Poem has made it's weary way back to Michigan! I got Katie's card and seeds today, along with the Poem. What a journey the Poem had! Washington, Nebraska, California, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Mississippi, and back to Michigan again! I probably missed one or two in there! Once again, Ladies, thank you all for making this swap a success!

Katie sent me two kinds of annual Phlox - Twinkie Mix and Globe mix. I know she had a hard time finding these seeds and am very thankful she chose to share them with me. They are the same phlox as in the pic of her and her mom over on the MNF site. I'm going to plant them as edging for my new wildflower patch. Have never grown them, can hardly wait to see what they look like! Thank you, Katie!

And thank you for the beautiful card! I googled the artist and found a site with lots of her paintings. My first thought was that they reminded me of Rivera, Sisquieros and Orozco. Lo and behold, when I read her info, she was indeed influenced by the Mexican muralists! Her subject matter is a little more to my taste, tho! Thanks, Katie!

And I guess we can officially close this swap now! Stay tuned for more from FOTESS!
Shirley!

Thank you again Shirley!!

Annie