idle curiousity. since we are halfway through our swap, i know my pal knows who i am, i am just wondering if others know who their pal is. i made the mistake of not keeping it secret the first go around. didn't know we were doing that until after i mailed.

anyone else?

wishing you all good health, happiness and days of sunshine. we all need it.

Hey, where are all the mugshots? I guess I'll start. Here's me with my youngest at Knott's Berry Farm last month... I know... I'm hiding behind the glasses, but I'm the photographer of the family, so I don't have very many pictures of me.

Twinkle - Wow someone is really on the ball. Good show.

Teresa - I thought of that. Just going to the PO and saying keep my packages here, don't send to my house.
The funny part is----I'm going home yesterday, I'm about 1 mile from my house. and I see his Jeep, broke down on the side of the road. I was tickled pink....Sorry but I was.
I hope it is headed to the automobile graveyard. My problem may be solved. But we will see. My husband gave me the only two choices.
1. No more packages (meaning no more trades)
2. Pick your packages up at the PO (which some days will be hard)

I can't go on without trading and buying plants.

Dusty - I am in the process of installing DSL, I hear it is awesome. Can't wait until it happens. I am putting more memory in the computer to carry it though. I did not have enough. I'm paying for the DSL and do not have it going yet. But hopefully soon.

Annie - Yes just look on the bright side Roxy does not leave oil spots.

Shirley

Sandlapper Rose

Shirley, You're going to love it! I have dial up at home and am going to see if I can get DSL there.. We're so in the boonies, we don't get a lot of things the phone co. offers most folks. I can't even get their answering service thingy. And cable.. non existant! 15 years ago when I called.. they told me it would be a long time if ever for us to have cable. We don't have enough houses for them to run the wires. Have you tried kitty litter on the oil? I've been told that works.

Sandlapper, I think that's a great idea us sticking together after this has run it's course.

Lil T, When are they going to tear up the yard?

Is there anyone here that has pond plants/esp. floaters they can trade? My poor pond is in need. If so, please check my trade page, or let me peek at yours. I have much more than what's listed. Thanks in advance, just in case.

Well I best get back to work.. the floors here at the shop need some good lovin!
Holding off on painting until it's sunnier out. I seem to see better that way.

~Dusty~

YaYa

This is absolutely the only photo I have of myself available online and I was going to save it for my rule as "Queen of the Month" but why bother.

This was Halloween. I was thrilled because I got to wear purple eyeshadow and blush. Whooee. There was also some wine involved in the blushing!
See that dress? I sewed that for my daughter's "Medieval" project in 7th grade- 5 years ago and I STILL could cram into that sucker, but breathing deeply was out. The things we do to ourselves...

lilylouise I love your little dog. He's adorable.

Annie - I finally get to see what you look like (The dahlia queen).

Paul - So this is the guy who did all our nice cards. We even get to see your son. Thanks

Dusty - I can not imagine anywhere in NY not having cable. You think wow NY (All city). I actually live in the country but we have lots of stuff. When we moved from Atlanta back to here Cable was coming through our community that week and that was 23 years ago.

Shirley

I love the pictures too. We had a thread last year on the plant trading conversations where we posted our pictures and it was fun to see what everyone looked like. Paul, you and you son are handsome men. Annie, you are definitely MY QUEEN FOR THE DAY! Annie, sent me saxifrage and did someone say DAHLIAS? OMG, I've never seen so many of them and can't wait to plant them and watch them bloom. When I told DH he said he'd help me plant them Saturday and when I told him I'd probably have some new beds he said, "I told you we'll put them somewhere, maybe in the dumpster!" LOL, of course he was joking. When I first started planting flowers he had no interest but now he's actually helping some and everyday he is just like me and goes out the back door as soon as he gets home to see what's changed. I love it! Great pic of you too LilyLouise and love the doggie! I'm rather camera shy but I'll get around to putting one up too I guess. Don't want to be a spoil sport.

I think my pal knows who I am too because I did a trade or sase or something with her like the same day I sent her a package or the next day. MY BAD! Then I think I forgot one time and put my return addy on a box. You know, it's hard to remember not to do that! I have no idea who sends to me but she is a great secret pal.

Well, off to plant some trades I got in today. I got Purple Fountain Grass and Lily of the Valley and DAHLIAS, saxifrage and bleeding hearts. And on the way home I found some kind of bulbs growing that I've never seen so I have to post a pic on Name That Plant to see what they are.

Sunny skies to all,

Nancy

Plantlady Jan- I hope for a speedy recovery for you- You have to get out there and dig!

Nancy-Jacey's gran; "so far in the woods they have to pipe in sunshine" LOL I hadn't heard that one before. There are pockets of homes high up a mini mountain across the valley from us that still don't have cable- same reason we can't get natural gas- too few homes and too expensive to dig. We really miss the cable internet when it poofs in a storm or such, but aren't we all lucky to even be able to do this at all? Nothing short of a miracle as far as I'm concerned.
When I first got online ten years ago of course it seemed like I had just stepped off the Starship Enterprise into a whole vast new universe. I was traipsing around AOL at the time and talked to a guy in England. ENGLAND! I was incredulous, could not believe I could type something and WHAM it would be legible thousands of miles away instantly. Ah, those were the days of innocence LOL. Now I get mad if the email takes more than ten seconds to load, or a photo etc etc.

And speaking of: Keep the photos coming. I want to see everyone and pets too.

Great pictures everybody! This has got to be the best, most fun, nicest-bunch-of-people round robin! Hooray for the internet - it would not be possible to have "met" all of you wonderful people without it.

LilyLouise, Ernie is a cutie!!!

~Dusty~

Dusty also sent me some sedums and a euphorbia. Love em.

Hope all you ladies have a wonderful mother's day. I will be going camping with my boys leaving the wife and daughter for a girl's weekend. Paul

Dusty, hope you aren't getting tooo dusty with all the work you're doing at the shop! lol

Lilylouise, King Ernie looks like a cutie : ).
Annie/Pooche, you make a nice Queen too =:: ) Although, a queen might not be so slim with all the great/rich foods they'd eat, but who knows. Umm can't you wear the blush and purple shadow without it having to be a costume party or something like that? You shouldn't have to wait for a special occassion.

As far as "secrets" go... I think I know who my pal is unless she's been sending the packages to someone else so they can send to me; Now that Would be sneaky! I think my pal probably knows who I am too, she'll have to email me. It's hard keeping it a secret when even if you use someone else's address (like YaYa's) the USPS won't smudge the postmark anymore. Well, I guess what's Bad for secret pal exchanges is still Good for National Security...

Sandlapper Rose

Paul please take a look at my trade list and see if we can work out a trade as I would love to have some of your cards!

Annie hope your month of queen you will be sent lots of goodies!! You could put on a few extra pounds!! Just think then you will get a new clothing line!! and of course the shoes to match your new outfits!

Dusty...just can't wait to see pictures!! I am so excited for you!! I wish I was closer as I would love to help you sent up!! On a good day I can even paint!!

Best wishes for a Healthly Happy Mother's Day!!

back to my box.

3 different day lilies - red magic; purple d'oro (i only have - i mean HAD yellow) and catherine bradbury. also what i believe to be an iris. a package of Carola dahlias and saffron crocus (can i say thank you, thank you, thank you for thse? how wonderful to have thse bloom in the fall!). I am so excited about those, especially if i am able to harvest saffron from them. i have some reading up to do and some googling pictures of the other lilies.

i also received neat flowery post-it notes; some wonderful computer stationary and a lovely little birdhouse windchime.

of course, always a special card with special wishes sent my way.

my pal rocks. i thought for a minute i knew who it was, but now i am not so sure. here i post the question does everyone know who their pal is, and personally i'm baffled. i have a little more exploring/investigating to do. One thing i do know though, is that my pal puts such loving thought into each and every box that is sent my way and just amazes and surprises me each month. i'm blessed.

thank you Pal for such a wonderful package. thank you so very much!

happy birthday to ronda and to rose's horse.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO EACH OF YOU, may your day be filled with sunshine and love.

I got a great gift from my pal....a succulant sedum garden! I have wanted one of these for a couple years now....and here it arrived right on my doorstep, in perfect shape. It is a tufa type bowl about 9" across filled with a great assortment of sedums and succulants and chicks and hens. It is PACKED with plants, you can't even see the moss holding them in. Thanks pal, I am going to make a a centerpiece of my front courtyard, right on the bistro table between the two chairs so you can get a real close look at it when you sit down.

Happy Mother's Day Everyone.

YaYa

Hope to mail out my secret pal package this week. Last week was busy busy busy.

RONDA M - Happy Belated Birthday. I told you last week was busy!!!!!!! Hope it was the best one ever.

Shirley

My neighbor stopped by today, and with all my plants and things, he spotted your sedum garden and made nice comments about it, it wasn't even in it's final place, but sitting on the ground by the patio where it gets some shade (so it can adjust to being outside in case it needed hardening off) and he really liked it too so I got to tell him about you. My neighbor is a gardener also...I am lucky to have a neighbor that likes to garden as much as I do.

YaYa

Once again my Pal proved how great she/he? is (See, I don't know who mine is!). On Saturday I got a box filled with wonderful Mothers Day gifts to pamper myself with! There was a beautiful card, yummy peach potpourri, a loofa, bath pad, fancy sage soap, bath salts, a foot spa foot masque, a box of chocolates and a coffee cup that says "Moms are Special" on it with a darling little stuffed bear tucked inside. It is all so thoughtful and special! Thank you, thank you Pal!

I am enjoying seeing the pictures, I'll have to see if I can find one of myself (I seem to do the picture taking). I too will have to figure out how to post them here.

I also live in an area with no DSL, cable, or natural gas, its nice to know I'm not the only one. I think that many people think of Michigan as being all Detroit, just like NY as all NYC.

My pal probably knows who I am, we just pretend its a secret! LOL My Post office will not let me put any return address on my packages that isn't my own. I tried to put YaYa's on it once and you would have thought I was sending a box of illegal drugs or something.

It's been a great couple of days here, I even have a sunburn to prove it! I'm glad everyone is having a good month.

April

Yaya, that sedum garden sounds so divine. I was given a recycled shallow hibatchi (sp?) grill bed full of different, delicate, little sedum many years ago and just last Fall had to empty it out and replant them in the big garden. I loved that little garden- portable too.

LilyLouise, you got yourself a real bargain with those shrubs. A major shopping coup! Sorry I can't help you out on any of those shrubs.

April and Shirley shounds like you had great Mothers' Day gatherings and goodies. I had a wonderful girls' night out on Saturday as none of us have mothers locally, then Sunday got to enjoy a mostly dry day digging until DH prepared a lovely steak and halibut dinner on the grill. Got my traditional pink and purple fuschia for the livingroom window. DD is my little clothes shopper and honored me with several perfect items. She seems to think dirty jeans and holey sweatshirts just aren't cool enough. What's wrong with kids these days????

YaYa

I mailed a box today but am not saying to whom- it will be a surprise. Surprise

Plantlady,
I still have a book here with your name on it. Do you still want it? It's Salvage StyleGardening.. or something close to that title... I'd have to bend over to look and I'm not sure I'd get straightened back up if I did that. I can barely walk at the moment. Anyhow.. We set up a trade last year, but between the 2 of us, we never completed it. It's yours if you still want it. It's a great book!

YaYa,
You make a great Princess Leah! When Hunter was alive, he loved Star Wars! My DD had hair down to her hiney then and use to put it in side braids/buns like PL for Hunter! lol He loved it! We sure miss him! Such a great kid!

Happy Birthday to Rhonda and anyone else I may have missed!

Well we're suppose to pass 80 today! Yippee!! Well I best get busy! Hope all is well with everyone and you all have a great day!!

~Dusty~

I'm having a pity party today anyone want to come?

Dusty - Sounds like you are getting closer. Keep us informed.

Take care all it is hailing here right now. Bad storming.

Shirley

-Stephanie

Shirley, call the phone company and tell them you're not paying for DSL until it's working. They'll bill you whether it's working or not but will take the charge off if you let them know you won't pay for it. I even got a free month when mine was down for a week plus my phone company pro-rated the bill for the week I didn't have service and I didn't even have to ask. It pays to have friends! Hopefully you'll be up and running with all the kinks worked out soon.
I want to see those pics.

Dusty, all work and no play girl...better get some sunshine along with the work or you'll lose that shine! Can you take some pics and show us what you're doing?

I want to see the sedum and succulent garden too. Can you post? I've been wanting to make one or either a living wreath. A guy on the iris forum has instructions for making the living wreath on his website and it looks easy.

Got all my dahlias planted and labeled in a long border and can't wait for them to come up. It will be beautiful I know.

What do ya'll have blooming now in your gardens? We need more pictures.

Nancy

Have a great night ya'll!

Nancy

Abcgirl- guess who I got to see at work today? "Snappers" a 12 year old mini schnauzer who could still stand on his hind legs and dance, play dead, and look cute while doing it all. There was also an 8 week old black lab puppy- can't get much cuter than a puppy.

I'll have to go back and check out the picture of your dog. Can't remember what he looks like. And I love labs! My last dog was a lab/shepherd mix, quite a change to have these little guys. Do you work with dogs?

Nancy, Raggedy Andy is adorable. Him checking out that guara reminds me of Dexter, he's such a curious guy. Always has to check out everything. He follows me around when I work in the yard, trying to chew on all the weeds I pull out. Luckily, he usually doesn't chew on anything I've planted!

Have a good nite y'all!

I'm still looking for a picture to use and then a time when hubby and I can sit down together and put it on here (he knows where he's stored all the digital pics). Thanks again, to all of you who have shared picts of you and your cute K-9/poochies.

Here's a special flower for all you ladies. This is an Epiphyllum 'George E. Scott' which opened last night.

someone? anyone? help, please! i want to post my pic(s).

thanks

Annie/poochella, you are soo sweet to bless others with your creative talents and ideas.

Everyone has such cute furry friends. Thanks for the picts of you and your poochies.

Earthly, here's a link to a thread that will tell you how to post pics. I hope it helps so can can see some of yours.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg041142377328.html?5

I have to get out of here and find something to surprise my secret pal with. Ya'll have a great day!

Nancy

Paul, Really gorgeous blooms. I got a plumeria from Hawaii. It is basically a green stick with some sign of leaf buds erupting near the top. Any tips on how to pot it up? The label mentions gravel.

Ditto for anyone with experience starting hibiscus- I got two of those too and they are sitting in their plastic package leafing out. I need help! Would basic potting soil work for Hibiscus? I will research here online, but any other tips would be welcome.

Somewhere from the last Circle posts,I had a note that today is Teresa Ohio's Birthday. So Teresa if you're still here, enjoy your special day!

Earthly - If you post your pictures to Photobucket.com you can set it where it will automatically give you the code (tag) you need to put pictures in your post. Then just copy and paste the code into your posts.

Pchanggeo - Absolutely gorgeous! You'll have to share your secrets for growing such beautiful plants!

And here's a picture of me on my 30th B-day (2004) at the Butterfly House. That's a Paper Kite on my shoulder. This is probably my favorite picture of myself. LOL!

I just pot up the hibiscus in regular soil too. I have two that get carted in and out as the seasons change and they bloom both places. Once in while I throw some fertilizer in when the leaves yellow.

Paul I'm so envious of the plumeria. Its one of those aromas that stay in my memory from our visit to Hawaii.

Great pics Daisy and Veejall.
Earthly, if you don't want to hassle with the photos just email them to me and I'll post them for you.

Thanks for your input- I potted up the hibiscus in potting soil, and the plumeria in mostly sand with a bit of 'top soil' mixed in. So we'll see what happens.

Veeja/Carol, the iris is leafing out, but no bloom yet. I will give it a couple years to settle in. Alstromeria on the other hand is going wild! I don't think it's yours, I think it's 'Parrot' which I received in a bulb swap. One little bulb and there are many, many sprigs of foliage erupting there. Is that what you meant by saying "it can get away from you?" Hope it's pretty!

Got a box from my Secret Pal today (although I believe I know who she is, but I'm not tellin'!), thank you friend! It always make me smile just to see something from you. Lovely gifts, 2 adorable little garden fairy pot sitters (I already put them on pots in my house) and a beautiful little tinkly wind chime. It's got a gorgeous little hummingbird on top, accented with green stones. And green faceted beads for the drop. I'll find a nice spot for it by my new patio! She also included a nice selection of seeds in a pretty card. One thing I always enjoy about the packages is my Pal puts stickers on the box. They're different every month. This month one is a furry tabby cat, and the other two are flowers with nice sayings. One says "Friends are flowers in the garden of life" and the other - my favorite - says "Earth laughs in flowers".

Thank you for the thought you put into the things you send. Please know the gifts aren't necessary, just hearing from you makes me smile, but I treasure each one.

Happy Birthday Teresa Ohio! Y'all have a lovely weekend.

my baby's name is Hazel. she's absolutely and postively the best dog i have ever had. last year at this time, we thought she was done. she developed kidney cancer - her prognosis was not good. they removed the infected one and you would never, ever know it today. she still acts like a puppy (she's 10 or 11 - we don't have the actual date, as she was a pound pup that came with minimal information but a great temperment and a beautiful spirit). she's phenomenal. she's the one "person" i never grow tired of spending time with and she loves being outside with me whenever i am working. i'm surprised at how much love i have for this non-human.

we also had the sweetest little guy come live with us at the end of last year, but unfortunately, he was so sick that he lasted all of a month. he's buried in the angel garden out back, to the right of where hazel is laying.

i'm amazed at how many of us have dogs, and i am so enjoying all the pictures that are being posted. i tried one of me and my son, but it was so fuzzy, that i didn't send. i'll work on this.

paul, thanks for the pic posting instructions, followed them to a "t" and it worked so well.

night all. see ya tomorrow

Sandlapper Rose

I love Hazel! She's fantastic! Whoever said dogs are man's best friend really knew what they were talking about. They keep your secrets, comfort you when you're sad and love you all the time no matter what you look like! Gotta love 'em!

Daisy_me-what can I say about that shot-PERFECT! I would love to go to the Butterfly House. What a fun trip that must have been.

Here's my pal from yesterday.

and one of my peonies that is blooming now

See ya'll later,

Nancy

Haaapppppyyyyyy Birthday, Teresa. Hope you have a great day.
(You'll have to tell us if your b-day is really the 14th or the 15th, I think we have 2 different dates)

Yes, it is cool that so many of us have dogs. There are times when DH wishes we(i) wouldn't of gotten Max, but I like having him around.

I have little purple iris' blooming and one big yellow one. You all have made me really stop to look at them... I guess I sort of took them for granted as we always had them on the farm when I was growing up and they were ok but they didn't last long enough. Now I'm just enjoying them while they're here : ). I took some of them along with a few white daisies over to a friend last night, and she was reallly touched and didn't remember the last time she had gotten fresh flowers (between you and me it was probably last year when I took her a little bouquet from my garden : ) ) It feels so good to make someone's day a little brighter. Have a great one! Gina

I also received a package from my wonderful Secret Pal last week but neglected to post. Thanks so much!!!

Jenell

I want to figure out how to post these pictures, but have never had any luck. I'll give it one more try tonight and see what I can do. It'll have to be after Survivor though. lol.

Everyone has been posting such great pictures. I love being able to put a face to a name. And all the dogs are sooo cute! I'm a dog lover big time! And frogs of course! I'll see if I can get some pictures of my frogs on here too.

Nancy, I love the turtle picture. We have a little indoor pond in our sunroom that I've been wanting to put turtles in. Just haven't been able to find any. Dusty just got some turtles this past week. I told her I'm dying to see pictures of them!

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes! And Dusty, thank you again for the box of goodies! Love ya bunches! Lil T

Nancy

That should do it. Everyone try it right now! It's easy, free, and we all want to see your picture.

Regarding plumeria, I'm so addicted... by far the majority of my garden budget has been going to plumerias. I'll post more pictures as they bloom... Aztec gold should bloom in a week or so.

Thanks, and happy birthday to Teresa.

Nancy,
Last Fall, I found a teeny tiny snapper I mean he was tiny! I wanted to keep him.. but really wasn't set up for him and winter. I should have kept him.. but he wasn't eating and he was so tiny! My new guys are kind of big! lol I can't wait to get their indoor pond built here at the shop.. oh do I have grand plans for that! Believe it or not, they're living in the tub upstairs and seem to really like it! lol
Okay well... Hope everyone has a great day!

Happy Birthday again Lil T!

~Dusty~

If you used Photobucket to post these great pictures, go back to your album and look above each photo. Use the EDIT button on each. It will allow you to make a few notes/title, to resize, or rotate the photo. 50% reduction is usually good, but you might want to try 75% of original size first. 25% is pretty small.

Wow. Cool frogs. I wonder what Tyson (my son's California king snake) thinks of them froggies :-)

Teresa, precious frogs! I love frogs and I didn't know they came in so many flavors either!

Paul, Tyson is pretty cool. Did he name him after the chicken guy? He am no chicken snake silly!

Nancy

Does anyone here want to make a trade for Jack In The Pulpits? I have a bunch of 40 or so left to move. I also have several small Voodoo Lily Bulbs.

Okay Today is finish painting day! Tomm we start on the indoor pond and that room hasn't been painted yet!

Hope everyone has a great day!

~Dusty~

Nancy

Hope you have a Special Day of Fun that's as BIG as TEXAS !! <;~ D

Enjoy your special birthday ABC Alicia and kick up your heels!
Pooch

Hope my SP is okay.. haven't heard from her this month! That's very very unusual! SP my thoughts are with you just in case!

Paul.. PO never delivered.. did they come back to you?

~Dusty~

I got a very special card from my pal yesterday and as usual I was tickled to get it. She said she's ordered me 2 books so I'll post when I get them. I can't wait as I love books!
The last time we moved my DIL said it took her as long to pack my books as it did the rest of us to pack 3 rooms and she wasn't exaggerating either. ;-) You couldn't have chosen anything I would like better. It's not necessary for you to send gifts every month either. I am thrilled with just a card to know you thought of me. I'll write you back and try to answer some of your questions. As for whether I know who you are, I might but I'm not 100% positive. lol I kind of like the surprise aspect but I also can see where it would be fun to know who your partner is so you can talk more openly about more things. Thank you so much for the special card and the beautiful sticker on the back looked almost real. Did you make the card yourself? It looks like it was handmade. I'll post some pictures of my garden later. Right now it's looking kind of bare. Things aren't filled in yet.

It's already dry here folks. I've been having to water and I have to say it's way too early for this! Are you guys getting any rain? I'm still waiting for my EE's to come up and a few cannas are not up yet either. I sure hope they come on.

Every day I go to the Garden Photo forum and drool over the great gardens there and wish I could only achieve a fraction of what those people have. I'd love to see some pictures of some of your gardens. Now is the time to show off!

Nancy

Sandlapper Rose

YaYa

And Earthly.... those in the know are gearing up to pass Birthday wishes onto you accordingly. I meant to tell you long ago that I nearly cried when I saw Hazel's photo. She exudes the same devoted dogness as my former dog. You can just see the wisdom and love in her posture and face!

Jacey's Granny: I want to squeeze right through cyber space and give you a big hug! You redheads have all the luck!

Beth, don't be a stranger, even though I know you're busy. Sorry about the magazine swap fizzle. I do have one of your magazines here so let me know if you want it back.

Veeja- that is the best Birthday banner yet! Well done.

Who asked about rain? Nothing but! They instituted the usual summer burn ban here a month early because of the 'drought.' The drought skipped our house this whole month- maybe two months. Wet, wet and more wet. A high of 60 is a treat. Have already lost a couple dahlia tubers to rot, but they got appropriate little funerals in the compost pile.
My 'Seattle' is growing! Can't wait to see it bloom, along with many other new ones.

I also mailed recently, so don't give up on me Pal!

Happy Friday all- hope a nice weekend looms for all Garden Circlers!