Magnolia is near the Arkansas/Louisiana state line & is about an hour, hour & a half from either Shreveport or Texarkana. The dates I'm looking at (all Saturdays) are June 27, July 18, July 25, August 15, or August 22. From about 9 or 10 a.m. till 2 or 3 p.m. or whenever. Although these are hot months this would give everyone time to organize. The date we decide on will depend on the majority & where we meet. HOW THE SWAP WORKS: Bring anything garden-related: plants, *cuttings, *bulbs, *seeds, birdhouses, feeders, windchimes, tools, books, potting soil, etc. Items can be handmade, homegrown, or store bought but please make sure everything's labeled. *cuttings - 2 small or unrooted cuttings will count as 1 *Bulbs - small paper sack will count as 1 *seeds -10 packets of the same or different will count as 1 If you don't have anything to bring you can sign up to bring food, supplies, or door prizes. Absolutely no selling will be allowed. However, if you make stuff or have a business, you can have business cards & brochures to hand out. The day of the swap you will come "check in" & receive tickets for the items you've brought. You will then take your tickets & items & set up your spot. Once everyone's checked in the actual swap will begin. Each person will take their tickets & start "shopping", buying items with their tickets. All items will be 1 ticket unless marked otherwise. Keep up with any tickets you have left because we'll draw for door prizes at some point. We will also take a break at some point to eat & visit! ***For people who want to bring food, supplies, or door prizes*** You will be given tickets to use for "buying" items & for the door prize drawings. The number of tickets you get depends on the number of items you bring. Once I have a head count I'll let you know so you can plan. FOOD - Sandwiches, a bucket of chicken, whatever as main dish. Side Dishes, appetizers, desserts. Drinks & Ice - soda, tea, etc. Remember to bring a serving utensil with your dish if one is necessary. SUPPLIES - paper plates, paper or plastic cups, plastic spoons or forks, napkins or paper towels, name tags or self-adhesive labels, self-adhesive labels in case something's not labeled or to write instructions on, large trash bags for cleaning up afterwards; toilet paper, soap, & paper towels for the bathroom (just in case), extra tables & chairs just in case someone needs 1 DOOR PRIZES - Can be anything, garden related or not; handmade, store bought. It's up to you if you want to provide information, value, etc. to be read during the drawing. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - To put flyers around your town in feed stores, etc. I'll make some up & send you copies or you can make your own. Help with the check-in process. Help with handing out door prizes. Cleaning up afterwards although I think we'll all pretty much pitch in for that. Just pitching in whenever an extra pair of hands is needed. Depending on the number of people who sign up I've got a couple of location options. I'm looking for a free location but I'm wanting something covered in case of rain. So far I've got: local city park - would be free but limited parking & just a few picnic tables under a roof but there's a large open area we could use. It's a park so there's stuff for any kids to do when they get bored. No guarntee that we'd get the spot, it's a first come situation. state park - $60 to rent the pavilion, about 30 - 40 parking spots. Trails to hike & a gift shop to visit. fairgrounds - plenty of parking & walking around space. Can rent either the pavilion or arts & crafts building for $300/both for $400. Pricy but we'd be covered. If I can't find a free location & have to rent something, I'm going to have to ask everyone who participates to rent a booth. $5 for the state park & $10 for the fairgrounds. This 'fee' would go down the more people who signed up. (Example: if 60 people signed up & we got the state park we could all pitch in $1.00). This money would go directly to the place we would be renting so I'd need to get that ASAP to reserve the location as I've been told the fairgrounds & the state park fill up fast. This swap will be a go if I get enough people to sign up. Post here if you are interested in attending & if you would be signing up to bring food, supplies, or door prizes. I would also like your input on the location & date choices.

Hello Pal! I received a wonderful package today from my pal. A nice assortment of a variety of different coffees. I love flavored coffee, and will be treating myself to a pot on my day off this coming Friday. Don't worry about not sending me a bunch of plants; I know what you mean by not having a bunch ready to divide, etc. Sounds like you are really having a dry summer. We had rain through June, then a heat wave for most of July & August and now a little relief. We have set heat records here. I figured out how to use the digital camera and how to post pics, so I will post a pic that you have requested. One is a pic of our cabin as I stand on the end of the dock and the other from my neighbors dock. The one from the neighbors dock shows the beginnings of the flower bed/strip I am starting. It will be about 75 - 100 ft long and 15 ft wide when done. I have a long ways to go, and it's a lot of clay to dig through and out. Pictures make it look a lot nicer shape than it is. Needs lots of updating. Now to figure out how to make them smaller, they are way to big - sorry about this.

music-yay that you are in and that they turned a cheek for you while you were homeless. Stressful! It looks fantastic. So do you play the piano? j-it started after babies. It was my only 'me' time - my sanity. And it had to occur at 5 a.m. so I could be back home before dh went to work. That was about all I had. Now I use it to also exercise the dog (multi-task) and center myself for the day. Reflect on what has transpired, what lies ahead. And I have seen some gorgeous sky's that most people sleep through. ;) I hear the birds wake and see the weather before I have to drive in it. I walk/jog outside year round. That and my shower are priceless. Don't touch mama's shower or her exercise time or else...lol. jet-congrats! What a cutie! You can always hope she likes football? ;) robyn-can you believe it? Wow and at first you weren't going to finish the basement immediately right? Awesome! Barn windows are framed in and the sheeting has started. :)

Finished up (gobbled up really) the rest of the Michael Dirda essays in his book "Reading" which I just loved and recommend for any serious book lover. The essays are engaging, intelligent and challenging all at the same time. I am not familiar with a lot of his work so most of this is new to me, but I am finding it delightful. Just had to order another one of his books to continue this delightful reading experience... Then read "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles (see other thread for that), and then read my way through a book of quotations taken from children's books from long ago and quite recent. It was interesting to see just how en pointe some of the quotes could be when applied to adult life and its various issues. It was called "What the Dormouse Said" and was edited by Amy Gash. A good thrift shop find. Now onto "Tepper isn't Going Out" by Calvin Trillan - an ordinary guy in NYC decides to sit in his car and read while waiting for his meter to run out. NYCers take it to be a sign of something and it builds from there. Nothing too outstanding, but not bad.