I am pretty sure they will have it this year. It has been going on at least 15-20 years. Most of the time it is at the New Georgia landfill but a couple of years it was at the landfill near the Birmingham dog track behind the Birmingham Police Firing Range. I tried twice this week to call Ms. Atrie Robinson at the Keep Birmingham Beautiful Board at 205-254-2472 but she has not returned my call. She is a very nice lady who is always helpful. It is usually held around the second weekend of February. I'll try again tomorrow to get more info. Since you now have the number, it you hear from Ms. Robinson, please let me know the date and location. Mokey, aren't you in Montgomery? Let me know and I can give you directions. Send me an email. I hope you can join us. Do a search for "landfill" on the Alabama forum and there is info from previous years. - Terry

A couple of notes because the rest is going to be rather long and involved: Lynda, I have the Vitex marked for you and in your baggie! And thank you for the marigolds! They will be very interesting with my others! Dessie I would be more than happy to receive your little helper's seed packets! I think it's great! Wendy Try some Chai Spice tea, it works wonders in helping clear up colds and flu. I always add a dollop of honey to help sooth the throat. It's a staple in our house and really does help. Alright, here is my take on this.. I can understand how many were hoping that the two swaps would not coincide, but, we all knew there was a fair chance of that happening. For myself, I know that I continued to update my list, even well after Patty's swap's mailing deadline. I did my updates using the same method we did for Patty's swap- using an updated date. Even had I not, I knew there was a good chance the two swaps would overlap. I joined this one knowing full well- according to the guidelines posted for it- that I may NOT receive as many as I sent in. That I would receive as many as were sent in FOR me, up to five packets of the SAME item. I recall there being some issue with this and a member who became very rude in their comments about this fact. Yes, my package from the What's Left swap is in the second batch to go out. No, I did not keep strict record of what I sent to those who were in the What's Left swap. I did keep better records of what I'm sending for this swap. I also know that a lot of people will be sending in baggies of seeds marked as extras- not dedicated for anyone, but to add in when it's seen those items are on someone's list. No, these may not be some of the rarer or more exclusively wanted items on someone's list. But if someone has some of those rarer or more specific items to share, I'm sure they would have put them into your baggie before they mailed. So, I don't see that anyone would be missing out on anything. The only way I could see having updated one's list further as complicating Patty's swap would be if someone had removed things from their list. Updating and adding items would not have conflicted. Because if there were any extras of what you were wanting, Patty would have included them. So, I guess I'm not really understanding how there is such a need to update the lists just because one is in both swaps. If I receive duplicates, wonderful! Because the things on my list are things I want! If I don't receive something on my list, then no one had it to share. If I receive so many of something that I can't plant it all, then I can bless someone else by offering it up for a trade. So, perhaps I'm being dense here, but how would one not receive something sent in specifically for them (up to FIVE packets of the same item!) that was on their wants list in this swap? Everyone has the chance to see your wants as posted and you have had the option to add to that list, as many including myself have this whole time. The only thing I could really see the two swaps happening almost simultaneously possibly affecting would be one's have's list. I'm sorry, I don't mean to upset or offend anyone. I'm just honestly trying to understand why this is such an issue. So please don't take this as meaning to offend or as pointed to anyone in particular. This is just me trying to understand why so many are upset about this. If you prefer to email me privately and help me understand it, I would be pleased with that and please do! Perhaps there are aspects and issues with this that I'm not readily seeing and should consider. I don't want to keep the thread off track by my question becoming a debate here. Perhaps there can be some adjustments of dates if this swap happens in the late summer or again next winter, but for this year it is as it is and personally, I'm really enjoying it! Nancy, I hope you don't decide to drop out, because I know that I should have at least a couple of things from your list, perhaps more. But I'll respect your choice and be your Garden Buddy either way :) Fran, you have a real job ahead of you and I don't know how those like you and Patty do it! Leave me hosting my "pair em up and let em go" or true RR type swaps! I think those of you that host this kind of swap are awesome! Angela, you have been a wonderful help to Fran and all of us in this swap! I know the time it can take to code pages like that, though updates are easier once the initial work is done, and I want to say THANK YOU for the time and work you are putting in on this swap for everyone's benefit! Kathy~ heading off to stuff more little baggies and envelopes.

Jasmine - What a great deal you got on those pots! WooHoo! Also, thanks for the compliment on the seed packets. You have no idea the countless hours that went in to me folding paper until I found the perfect design! LOL! Here's how you do it: 1. Cut a piece of notebook paper in fourths. Each piece of ruled paper will become the seed packets. I normally just crease it it half both directions and tear along the creased line. 2. Use the short side of the paper as the top. (There are two short sides and two long sides, like any rectangle would have.) I also like to use the red line that goes down the page to the inside of the packet, so that would be facing you right now. Bring the top left corner and top right corner down and in to the top middle part of the paper where both points meet. Where they meet, is where you'll crease the top left and top right side of the paper. It should look like a point at the top that forms a triangular shape at the top of the paper, like the point on an arrow. 3. Bring the bottom of the paper up until it meets the bottom of the triangular shape and crease it there. 4. Bring the left side in to the center of the paper and crease it there. (The center is easily visible by the line that was made in the middle of the top triangle shape you already made. 5. Do the same thing to the right side bringing it also into the center and creasing it. 6. Bring the bottom up to where the the left side and right side straight lines end. 7. Fold the top flap down inside the bottom flap you just brought up to "seal" the envelope. It really is an amazingly simple mini seed packet that used lightweight, ordinary notebook paper. All I do is open up the right side (because I'm right-handed), pour the seeds in and fold it right back up. One thing I would highly recommend is writing on the ruled lines on the front of the packet BEFORE filling with seeds. It's that simple. I've seen a lot of origami packets that had to use the heavier, bulkier paper to stay firm and like a good packet, but this isn't one of them. I've also seen that if even one little line is not perfectly creased, the packets looks "off", but this isn't one of them, either. It's a very forgiving design that hardly shows a flaw even when my kids make them! I hope others will try to make them. If I can scan each image along the way, then I'll try to make another post with pictures. I blow these out while I'm watching TV without ever cutting or gluing paper. I can make over a hundred in no time at all. Just the first ones you make take a little longer as you get used to it, then you fly right through them! Blessings, Angela

I had a great time on Saturday. I loved meeting everyone. Thank you all for your generosity. My husband wanted to stop and watch a movie as soon as we left the park. Ugh! I looked and smelled ferocious, but we stopped and watched Captain Phillips. Awesome movie. We took our time driving back and stopped and had dinner. All in all, we had a great day. Thanks again everyone! I worked in the yard all day yesterday. My body is paying for it today at work! Thank goodness I'm not busy. Can't wait until the next plant swap. See you then! Darlene