Im saddened to say I cannot attend. My 3.5 year old girl got the gastrointestinal virus last night. So Ive had the pleasure of cleaning up puke all night. I cant very well leave her in this condition with a sitter today. So, my plants are all dug up and potted and my canna lily tubers are cleaned and dried. Im not sure where any of you swapppers live but I live in shrewsbury. If anybody lives near shrewsbury and has room to bring more plants, please respond. Or if anyone lives near shrewsbury and wants some plants during the next few weeks, let me know. Im sorry and bumbed. But, alas, I guess when it comes to health, families are allowed to take precedence over hobbies. Hope you all have fun....greg

I have a few Daylilies (yellow Mary Todd, Little Wine cup, something Pink, and a sour cherry color); some Peonies; Autumn Joy and Indian Chief Sedum - that I would love to swap for Hostas if anyone is interested in that. I prefer hostas that bloom white.

Let's go with a 2 p.m. start then, and say all the plant swapping will be done by 4 p.m., so that people don't dawdle too much in arriving. However, you are all welcome to hang around as long as you want and eat and chat and so on. I am looking to swap FOR interesting looking hostas, so that is great to hear. I started a shade garden last year. By May 19th one should be able to just look at them and know enough re: color, variegation, leaf size, whatever. I am planning to get some photos printed of some of my things in flower since I have another purpose for that as well, but I think just a writen description like "Tall blue/purple iris, likes sun" is adequate. We don't need scientific or variety names, although they would help, so certainly list that if you know it! I too have plants to share that I don't know the real name of. I should mention again for the person looking for landscaping rocks that I have long heaps of them. So anybody who wants colorful rocks (described in an early posting in this thread) bring some containers to carry them home in. I have a LOT of them, enough for many people. I will serve pickled peppers and caulflower which we just canned that are excellent, also something else more main dishy, don't know what yet. I can make some ice, so whatever beverages people want to bring can go on ice. I have lots of soda, but no diet soda (Just say no to drugs, LOL) so bring diet beverages if that is what you want. Water is my diet beverage of choice, and I have a big water container for those of you who aren't so high class that you need bottled water. We have well water and I love it, also Milwaukee city water in 2 liter bottles for my city-boy husband. This is WI so beer is okay, too. :-) I have lots of glasses, silverware, napkins, that sort of thing. START INVITING PEOPLE! Marcia

Hi all, the Maypole dance was fun, thanks for asking. A photography loving friend videoed us this year. Hopefully he is giving me all his photos and video on a CD, and you won't be able to see it on YouTube. :-) And we did our traditional welcoming spring poem, and had our pregnant friend symbolize fertility. Third year in a row we've had a pregnant friend, don't know who we will find next year. :-) We had a bonfire and ate and drank and did some Beltane rituals. Doesn't sound any weirder than tribal face paint and a bee dance . . . I still have too many gladiolas (Darn Menards for giving them away) and seeds to plant, so I am fine with having missed the plant swap, although I really enjoyed the one last year. Maybe we can do one in the fall? Marcia