The Rutgers sale is always great, but if you can't make that one, here are some other excellent opportunities: The Spring Garden Days Plant Sale held by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Monmouth County: Fri May 18 9-5 and May 19 9-3 4000 Kozloski Rd., Freehold NJ A wide variety of perennials and annuals, hanging baskets, containers, herb and vegetable seedlings (including Ramapo tomato), birdhouses, planters, Helpline, environmental displays, educational displays, door prizes. For more information call the MG Helpline at 732-303-7614. If you need to make room in your garden for more plants (and who doesn't), consider this one: Great Spring Perennial Plant Swap Deep Cut Gardens (Monmouth County Park System) 152 Red Hill Rd., Middletown NJ Sat April 28, 10am-2pm Bring plants (perennials, shrubs, small trees only) in 1-quart, 1-gallon or 2-gallon size containers and take home the same number and size pots. Vegetable and herb seedlings are welcome for exchange at the spring swap; houseplants at the fall swap. Please label all plants and do not bring invasive plants. (While not invasive, honestly, most people already have enough plain green hostas, orange daylilies and violets.) This is a FREE event, no pre-registration required. For more information, call the park at 732-671-6050 or visit the webside www.monmouthcountyparks.com

theres one this coming Saturday in Northwestern Columbus... actually Hilliard...May 21st .... for the Central Ohio area and Canton would most certainly be welcome! Im not sure if thats local enough for you though I am coming from eastern Cincinnati myself. It will be great fun and plenty of plants, food and friendship to go around. its posted on the Get Togethers forum so go read the threads there about it. theres alot of other swaps posted there too so check them out and you might see one you like. Sue "The one thing all gardeners share in common is a belief in tomorrow"

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I received my wonderful package from Margo. The author was Fern Michaels and the book is The Nosy Neighbor. It sounds like exactly my kind of book! I just finished a Fern Michael's book called Christmas at Timberwoods. It's good if anyone is looking for a Christmas suspense story. I have only read a few of her books and not the one Margo sent. I got up with a very sore back today so it sounds like a good day to read. Margo also sent some seeds, a card, a bookmark with information about hummingbirds, a notepad with my initial, a pretty bracelet that she made, and a pop up vase with a greeting card. Thanks so much, Margo! Here's where we are with our swap. Mellen posted and I'm sure her swap will be received soon. hazelnutbunny: Sent (Mellen has received it.) mellen: flowergirl34: Sent (Rose has received it.) smitties: Sent (Jeanne has received it.) sandlapper_rose: Sent (Melissa has received it.) I had lots of fun with this swap and hope all who joined in did as well. Jeanne

I've ordered from Constructive Playthings before Bulldinkie - they have good quality toys at decent prices. Thanks for posting the link - I haven't been getting catalogs since I moved and I forgot about them. Another good online company for children is One Step Ahead/Leaps and Bounds (One Step Ahead is for babies and Leaps and Bounds is for older kids but it's the same company). If anyone wanted to buy a table and chair set for kids, I highly recommend the folding set from Leaps and Bounds. Great quality and it can all be folded away. The chairs hold up to 150 pounds. I'm still kicking myself for leaving that behind in the divorce but since I took the only other table and chairs, I wanted the kids to have a place to sit and eat when they were with their dad. That could have been handed down for generations though.