the best seeds in life are free!!!!!!!! well??? lol...I was going back to my bank when it was closed to get some seeds knowing I was probably going to be on candid camera. When I went back a landscape crew had came in and ripped everything out and put new seasonal plants in. I lost I should have gotten them right then and there. Hmmm never let a seed go by!!! My husband wanted to stop and look at some trailers for 4 wheelers I was like no way I don't want to then I saw this huge prickly pear with big fruits I was like OK!!! I was behind a huge trailer shoving them into my pockets and they had little prickies sticking in me lol and my husband wanted to go inside the gift shop I was like i can't move that much I have to go back to the truck. He finally gets done shopping to find me inside the truck holding all the fruits and me asking him why he didn't buy anything so i could use the "bag". Well he's the getaway driver and I swear if I had permission it would not be much fun!

I have an embarrassing experience from the other side. There is a store here which has large tubs with the most beautiful flowers growing that I always admire. One day I parked near to take a walk in the neighborhood. I saw some seeds of Pink Salvia, I thot, I should ask - then I thot - oh no one collects seed. Even a woman was walking toward me, and I thot, oh she probably doesn't work there. So I took a couple of seed heads, and Yep, she said, "Please don't pick our flowers,", so I showed her I had seeds, not flowers, and she said, "We collect our seeds", so I apologized profusely and offered her back the seeds, which she said, "keep 'em". So my plan is - I'm going to send her seeds of my red salvia, my blue, and my white, and Yvonne's salvia, and tell her the story of Yvonne's salvia, and of course tell her about WS'ing. Hope this will make up somewhat for my rudeness! Always ask! I just haven't made up my mind if I should sign my name, or be anonymous - I'm still embarrassed. ellen

I have Daffs for Carla! I have about 30 - 40 bulbs for you. Woodsworm, I have about 9 lycoris for you! tamelask: 2 ride paper plants and Salvia for Jap Maple and leadwort/plumbago? And toads, toads, and toads. :-) Triangle John: Elizabeth and about 5 gardenias for dianella variegated, white lilac, 3 tibouchina and red stachytarpheta cuttings? ratgirl (Carla B): Daffodil bulbs for Hardy gloxinia and Carolina Beauty Crinum magick: Japanese Painted fern and Chartreuse Sweet Potato Vine for Juncus effusem Unicorn and White Beauty Berry tophersmith: 2 Rice Paper plants for Lola Red Hot Poker and Jean Pasco Brug alicia: One of Mom's crinum for Salvia transylvanica and meadow rue Karen_W: Three of Mom's crinum and confederate rose cuttings for ruella humbus, Alstromeria "Laura", salvia forskaohlei???? jnhidden: Royal Respect lilies for bluebeard blue mist spirea??? Dana: One of Mom's crinum for ????? Do you have any of that crocosmia 'Star of the East' left? woodsworm: Lycoris promised from Triad swap Have I missed anyone or anything? Thanks, Vickie

YEAH!!! "Houston,...the box has landed!" Ummm,...yesterday, actually. - Profuse apologies to all, particularly Sakura and Dan! Meant to get this posted at least by yesterday evening, but,...I fell asleep again. Been waaayyy busy, today, as well, but this is gettin' posted no matter what! Therefore,... What a *wonderful* thing, when most of the rest of our mail otherwise basically sucked-scissors (bills and junk)! From the fabulous Sakura_Komichi (aka Cheryl) I/we received a totally jam-packed box full of wonderful goodies galore! I Told Elly "Geez, it feels like there's a brick in here! If it *is*, I hope it's gold!" While there was no *brick*, of course, it was still *gold* all the same! :) Sakura,...Way big *WOW*! - Thanks so much for the deliciously scented "Dewberry Dreams" candle-in-a-tin! Scented candles are always wonderful and can even go a long way toward making a moderate power outage less stressful. The only scented candles Elly and I have purchased within the last year or so were given as gifts, making this one that you sent the only one of its kind in our home! The large and smaller size peat pellets will *absolutely* come in handy for Winter Sowing! The smaller ones we've always called "dirt cookies" LOL! Used to use `em all the time years ago, but then, I dunno why, we just sorta stopped. Perhaps, at the time, it was simply cheaper t'go with potting soil and good ol' yard dirt. The mini-blind plant-label stakes (bundled together with a *gold* twist tie) are sheer *genius*!! What a brilliant usage!! Beats the mahoogies out of popscicle sticks every which-a-way! Thanks majorly, also, for the blue paint-pen marker with which to label them puppies! Then, there's that big ol' stack o' *gummed*, manilla seed envelopes;...kewl-kewl-kewl! No glue stick required! :) And what a great, frameable card you scribed your communication into, with that water-color-wash beach scene! Super nice! Boy do we ever love the coast! September we *finally* made it back to the beach after not being able to do so for six frustrating years. First time there with our digital camera and you bet I took loads of pictures! Now,...for the seeds: -Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate' - "OOOooo! Pretty!" -Cypress Vine - Pretty as heck! Trellis time! -Japanese Morning Glory - Mt Fuji 'Pink' - Japanese Morning Glories always rock! Thanks loads! -Aster - novae-anglae - Alma Potschke' - *Really* pretty! -Conoclinum coelestinum - Mist Flower; hardy Ageratum - Again, *Really* pretty! -Asclepias tuberosa - Orange Butterfly Weed - Why is this called a "weed"? Lotsa purdy flowers! -Orange Cosmos - Never knew there were so many fab color variations of this! -Purple Coneflower - Allow its prettiness to grow for 2 years and ta-daa, the roots are a medicinal! Thank *you*! -Blackberry Lily - Been wanting this! Never had the temerity to actually suggest a trade for same. -Spaghetti Squash - Called "Silly Squash" by my MIL. Love it, particularly since I'm diabetic! Non-pasta *pasta*! -Swamp Milkweed - Quite pretty, with a pleasing scent. This has its own beetle species? -Shasta Daisy - Ahhh yes! The lovely backdrop! -Echinacea 'White Swan' - Wrongly never thought I would ever be fortunate enough to receive any of this in a trade, round robin or newbie offer, so, I caved and bought a packet of seeds at a local nursery. Forgive me for having so little faith! Be it known, however, what I purchased is what I *share*, whereas what I have been gifted with or otherwise received in trade is what I will actually sow. Same for "Rudbeckia - 'Cherry Brandy'! -Swamp Milkweed - Pretty and butterfly attractive! -Jackson Wonder Butter Bean - Wonderful, glorious Foooooood! Yeah!! -Rose of Sharon 'Purple' - Fantabulous! Really wanted! Thank you so much! :) Overall I just can't say "Thank you!" enough! This is a way kewl package/gift exchange that Elly & I totally appreciate and have had fun with every step of the way! - Rippin' rox! Definitely gotta do this again! :) - Thanks again, Cheryl, Dan and everyone else! - Cryptid (Darrin)