If you are interested in participating in this hosta secret swap you must sign up by Friday, August 29/08. You must email me with your info by midnight of that day to be eligable. You will be receiving the name of the person you will be sending to by Monday, September 1/08. This should give you plenty of time to dig, divide or shop. Most hostas should be done flowering by that time. **Note-If it's too hot we will back the date up by a week. I'll keep everyone posted on this at the time. As a reminder; it's helpful if you have your exchange page updated so that your sender knows what you have and what you'd like to receive. Okay, here we go.. 1. The hosta secret swap is for at least ONE NAMED HOSTA. You can send more than one if you'd like but it/they must be at healthy, disease free, named variety of hosta with at least one eye with good rooting.*Please only send a hosta that you'd be happy to receive. 2. Packaged must be mailed out by September 8/08. If there are any problems that arise about your package getting to your receiver on time please email me so that I can contact your secret sender. 3. All secret trades are to be mailed by Canada Post,Fedex or UPS with a delivery confirmation number. Once your package has been mailed please email me with your package number or tracking number. This will be used to tack the package if there is a problem with the delivery. 4.**Very important** You must officially sign up to be part of this. Please email me with "Garden Web Secret Swap" in the subject line with this information: Your first and last name. Your mailing address. Your user name on Garden Web. I will email you with confirmation that you are in as a participant of this secret swap. On a final note; this should be a lot of fun and can avoid disappointment by making sure that all involved that signed up are committed to follow through and mail their packages on time. Now, let's swap! Kim (hostalover-2008)

Since work put me behind schedule this week, I'LL EXTEND THE SIGN-UPS TILL MONDAY 5/19 AT MIDNIGHT CST. Melati--just got your message and will take you off the list. Hope everything works out.

Hi All, I've been so busy. I made cookies and stuff all night after work and then I answered some email. I wasn't going to write anything tonight because I'm tired. I was ready to go to bed but I realized it may be awhile until I can post again. So I want to tell the story I promised before. 11 years ago in August, Gary's brother, Joe, died helping a motorist who's car had been hit on a major highway. He got struck by a motorcycle that was speeding and then a car driven by a drunk driver. It was as you can imagine was quite an awful time. We as a family decided to donate all of Joe's organs. We felt that he died trying to help someone and it is what he would of wanted. Thanksgiving with Gary's family wasn't the best that year of course. Christmas as far as I could see wasn't going to be much better. On Christmas morning Gary and I got up. He was watching tv, and I was reading the newspaper. I started to read the letter to the editor part of the paper. There was letter from a woman from NJ writing to thank the family who made the decision to donate the organs of the man who had died on the highway. At that point, I just started to whell up with tears and Gary of course couldn't figure out why the paper would make me cry. I tried to read out loud to him, but I couldn't get it out and by that time I was bawling. The woman's brother had received Joe's heart, and surely would of died. It was a wonderful thing she did sending that letter. We were very sad, but we were also very happy to know that people were alive because of him. It made a tough Christmas bearable. So the best gift we ever got cost no more than the time it took her to write a letter and the stamp to mail it. (As a side note,Gary's parents eventually found out about all the people(info without names) he helped. And they did meet the man who got his lungs and became friends with him. They also are active members in UNYTS, the local organ donor group. Also the next year Gary's sister had a baby, the first grandchild. There's nothing like a baby to help lift people's spirits.) Ok, I've got to go to bed. Tomorrow is a long day at work, and then I've got to visit my baby brother and his family in the evening. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, Remy

Wow! I got my seeds! It took a little detective work to figure out what swap this package belonged to, but once the fear of having lost my mind were over and i started pulling out my seed packets and recording them, the pleasure stretched out to 181 packets of a great variety of seeds, thanks to all of you, my new GGF(great and generous friends). you guys are de bom! The assortment is awsome considering that there was no want list matchups at all. Cathy, awsome job sorting our packages, I only got 2 of my own seeds, and the rest was just pure pleasure to receive and record! Thank you. Chris