Sign up for the 2006 Hosta Secret Swap is officially closed. I've got the following people on the list: annzn5 badzoe bonsai63 bragu buff24 bukaeast caliloo cathgreen cindy528 dbowemd digs57 dukegg1 easttexasgirl fenceberry flower_power_nc garischa goldfinchtn gottahosta granny57 gregory2327 grumpygardenguy halcyone hosta_mom hostabuff hostas1000 indyrose intrepidgardner keithrnjd kiterloo kymmieann lavendargrrl lgkovalcik lori79 lroyrose lynnda lynnem mainma melati michiana minnow mjjones453 newhostaaddict paws4pets pcmcg petlover roz11 serenity_kate spencer1400 splashdown timhensley twin_too wbloonatic zztopsoil If you sent me an e-mail and do not see your name here, please contact me immediately. I'll send everyone an e-mail this weekend with the information on their Secret Pal. Almost time to get started! :-)

Paula, The "only 39 days away" made me realize I'd better get busy figuring out what I am going to bring! I suppose it is a foregone conclusion I'll be bringing my extra tomato plants, and so far I've managed to not kill very many seedlings, so I have a lot of extras. I need to scout the garden and see what else I'll have to bring. Give the onions time to perk up. Often it takes them a couple of weeks after they were planted before you see much happening above ground, but they're likely putting out roots below ground. For door prizes, people bring anything they want to give away. We 'sign in' on a sign-in sheet when we arrive, and then someone (I think last year it was Plantermunn and Mrs. Plantermunn as they organized last year's plant swap) makes slips of paper with each person's name of them. Near the end of the swap (or maybe in the middle...), someone pulls the names out of a hat and awards door prizes. It is great fun. CONGRATS to DH on his new job. I know y'all must be so excited! It is a shame you're going to lose your full-time gardener, though. lol I think you mean Gamebird? She hasn't been online much this year. I hope that's a good thing and means she did find a new job. In this economy, it has been so hard to see so many folks unemployed for so long. I hope she's doing well. Maybe she'll see this thread and pop in to let us know if she's OK. Ilene, I do think we have some lurkers who are more comfortable reading than posting, and I hope they'll post more often too! OK, y'all, I need to go type a weather alert because the weekend brings us the start of spring, significantly cooler weather, and a chance of snow--so don't plant any warm-season stuff yet. Dawn

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

It's only 4:21 PM here right now, but then I've already signed up!