Jeanne I am in the race to get you some Valentine love. Your package from me is tracked for Friday . 9400128206335058236371. I also have a second gift being sent today .this is not a Valentine theme. Just a beautiful handmade gift for the Queen"s pleasure.

I love reading the great person articles. This will help with my trivia games.

hope your husbands MRI finds something that will help him recover from pain. In Dayton Ohio they have us on a winter avisery. Snow moving in. the challage weather will be Friday. zero wind chill with the snow/rain on the ground.

Jeanne hope DH's MRI will get him some answers. Sorry to hear about your tooth. I have a small fortune in my teeth. I now have 12 capped (crowned) teeth at 1200 a tooth. I could have bought a nice used car with that money and the dentist said I need to get another one fixed this year. Sheesh!!!

Melinda Happy Birthday Feb. 15th.

I almost forgot to post my Queen resume.

My friends actually call me the Queen of the Garden Club. Over the years I have met so many ladies and invited them to join our local Garden Club. Our group maintains two beautiful gardens in our downtown district. I probably have gotten 25 ladies to join over the years. The bad part is I can't sit next to each one and this causes a problem. I am a people person and love to talk especially about daylilies and other plants. I have the title beautification chairperson so I get to decide all the plants, trees and bushes that we plant in the gardens. We have workdays and everyone who can comes to weed, plant, rake leaves and mulch. I am also over the plant sale we have each May. All the businesses who have plants for sale donates nice plants and we also divide in the gardens and also our personal gardens. We usually raise around $2,000.00 for this endeavor.

This picture was taken too early for the hostas to be up but here are the 3 Rising Sun Red Buds we planted.

I loved reading your post and seeing pictures of your Garden Club Shirley. What a noble cause...they are lucky to have a "Queen" like you!

We certainly do have remarkable QUEENS amongst us....well, let's face it, we are all REMARKABLE!!

Jayeanne, I just checked your KOHLS tracking package. At this time, it looks like delivery will be on Tuesday....

Happy day!!

Annie

Lovely pictures, Shirley. Wow, you are one busy lady!

Susan, I received your package today and it's wonderful. I'll wait until tomorrow to post a picture and describe it. However, one piece of candy has been consumed and it sure tasted great! My package to you definitely won't be there in time for Valentine's Day. I'm hoping to finish it up and get it in the mail Saturday morning. Now, whether that means it will start to travel your way on Saturday or not, I don't know.

The dentist reported that I'll need to get a lot of that tooth with the chip replaced. Apparently it's weakened from prior fillings and he preferred to not even smooth it since more of the tooth might break off. I didn't schedule it yet since we are waiting to get a call scheduling an appointment for my husband with a neurosurgeon and I want to get that on the calendar first. I admit, I was just exhausted by this afternoon so I plan to be lazy this evening.

Here are the Bingo words for today (2/13):

Cleopatra

Hatshepsut

I must say the queens are insistent on being selected. How queen-like! I have the pieces of paper all folded up and in a sugar bowl and have no idea which I'm picking, but those Valentine words are letting the queens go first.

Cleopatra: Cleopatra VII, often simply called “Cleopatra,” was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. She was also the last true pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East. I suspect everyone who reads this has heard of her.

Hatshepsut: Hatshepsut was born circa 1508 B.C. Beginning in 1478 B.C., Queen Hatshepsut reigned over Egypt for more than 20 years. She served as queen alongside her husband, Thutmose II, but after his death, she claimed the role of pharaoh while acting as regent to her step-son, Thutmose III. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments, resulting in the flourishing of Egypt.

Since Thutmose III was too young to assume the throne unaided, Hatshepsut served as his regent. Initially, Hatshepsut bore this role traditionally until, for reasons that are unclear, she claimed the role of pharaoh. Technically, Hatshepsut did not ‘usurp’ the crown, as Thutmose III was never deposed and was considered co-ruler throughout her life, but it is clear that Hatshepsut was the principal ruler in power.

She began having herself depicted in the traditional king’s kilt and crown, along with a fake beard and male body. This was not an attempt to trick people into thinking she was male; rather, since there were no words or images to portray a woman with this status, it was a way of asserting her authority.

Hope you enjoy hearing about the queens who have joined us for Bingo. Several of them, I learned about in finding words for this game.

Wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow. Maybe those Valentine words will pop up then.

Glad it made it for Valentines. Did the second one come? You have a lot going on. As We get older the dentist just keep trying to get us eating. I have been avoiding after $1000s of work 2 years ago. Take your time with mine. This is supposed to be fun. Not stressing u out.

I was able to take a picture this morning of the swap items I received. Fantastic package from Susan! (Note to Susan: One so far???)

The plastic container is filled with candy and you'll see the lovely flower that Susan created from a pen and there's a lip balm and tomato seeds: White Queen and Dwarf Beauty King. These will have to go in my "royal garden". And how about the sign that reads "Save the Planet It's the only one with chocolate!" What a great saying! The candy is dark chocolate which Queen Amber especially enjoys. Thank you so much!

Bingo words for today (2/24)

date

Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette: Marie Antoinette is probably best known for her death as a queen shockingly executed by guillotine at the height of the French revolution. Since her reputation for fashion and trendsetting has lasted hundreds of years, this one might be surprising. Marie Antoinette’s interests ranged from riding – including sleigh rides, which she had fond memories of from her childhood in Austria – to gardening, interior decoration, the theater, and music. Marie Antoinette liked to help others wherever she could. She established a home for unwed mothers, and often made visits to poor families to distribute food and money. In contrast to her husband, Louis XVI, who often remained indecisive, Marie Antoinette took action to address the issues spurring the revolution, and to protect the royal family. She met with ministers and ambassadors, and corresponded with other sovereigns. Her increased involvement in politics led the king to rely on her advice, and he occasionally baffled his royal ministers by leaving the room to consult with her if she was not present at the meeting.

I hope everyone has a sweet Valentine's Day and be sure to stop and smell the flowers!

Bingo words for today (2/15):

Artemisia

February

Yes, those queens insist on me drawing their names.

Artemisia I of Caria was a Greek queen of the ancient Greek city-state of Halicarnassus and of the nearby islands. She fought as an ally of Xerxes I against the independent Greek city states during the second Persian invasion of Greece. She personally commanded her contribution of five ships at the naval battle of Artemisium and in the naval Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. She is mostly known through the writings of Herodotus, himself a native of Halicarnassus, who praises her courage and the respect in which Xerxes held her. Another Artemisia also is well-known – Artemisia II of Caria, satrap of Caria and builder of the Mausoleum at Halicarnnassus in the 4th century BC.

That word satrap was a new one for my vocabulary.

My package to Susan got dropped off at the local post office store this morning. I'm not sure it will make it out of town today, but possibly. Wishing everyone a good weekend!

Susan, the second package from you came today. A lovely horse design bracelet. It's so special and thank you so much. Brr! It's turning quite cold here. I spent a little bit of time this afternoon cleaning in the garage. That is something I can only stand to do before the hot weather shows up.

QUEEN FUN ... aka ... IN THE SUN Of THE CANYON PALMS ...

Your card has arrived, and yes I will wait for the other part to arrive to open, will let you know when it gets here .... Thank you!

Bingo words for today (2/16):

Queen of Hearts

Valentine's Day

Cloudy and cool here today ... hmmm ... whether to clean or relax? I was surprised to see that I have a bud on one of my irises. They never bloom well for me and to have a bud in mid-February - first time for that! And the container that iris is in is jam packed. I thought they didn't like to be crowded? Apparently that iris doesn't know the rules!

I'll take a picture if the bud opens. My daffodils are staying in bloom a long time with the ups and downs in the temperatures so hooray for that, too.

Hello friends a sunny day that leaves me ready to walk around the yard. Jeanne the white Queen is a large tomato that requires in ground staking. The dwarf king can be grown in a bucket. Part of the group of tomatoes Americans are experiencing. They have grown them in Europe for years for balcony gardens.

I hope you like mellissas creation. She customs slober straps and amazing brow bars for horses and collars for dogs.

Happy President's Day!

Here are today's Bingo words:

Tomyris

romance

As with other queens from long ago, you may find different spellings of the name and events told in different ways. 3,000 years ago the steppe territories of modern Kazakhstan were inhabited by powerful Scythians. The Greeks called them "centaurs who were born in saddles" and told legends about them. Nobody could conquer the rich lands of the Scythians. Enemies were especially afraid of the Scythian women who fought in wars on an equal footing with men. And the strength of their spirit inspired men and terrified invaders. The best of them was Queen Tymar named Tomyris in ancients chronicles.
From childhood, Tomyris knew about weapons and saw military actions. Her mother passed away when Tomyris was a baby and her father raised her alone. There were uncountable times she had to flee together with her father. The future queen started riding when she was five years old and preferred the most obstinate horses. At the age of six she tried to fight with a Scythian-type short sword called akinak. After her father died she became ruler.
In a battle, the Massagetae defeated the Persians. Scythian women participated in the decisive battle. Herodotus called this battle "the cruellest and greatest". The Persians lost and hadn't expected to see brave women on the battlefield. According to Herodotus, all the Persians, including Cyrus, were killed. That was the greatest blow to Persia. Tomyris’ victory over Cyrus became a legend and a symbol of freedom and strength of the Saka and the Massagetae army.

Jeanne, thanks for the vivid postings about the queens. I wish I would have had a history teacher like you. I know you would have made it fun. I always found it mundane.

Shirley, getting your package together slowly and expect to get it out to you by the end of the week. I will post when I mail it.

Susan, you know so much about tomatoes. I know they are a passion for some people. I haven't had much luck with larger tomato plants and thing about growing some micro varieities in pots. Any ideas which ones taste great and have good yields?

Glad you enjoy reading about the queens. I also enjoy seeing who they were ... speaking of Queens we have two more for our Bingo words today!

Bingo words (2/18):

Nefertiti

Zenobia

Nefertiti: One of the most mysterious and powerful women in ancient Egypt, Nefertiti was queen alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten from 1353 to 1336 B.C. and may have ruled the New Kingdom outright after her husband’s death. Her reign was a time of tremendous cultural upheaval, as Akhenaten reoriented Egypt’s religious and political structure around the worship of the sun god Aten. Nefertiti is best known for her painted sandstone bust, which was rediscovered in 1913 and became a global icon of feminine beauty and power.

Zenobia: Zenobia was born around 240 AD in Palmyra, at that time a Roman province. In 269/70 AD, Zenobia sent her general, Zabdas, to claim the Roman province of Egypt as her own. With help from their Egyptian ally, Timagenes, the Palmyrenes were able to defeat the Roman prefect of Egypt and his army. To consolidate her position in Egypt, she claimed that she was a descendent of Cleopatra. Like the Ptolemies, Zenobia was a patron of scholarship, and even during her early reign, surrounded her court with intellectuals and philosophers. Following the conquest of Egypt, Zenobia then marched her army into Anatolia, conquering Roman territory as far west as Ancyra. Subsequently, she conquered Syria, Palestine and Lebanon using a blend of military might and ideological propaganda.

I enjoy growing tomatoes and plant some every year, but don't have lots of success. It's hard to get them through the very hot and usually quite dry summers. I have learned not to plant them in full sun here - it's just too much for them. The cherry tomato sizes seems to do the best, but I sure love a slicing tomato!

Susan, glad you enjoy reading about the queens. Almost all of this is new to me. We studied very little of that time in history when I was in school. Actually, nearly all of the history we studied was U.S. history and I'm always happy to learn new things about plants, places, history, people, etc.

More incredible ladies.."QUEENS"....I don't hold a candle to any of these gals!! Zenobia marched her "ARMY"....I am a failure as a QUEEN as I do not have an ARMY!! I better get on the stick and get some boys and girls together. Thanks Jeanee for the info on these Queens.....very interesting indeed!

Annie

Edited to add....

Queen Alabama, What a great package.....you sent me way to much!! BAD QUEEN!! LOL!!

A darling card....flamingos, of course!! A coffee mug that says, "QUEEN OF EVERYTHING".....yes, that is true. Well, I know it but not to many other people agree...haha! Coffee.....OH this Queen Fun loves her coffee. I already opened it up....smells to damn good Yummy treats for my canines....they will love these. I just gave them one each.....they say THANKS!! And then there are chocolate truffles for this Queen. How could I be so deserving??? OH and then there are seeds in a cute red pouch.....a mix of Queen Lime Red Zinnia, Queen Lime Orange Zinnia, Queen Lime Blush Zinnia, Sweet Pea Queen Of Hearts, Giant Violet Queen Zinnia, Table Queen Bush Winter Squash, Velvet Queen Sunflower. I am one happy Queen Fun In The Sun of the Canyon Palms. Thank you so much!!

Annie

Everyone is finding great Queen seeds. Jeanne also got me some great seeds for my Queen Skyblue name. I love forget me knts and heavenly blue moring glory. I will try my hand at summer skies Delpimiums. They never make it tto the next year. I have heard it is to wet here. I got glittery crown buttons. I will look for a nice top for those. Crown and rose theme cupcake pick ribbions and stickers for my next creative project. Some crown cards for a quick hand of Eurce. And a beautiful addressed card to the Queen wishing me a wonderful day. even the "blue Skies" gift tag gave me a smile. Love this thoughtful package.

Queen Alabama.....update....just checked tracking on your Kohls package.....delivery should be tomorrow!! Shall Queen Fun go enjoy a chocolate truffle.....Yes, she shall NOW!!

Tata!!

Edited....Queen Fun

QUEEN FUN ....IN THE SUN Of THE CANYON PALMS ..... THANK YOU so much for the FUN 'Happy Galentine's Day' card (that heart confetti got me! LOL ... I should know better by now but nope, LOL ) and the FUN FLAMINGO outdoor pillow! It's beautiful ... LOVE IT! It is already flamingo-ing outside on the patio chair .... thanks so much QUEEN FUN, very much appreciated!

I love seeing what's sent in the packages. Will post a "sent and received" list soon.

Just so you will know, I drew Bingo words yesterday but decided to take my husband to Urgent Care since he has been doing worse over the past few days. Yes, more medical concerns to deal with so I didn't have a chance to get back to Houzz. Please keep him in your prayers.

New Bingo words:

chocolate

Jadwiga

Jadwiga is one of my favorite since I got to hear about her when I traveled to Poland. She was the first female monarch of the Kingdom of Poland, reigning from 16 October 1384 until her death. She was the youngest daughter of Louis the Great, King of Hungary and Poland, and his wife Elizabeth of Bosnia. Jadwiga was crowned "king" in Poland's capital, Kraków, on 16 October 1384. After rebellious nobles of the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia had imprisoned her mother and sister, she marched into the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which had been under Hungarian rule, and persuaded most of the inhabitants to become subjects of the Polish Crown. She mediated between her husband's quarreling kin, and between Poland and the Teutonic Knights. She was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 1997. (How impressive is that - a female king and a saint!)

Jeanne, thoughts and prayers for your husband and for you......

Interesting, I did not know that Jadwiga was canonized a Saint in 1997. Your not kidding Jeanne, very impressive...a Queen and a Saint!! I am a Queen but will never become a Saint in the Catholic Church. I know that for sure...LOL! I am Catholic and think the church is doing a pretty good job in the Saint department.....well deserving (weird word for a Saint) men and women. I will be reading more about Jadwiga. Thanks Jeanne!!

Annie

Praying for your husband Jeanne and for you as well.

Jeanne, thank you for posting the information about the Queens, it's great to read!

Love seeing all the great packages being received. Shirley, your package will be mailed out tomorrow.

Have a good evening everyone.

I'm going to post tomorrow's Bingo words now before I head up to bed.

Bingo words for 2/21:

bow and arrow

Elsa the Snow Queen

(Not going to explain Elsa the Snow Queen --- from the movie Frozen and very popular with children these days so you've likely seen her image or heard songs from the movie.)

Bingo just keeps going and going. I'm sure we'll have a winner before the end of the month though. My sugar bowl is getting quite empty.

They still say it will be dropping into the 20's here tonight. I will not really want to look at the garden to see how many of the flowers and the new foliage are done in overnight. Perhaps some will not be damaged ... hoping, hoping, hoping ... It's very hard to cover my rose bushes, azaleas, etc. so I may just try a sheet over my spring bulbs that are in bloom right next to the garage door. I see them every time I go in and out and will really feel sad if they are done in.

I had moved my winter sowing jugs into the garage a few days ago - mostly because of the rain. I moved them out for awhile yesterday them moved them back in because of the amount of rain and out into the sun today to try to let them dry out a bit, now back into the garage. They are well traveled! I don't usually do all this, but I think I only have 8 jugs planted so far so it's not really a big project.

Will let you know how the poor Spring flowers look tomorrow. The sun was out today, but it was very cold. I don't think it ever went above the 40s - which I know is not low for some, but it's quite low for here on a sunny afternoon. Most of us don't bother to buy lots of winter clothes because you so seldom need them. I have one winter jacket that is old, old, old.

Shirley, I was able to mail your package out today and it is due to arrive on Monday.

am hoping the temps don't drop too low for you Jeanne. I often wished I had moved down south but now I am seeing that no matter where you live the weather is always a challenge when it comes to gardening. I was going to recommend covering the flowers with a sheet. I have had to do that here in Ohio when it decides to snow in May. ..crazy but true.

Hoping your husband is feeling better too.

Have a good and safe night everyone.

Brrrr ... it went down to 27 degrees and it's still there at almost 9 a.m. I did toss a few sheets over my potted roses bushes and that area near my garage that has all the bulbs in bloom. We will lose most of the flowers on everything else I would think. Fortunately some were still in the bud stage so we'll see. Those may be okay.

Thanks for the thoughts about my husband. It will be a long time before he feels better. He has so many problems right now that it's even hard for me to wrap my mind around it. He has always been a rather healthy person so it's a big change in things around here.

And now - two Bingo words for today. This may allow someone to call Bingo:

Cupid

Card

I'll check in later.

BINGO

Congrads on the bingo. a sunny day today.. still brisk. a good day to pick up sweetgum balls. I got the fancy Bakers creak book along with 5 packs of seeds. I dont have time to read the whole thing. Even through I would love to. I just ordered some seeds from jims giant seeds and Chess street on esty and trading of tomatoes seeds for anything I dont have. Looks like I might give melons a lot of attention.

Congrats Queen Alabama........Happy day at your castle!!

Annie

Congratulations, Jayeanne! I'm sorry I only had that one game this month. It has been an extremely rough month for me - little time and lots of stress. I'll get your prize mailed out by the end of the month.

Many times when I would sign in and read the threads on Houzz, it would take my mind away for awhile and allow me to "de-stress" so thanks for posting and making things seem a bit more normal.

I really had fun with the Queen of Hearts theme and I hope you did, too.

UPDATED

Jeanne and Susan B have both received

Jayeanne and Annie have both received.

Susan N and Shirley have both received.

Congratulations Jayeanne on your Bingo win!!!

Jeanne, I have loved participating the swap. It has been great learning about the queens and the Bingo game was fun.

Have a good night everyone.

thank you Jeanne for a fun swap. Loved reading info on our past great ladies. One game is fine. I am having trouble keeping up on my seed trades. take seeds out Put seeds away. take seeds out . then someone asked about beans!! I HaVE BEans. so take out the Bean/peas box!!! Now beans on the bed. got me thinking!!! drawing out my garden plan and looking at the gardening by the moon. while watching Hunch back of noterdame #1939

thank you Annie, Susan, Susan and Jeanne.... Jeanne thanks so much for a FUN theme swap and as always enjoyed it very much.

Susan (skyblue) thanks for posting the chart for how long seeds last. I was surprised!

thought you might enjoy this petunia .... 'Queen of Hearts'

the petals form a heart as the petals meet ....

What a beautiful petunia Jayeanne!

Shirley , I hope your husband is doing better. please let me know if you received your package or not. It was supposed to arrive yesterday. I have the receipt at work and I was not there today so I didn’t check it.

Queen Amber, Thank you for a fabulous month of royal fun!! What a wonderful group of Queens. I so enjoyed reading your scoop on all of the remarkable ladies.

Praying for your King.....be well!

Annie

Today I feel like a real Queen. I received the most lovely package from Shirley. She sent me:

A beautiful blue butterfly

Wonderful smelling hand lotion

a bag of Hershey kisses

Lip balm

A great assortment of wonderful seeds

and....I was so excited when I saw what plant you sent me I was literally jumping up and down for joy

Its a green Hellebore!

this is my first hellebore and I have always wanted to grow them in my Kingdom. And a green one at that...my favorite!

cannot thank you enough Shirley for such an awesome package. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

That's a wonderful package that you received, Susan!

Cold wind blowing outside tonight. The temperature going up and down all the time is rough on the plants and me!

Susan wow that was quick the PO told me you would get it Thursday. I ordered the green hellebore a couple of years ago because I wanted all the colors they come in. I was praying it was dividable when I saw you like green and bingo it was. Sorry I am just now posting that I received your pkg but this Queen of the Gardens is down. I have worked so many hours in the downtown gardens I hurt my back and have been in a lot of pain. Went to the Dr. today and they gave me a shot IN MY LOWER BACK gosh that hurt. He told me no gardening for 3 days. We only need 1 more day and all the weeding and mulching would have been done. Oh well it is what it is.

Anyway I love my pkg, Wow you really know how to pack a swap pkg.

Plant Labels ( My favorite ones and I needed these)

Garden gloves

Card

Cutest towel ever (QUEEN OF DAMN NEAR EVERYTHING) Love it

You're a gem notebook

Seeds - Nasturtium 'Alaska Red Shades', Marigold 'Queen Sophia', Sunflower 'Lemon Queen', Heliopsis 'Sunburst', Sunflower 'Velvet Queen', Kohlrabi 'Early Purple Vienna'. Variegated on top of being some great selections. So Happy!

And to top all this a Bucket Caddy that holds your hand tools. Love it.

Love all the great packages. making me think of spring on this snowy day in Dayton. Anybody doing anything special to celerbratethe extra day?

Sorry to hear about your back Shirley. I hope the shot helps. Those so hurt so much.

Glad your package arrived safely and that you like it. With being down for a couple of days the last thing you probably want to see is the bucket caddy Lol. I hope you rest up and feel better soon.

Our weather turned colder in the 20s again with some snow. I am also looking forward to Spring. We had a Leap Into Spring Potluck at work today and people decorated their work stations.

Hope you feel better, Shirley. You received a great package! I love the saying on the towel - how perfect for this theme and for you, Shirley.

Jeanne, thank you again for hosting this wonderful month, celebrating Queens in history and the exchange was wonderful as well.

You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers.

wow!!! Tomorrow March. spring always brings the feeling of change. Thanks for a great month.

Jayeanne, I will get your Bingo prize mailed in a few days. Sorry to be so late getting something sent. How are you doing? And Shirley, also. Are you feeling a lot better?

Jeanne .... THANK YOU for the very neat silicone bowl scraper .... it even has measure equivalents on it ... love this! looking forward to using this! and thanks again for a FUN swap, Jeanne! very much enjoyed it.

Jeanne. You are right. Mars the Roman God of War