Yes, it was awesome! =) I finally made it home through the Nolensville Road typhoon lake. I swear there were at least 5-6 puddles covering the whole road abbout 5-6 inches deep. 4x4! Anyways, I've already started sorting through all the winderfull plants I brought back! I'll post more later as I need to take a shower & go pick up the kids. connie: Thanks for the Baby Gold Goldenrod. :)

Peace - Steve

We came home that way too Steve. It was really easy for us to meet at Lowe's on Nolensville Rd., almost exactly between our houses. Plus, there was a garden center I've never been to on Nolensville. Wow, I'm an addict. :) It was good to see you today!

Holy cow, we are back home in Knoxville, by a miracle or two! We drove through some hellish storms that all we could see was the green grass median going at a snails pace. We didn't see dry until we got to Crossville. Lots of hail too. Off to plant something before the rain makes it here. It was great seeing everyone again and all the smiling new faces too!

Rebecca
(the redheads Mom)

Hehe, Connie, it was great to meet you too, and you too, Steve. I managed to make it away with a reasonable group of plants this time, including some veggies Chip had asked me to get him. I got everything in the truck to come home just before the skies opened up again, so perfect weather timing there. I'm just gonna relax tonight, dry out a bit, and contemplate my plans for the new area of the garden. :-) It was encouraging to come home and find the string and stakes in the ground that will mark out the new wall - even if it was too wet for Chip to dig the footer.

Also, Connie, just wanted to say, you have done an impressive job at remembering names and plants (your notes above were fantastic) - and the plants you shared with me were tip-top. I think you are gonna set the bar a little higher for us! :-) So nice to add new enthusiasts to our bunch of plant addicts!

Take care! Hope to see you again this fall.

--April

Aw! Thanks April! :D It was so great to meet you too! And your plants...OMG! They are incredible! I am so happy to have the Six Hills as well as the Walker's Low :) They are going to be great together! I am so glad you liked that Cosmos. I was so tickled to have something that you needed for the new garden!

My notes above left out one very important swap for me: Veggielover swapped me for a King Humbert canna, and I was so stoked to get this I can't believe I left it out above! Forgive me, veggielover. I was very tired and hungry when I wrote the above. I've had a nap now :)

Oh man I LOVE it. It is so nice to see everyone and meet newer people than me! We came home with so many lovely plants this time. Rhonda, I am so excited about that banana. It is my first. Jeff, you and Lavonne are just awesome. My daughter Olivia is just in love with Lavonne and wanted me to thank her for the plants. Her words: Lavonne rocks!! Steve, it was so nice to meet you, we can taste the cherry tom's now. April I loved your plant book with the your pictures, what a brilliant idea. Marianne, can't wait to see the white iris. Evelyn, that black and blue salvia will have a great home in my front garden. Keep me posted of any more plant sales near Columbia please. The food was amazing as usual. I just love the swap meet. Sorry in advance if I have forgotten anyone.

Garden Blessings,
Jennifer (the one with 2 kids a hubby and a tent!)

I want to thank whoever it is in the group who is living so right that we were totally dry at the swap and then a few miles away had to have the wipers on high. I still can't believe how fortunate we were. That would have been a lot of hard work in preparation to get rained out.

Okay, was Connie taking notes on her arm? Thanks for the kind comments. I now feel totally incompetent on my inability to remember faces, much less names. My head may just be too full with plant names & faces.

Was I the only one who was grateful it was raining at home so that I could take a nap and wait for tomorrow to tuck the plants in?

Thanks to everyone for coming and being so generous! I am already looking forward to the fall.

Evelyn

I agree - another great swap! I don't know how Connie was able to keep up with all that. I can barely remember names, and then trying to connect the names and faces with the Gardenweb names....whew! My mom and I had a really great time today. I, too, was thankful for the rain at home this afternoon so I could just rest. It looks like the next few days will have great weather for finding all our new plants a place in our yard! Thanks, everybody!!!!

This is the reason that I LOVE The Middle Tennessee Plant Swap! Whether it's the old crew, newbies or the tweeners it never gets old watching, listening and reading about what a great time everyone has... oh and the free plants too. I can't help but bust out a HUGE ear-to-ear smile when I see and hear your comments; my chest swells and I feel like a parent whose kids just came home with straight A's.

For all the stress, frustration and "snatching-my-hair-out" days that I've had over the years as Director it's all worth it to spend two mornings and afternoons a year with you guys!!! We really do have the most caring, generous, helpful and knowledgeable group that I've ever seen or been associated with.

Jen, Lavonne does rock! I way out-punted my coverage on that deal. In no way do I deserve someone like her. God has blessed me with the most wonderful, loving, intelligent and giving wife I could ever have hoped for...and she's hot too! We get a lot of strange looks when we're out together and I realize that folks are deeply confused as to why she's with me; heck for that matter I can't figure it out either.

I'll echo Jan's post on the other thread; we are VERY lucky to have Rhonda so please show her all the support you possibly can - she has no idea yet what she's gotten herself into but she accepted the position out of love for you guys and the MTPS as well as pity for me. She's gonna need every one of you to help her though this transition period.

I told ya'll that prayer works! How else did we escape the torrent today? Everywhere else in this state was hammered all day with thundershowers.

Connie you and everyone else have an open invitation to come by the crib anytime! Call or just drop by. If the white Honda Civic is in the driveway then I'm here.

There aren't enough positive adjectives or accolades to describe ya'll; you simply are the BEST! Thank you so much for all the love and support that you've shown Lavonne and I over the past six or seven years! Thanks for all the stuff you sent us home with today too; I'll be planting all week.

We ove ya'll with all out heart,
Jeff & Lavonne

You guys are soooo right, another incredible swap!! Connie you are most welcome for your spiderwort and sedums.

Jennifer, You will really love the white iris , you're very welcome too.

I received many incredible plants today too and want to thank everyone for them !!

Jeff, thank you for all you've done for us all these years, my words can't express my thanks well enough.You did go out with a bang though, today's swap was one of our finest.
BTW-- Happy Anniversary to you and LaVonne- please send her my thanks too.

Hi everyone!
My friend Judy and I had a great time at the swap. We got so many wonderful plants. I have already planted and divided the great fern I got from someone and put my water plants in my little pond. I'm planning a fun afternoon of planting today.

i had a lot of fun at my first swap today. my mom came with me and we were late and didn't really get to talk to many people much. everyone was so nice! i am pretty new to gardening and didn't have much to bring so my mom supplied a few things for us, but they were not very exciting. i hadn't planned on coming home with much because of not having much, but we came home with a lot and i am so excited! my mom came along so i didn't have to go alone and i think she has as much or more fun than i did. thanks to everyone! i am looking forward to next time and am planning what to bring (mostly from my mom's yard!)

Rebecca

I SOOOO hate that I wasn't there! Now I can't wait for the fall swap...

Ann, we hate that you weren't there too. It really was a very enjoyable swap!

amazindirt, did I meet you? Which one were you? :)

I was the large one in the loud tie-dye. :-) My real name is "Ione", which I don't usually use on bulletin boards, just because everyone gets confused about how to pronounce it! (it's "eye-own"...)

OK! Now I have it straight. I am Connie from the dog club. I thought that must have been you! We talked about dogs here long ago...

Sounds like a good time was had by all. Sorry I missed it too. Sis, I promise we'll make the Fall. I hate that you couldn't find another way.

Looking forward to any pics anyone can post.

I'm not at all surprised about the weather though. God knows what we need.

Joe, we missed you and your sister and the Brugs! There were no brugs! :)

I was sure glad to see Norm and Barbara there. That did my heart good. Norm, email me at cannahavana@knology.net. I have a picture for Barbara!

Rebecca

Ok, here's the few pics I got from the swap.

First, Jeff on the phone. ;-)

Awesome...only a little over half of what I brought home! :)

The beautiful Duck River.

That's about it...quite the fun drive through the typhoon lagoon on the way home! So way way way more than worth it though to meet, swap & have fun with such a great group of people!

Finally, I made it home! I live about a mile down the road from the Purcy Priest dam. First pic taken while driving over it...second two from the parking lot on the other side.

See all those boats I wish I owned (lol)? I can see the entrance to that Marina from my garden, I mean porch. =)

Opps...how'd this pic get in here? lol...mmm...Cherry maters...

Peace - Steve

Steve, as a History major and an avid fisherman you're killin' me with the Purcy thing dude. I don't mean to be anal-retentive but it's... Percy.

Great pics though - except for the first one. I gotta tell ya that your enthusiasm Saturday, and that of the rest of the newbies, absolutely made my day! I'm happy that you all came and got a chance to experience what the rest of us have been so passionate about for the last 9-10 years. Pretty cool event huh?

Just as a heads-up...
J. Percy Priest Dam and Lake is named in honor of Representative James Percy Priest, who was a high school teacher, coach and reporter/editor for the Nashville Tennessean before he was elected to Congress. He represented Nashville and Davidson County from 1940 until his death in 1956.

http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/op/jpp/rec/jpp.htm

Steve: It sounds like you live just INCHES from where I used to live. :D I lived at Spinnaker Cover for a year, then Kevin and I got married and we bought a house off Stewart's Ferry and lived there for 15 years. Your pictures make me miss our old 'hood!

Wow...Connie: That's where I live...lol. =)

At Spinnaker? I thought maybe so, since you said you can see the entrance to the marina. :) That has sure changed a whole lot lately! We were over there not long ago, and couldn't believe all the trees they thinned out! I think it looks really good.

cannahavana)There were burgs at the swap I had yellow,pink and white most over a foot tall sorry you missed them.

PAT L.

burwoodbelle
I am planning the two you gave me this morning, a pink and white. They are a foot tall with many leaves, excited about seeing them grow and bloom! Thanks Bunches! !

Have written down to be sure and bring a variegated one in the fall for you.

Well shoot! If I come to the fall swap, I will have some Maya cuttings and maybe we could swap!

Sorry Jeff...Percy Priest. ;)

Connie,
I feel bad because I missed your post about you taking my monkey grass, and so I didnt bring it. However I can save it for you if you would like, and bring it in the fall? You saved it from the compost bin!

I figured you were busy getting ready and didn't see. :) Sure, if you don't mind hanging on to it, that would be awesome!! Thanks!

That's cold Steve! :-)

If you want one of these massive Garlic bad boys give me a call.

haha...I'm just messin with ya. ;-) I'll give you a call for sure! I'd love one. Couldn't call tonight cuz I was busy bringing inside 40 or so plants due to a frost tonight...grrrrrr...lol.

I didn't bring not one plant in even after the frost warning. I guess it just missed my house - praise God. OK, I've missed the plant swap...when was it and will there be another. I have herbs and flowers.

Jeff: These are for you, to keep you content until you can make it up here sometime. ;-)

columbiastock What variegated Brug do you have? I have the same Maya as cannahavana. In fact it came from her. I'm sure I'll have a ton of cuttings from various plants in the Fall.

SIGH...sounds like I really missed a good time...but we were still cleaning up after the flood 3 weeks earlier. I'm jealous reading all your posts. There are so many newbies, and that is good.

Norm and Barb sorry we missed seeing you both!

Is it still the 10th of OCT?

Jan

Third Saturday Jan! So that'll be Oct. 17th.

phalnellie, if you aren't there then you'll be kickin' yourself again!

Joseph where are my Pergola plans and when are you coming over to help me build it? :-)

Steve those are sweet pics! We need to hook up and wet a line!!! You've got mail.