Well, I also think it will show as I'm one of those who sign up for email updates (if you haven't, do - so easy) so I know what's happening with every tracking number and ship to my family a lot. West Sacramento is our main switching office - they go from there to "en route" until another post office checks them in, sort, out for & delivery. So to go from there to Sacramento delivered is the wrong step. It may have gone to Sac PO, but should go back out to a plane. Frustrating. Beth kindly sent me it's happened to her in email (Thanks Beth!). 9500115226717076052752 is the tracking as the link doesn't work. I'll keep an eye on it.You'll all hear my collective sigh of relief when it surfaces!

Also not a corned beef fan but do like to make an Irish soda bread. Might fit it in this morning.

Lisa - my grandparents had the cutest little yellow cottage house - everyone in my family now loves little yellow houses and thinks so fondly of them (I have a big ramblin ranch - love my house but from the outside it is just a big ol ramblin long uninteresting ranch).

For zero to spring - trimmed up the potted callas and cleaned around the potted daylillies - aphids galore in the dead leaves I'd left to protect them over the winter! I hope to spray with soap today (but overdid it weeding yesterday so my body is not happy at the thought of more outdoor work) - thunderstorms by Tuesday - I like it when the soap can kill the lil buggers and then get washed off.

SPRING So, this was the chore after the exhausted from weeding along the fence line task (but I could do it sitting down). Pots shoved up against the house for winter protection.

All cleaned up (yes, watch us get a hard frost in April!, Murphy's Law). My oak (on hillside visible behind the pots) just leafed out this week - went from "is it dead?" to spring lime green growth.

In the front I like ceramic pots, but I have one of those back porches on stilts due to hillside construction and decided lighter plastic for the biggest pots was in order (it seems there's always a porch collapse in the news every year or so - don't want it to be mine!). Have to admit those ceramic pots are starting to become back breaking at transplant time. I like the dark leafed and variegated leaf cannas best but haven't gotten them to grow as quickly as the green. Tried dwarfs but I think that's the 2 pots I lost (one last year, one this year). But, now I'm set on cannas as I'll split the one in the top pic and have my six pots that go on the six middle railing posts. They're the only thing that survives my west facing porch with scorching sun in summer from before noon till it sets. The foliage holds up (flowers meh, grow them more for the foliage and survival). Tried window boxes on the railing and - since I don't love cactus in window boxes - that was a joke. Have so many new seedlings this year, I may put the window boxes up just for spring. (don't mind the blinds in the background - cats have destroyed the lower edges of almost every one of them).

So happy everyones chores are getting done. Here is Ohio still wet.

Lets do Bingo

Spring======

time change

St. Patrick

Birthday

March

Robins

Corned Beef.

here is our new kitty. 9 months old. He lives to play. He found a new friend

I pulled my blinds up Maggie thanks for the tip

Susan, your Spring package is headed out tomorrow.......Your Dayton did not come through yesterday. Duke is just about to go down to South Carolina....surprise, surprise!

Happy Evening!

Annie

yes Dayton could not come thru . I am proud of our UD students this year. For 2 years they combined their St. patricks party with the game. Then in the early morning ,bored, burned trash cans, climbed trees and disturbed the neighborhoods. This year after the game they started leaving the bars and roming neighborhoods to go home. Maybe we are getting a more responiable group of young adult. My grandaughter goes to Duke Nursing school so ill watch for her. Just saw Duke lost last night . Annie your package is going out at 2 today.

Now on to Bingo

Wild onions {everywhere}

I thought he would pick RAIN .What the heck second word, RAIN it is wet out there. A perfect spring day

I started the green zinna last night. My friend is getting married first week of June.maybe have some blooms to add to her centerpieces. I should have plenty of lilies to add . Also your corned beef gift is going out today. Saw a male cardinal outside my window.

Woo Hoo Beth! My post office tells me they can show it's in AZ at the Phoenix tracking facility (at 6am this morning). For some reason the erroneous scan in Sacramento has the public tracking page stopped. Although targeted for delivery today - looks like perhaps tomorrow. Whew!

Maggie, Thank you so much for the special treat of beautiful red seeds and special seeds that you sent for my red garden and beautiful garden fairy card. You are so thoughtful! I do have some news about the move. My parents cancelled out but looked at a house at the end of my street tonight and made an offer on it. I am really relived and hope that they get it. They will be close enough for us to help and we will be able to keep our house and yard which I love. I am still going to work on my red garden for my yard and are super excited with the special gift that you sent to me. Take care, Amy

Amy, I hope your parents get the house....would certainly be a win win situation....you get to keep your home that you love and your parents live steps away which gives you peace of mind.

Susan , I have your tracking # if necessary..........

No comments on the USPS.....they are always bad news!!

Happy Evening!

Annie

good morning girls Looks like we have our packages coming in. Lets do a word then off to the doctor.

Crocus

My husband said" what is that:"

Amy - Good luck with the house! So happy to hear you got your little red packet. :-) Having a spring thunderstorm here with rain for the foreseeable future - so back to making a mess potting more seeds up in the garage.

My wonderful garden friends never cease to amaze me and like today, often bring me to tears with their thoughtfulness. Just got back from visiting our kids and grandkids in South Carolina and found a box waiting. Amy sent me an angel for Olivia's garden along with white and purple varieties of seed. White liatris and alyssum and purple heliotrope and grandpa ott morning glory. Thank you so much Amy. I'm about to send a picture to my daughter of the angel

I'll be taking a picture of the before garden this week and look forward to this angel having center stage in our memorial garden. Margo

Margo and Amy, A few tears of joy and happiness.......so very nice. Sweet Angel Olivia will be with you Margo.....

A beautiful little angel and perfect for your garden

Margo, So happy that your package arrived safely and look forward to seeing your beautiful garden pictures.

Annie and Maggie, Thank you! My parents just had their offer accepted and are very happy and so am I!

Hope everyone has a wonderful night! Amy

My package from Maggie arrived in yesterday's mail. I am so tickled with the choices she made.A beautiful card of Fairies playing in the crocus. Three packets of seed

and a beautiful Hummingbird swing. I had never heard of or seen these before. It was made with a small stick and twisted copper wire. The decoration is a miniature nest of twisted wire with bead "eggs". I am trying to decide where to put it as I want it to be visible but still have some shelter so a humming bird might really perch on it.

My seeds are cosmos, cosmic orange,calendula, fiesta gitana and pacino's dwarf sunflower.Great colors and choices. Love it all.

Thank you thank you. you are a super swap partner

Beth - I'm so happy this arrived and you like it! Gosh, I see on the Fotess swap your package took a detour as well - not your month for partners with good PO luck.

On Pinterest you can see some folks (who must've never fed birds and don't know they poop all over everything) highly decorate the swings. There are beautiful photos there. Duncraft sells simple ones - I like theirs and the idea of something you can hose off. As mentioned, you can just toss out the bow once it's been up a few days. Such a relief - wasn't sure when I'd get to a Lowe's (for more copper wire, it's a trek) and had been wracking my brain trying to think of a different garden trinket to make had your package been lost. If anyone plays with beads and wire, there are also a lot of birds nest tutorials for the little hanging bead. You'd mentioned the pops of yellow and orange, things like sunflowers that take heat and will grow fast - luckily I had some handy - those Fiesta sprouted in a just a few days for me (as do the sunflowers and we all know Cosmos are pretty fast too). They should fit the bill wherever you end up this summer.

I'm a tad of a hummingbird fan - this is my hand in the photos.

First day of spring was soggy and the thunderstorms continue today. Looks like my tomato seedlings (the ones big enough to leave out overnight) got hit with some unexpected hail last night, but they are doing ok in their spot on the porch. Today's 38 and tonight 34 - need to cart everything I can fit back in to shelves in the garage and crank up the lights. Going to be wet and tiring today. I prefer to only leave them out when nights are 40s and above - looks like I missed last night with the bigger ones.

Progress on mailing

Received-Amy + Margo- received

recieved- Annie + Susan - recieved

received- Beth + Maggie

Lisa + Shirley

please let me know when this changes

the watch continues

Here is the spot that is to be our Olivia memorial garden. It the space where you see the dead foliage of daylilies and grasses. It'll be a half circle next to the pond. We are curious how it will do because it's heavy clay soil. I'm leaving the garden creation to my hubby then I do the planting and maintaining. I'm anxious to get started. The angel will be in the middle. I have to find something to raise her up on but I have ideas.

Maggie, love that you have such brave hummers. So fun. Love the hummingbird swings too. Another project I'm going to attempt. Margo

Maggie, I have been a hummingbird fan ( who isn't?) since I was a kid. and I love that I have a longer season here in AZ and more variety. Yes, yours are brave but what a thrill to have one that close.

The flower seed you picked where great choices I'm planting some here and saving a few in case we get to MO this summer too.

I have been hauling plants in and out too but I was going for a temp of 45. Actually I have more problem with the drying wind and hot sun than I do with the cold.

Margo The spot by the pond will be lovely for Olivia's garden. I always loved the pond at our farm and over the years , built a couple small areas into special "gardens". Years ago I was able to get seed for Japanese iris and had them in one "corner". The purple and white would be perfect. Does anyone know of a place where those seed are still sold?

We got heavy showers last night. Needed the rain but I'n waiting for daylight to see it the wind tore anything up (or down)

Bingo word today

Lent

Girls hows the packages going?. Let me know please.

I found your package on my front porch this morning......wonderful!!
And inside the box.....
pics of plans for the garden "a gardeners garden" to include the seeds below, and a pic of plans for Susan's garden...
body lotion
candy...turtles/peanut butter egg
exfoliating facial wipes
Magazine Martha Stewart LIVING magazine
seeds....tomato, greek cucumber, pink cosmos, assylum, swiss chard, milkweed, purple morning glory
a lucky buckeye
and a green turtle mini planter (beautifully created by Susan) where I can 4 plants....the ball (head of the turtle was off so I will fix it up)....this is so cute.
Love it all....THANK YOU very much!
Annie

Thank You Susan

And your package that I sent this past Monday shows it was deliverd on Wednesday in/at your mailbox.

tracking9500115067957079178465

I think I have BINGO...Susan check and see if I am correct.....

yes Annie # bingo winner Our mailman delivers at the end of the street. He doesn't have enough time to go to each house. I didnt see his truck at all so I didn't go down. oh no his head didn't make it. Hope a little glue will make him a happy turtle again. I put the wipes in there to support his head.

All smiles here with the gardening hat from Annie. I wear the blue and white one you made me last year. Love these gifts. And a hand full of seeds. Baby breathe{starting tonight} cosmos, impatiens, Moonflower. gomphrena, zinna, and always want lettuce. I just saw a really cool picture of the moon flower. Ill mix it with my purple morning glories. Love You Annie, I was a little depressed the month was ending.

Beth, it's funny you mention the iris. My husband thinks it time to put some plants at the other end of the pond. Iris is one choice.

Susan, love the hat.

Snnie, I live in Ohio where the buckeye is a big thing. Didn't know all that info. Thanks.

HERE!!! Present and accounted for. I gave up om BINGO long ago but still reading all the posts. Weather here has been capricious, Typical March I guess and has had my Arthritis in an uproar. Can't complain though as the winter was excellent and almost painfree compared to last year. As someone once said, "getting old is not for sissies" I have lots of seed started and hope some will be ready to move up into the peat pots soon. My most exciting one is a vineing, desert type millkweed. I found a pod with 8 seeds and it looks like 6 have germinated so far

I'm here! I've been busy in the garden, re-building a chicken coop and teaching neighbor kids about gardening. So glad spring is finally here! (my 15-month-old daughter, Zephyr, is happy it's Spring, too)

I have Shirley's package ready to go first thing Monday. Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Lisa So glad to hear from u. Your daughter is a doll. Serious Rain here today . I did get my peas planted yesterday.

Lisa, Zephyr is so precious! What a cutie!

Lisa-I have yours ready to go Monday also. I have been so sick don't know if I have the flu or just a bug? Thanks for your address.

Zephyr is precious, what fun raising a 15 month old. I miss those days.

THANK YOU Beth!!! I got the BEST spring gift from Beth. She'd checked my wishlist and noted that I don't have much room for stuff - but prefer seeds - so my garden trinket is more seeds - a huge packet of anasazi beans (yea!!). Fantastic selection that is so perfect for me - Blue Angel Salvia, that I know is gorgeous as I've grown it before, penstemon - she chose Superbus, Agastache cana Wild Hyssop and a native dry daisy chocolate flower, Berlandia lyrata). I've bookmarked Plants of the Southwest as they sell seed online and I should probably look there more often for plants that love hot and dry. Beth - this is a truly delightful gift that has made my day!

Susan - love the pics, wonderful bulbs - I know seeing mine always makes me smile.

Lisa - your daughter is such a sweetie!!

Susan, Your flowers are beautiful!

Decided to try out some square newspaper pots since I'm still carrying things in and out depending on sun and temps - they don't tip as easy as the round ones and I've been starting a few things that don't like to be transplanted. Followed this YouTube video and just made them and watched tv last night. Some of my sale flyers have a much narrower front page and wider back page to highlight sales / coupons down their right side. The two pots on left are from those pages - that big (and proportionally shorter) and small tall one. I know some folks don't use colored paper in compost or the garden, but todays inks are non-toxic, and I'm not worried about the small bit there is. Only concern is that one quarter of the bottoms has only one sheet of paper there - everything else is a few layers and strong enough. I might just cut some squares to plunk in the bottoms so they last until planting out time. Once you do a few, it goes pretty fast. Round ones on a can are faster, but I think these will work better for me. Any other "newspaper pot" folks out there?

I save our toilet paper rolls, cut them in half, and set them in trays.

hi I saw this on utube and started 4 kinds of zinna. Now the next step is to unroll add alittle soil then roll back up.

Shirley, I got you package this afternoon. THANK YOU!

She sent plants that were on my wish list, and I planted them right away! I received pussy willow, daylily, egyptian walking onion, and lamb's ear, as well as flower seeds that fit the color themes for my garden! I have everything either planted or col-stratifying in the fridge. What a beautiful surprise. Thank you!

P.S. - the Post Office said your package should arrive tomorrow. I had very few "black and white" blooming seeds or plants, but did send a few, and made you something really fun that fits the theme for your garden. Hope you enjoy!

Lisa

Lisa-I got your pkg today. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I LOVE the rocks, and you made this? I must try it now.

Lisa sent Shasta Daisy, Snapdragon 'Black Prince, Heuchera 'Mocha' seeds. Can't wait to get these started.

The daylily I sent you is "Fit to Command", hope you don't have it.

Oh, I'm glad you like it! Yes, I painted it. :)

I don't think I have any named daylilies, so I'll be sure to give it a little "name card." In my garden, I paint stones from my creek bed in fun, bright colors, then paint the names on with a white paint, spray a clear coat on top, and call it good!

My husband was so excited to get a pussy willow. He almost bought one a couple days ago, but held back. I'll try to take a couple pictures of my garden tomorrow. Have a good night!

Lisa

yea My girls have come thru. This month has ended. I was worried life had gotten in the way. I hope all have planned to use ur pots. I started the baby breathe, cherry brandy, gohophea and moonflower. Lost a tray of petunias and lobelia to cold and wet. But started more . happy gardening and on with SPRING

Lisa, I love painted rocks.....I need to do this. How fun! What do you seal your rocks with after you have painted them??? And what kind of paint do you use??? Do you have to use a primer??? Obviously, I know nothing about this kind of fun...LOL!

Susan, can you post the YOUTUBE link for your rolled Zinnias....great idea. What material did you use? I am going to give this a try. I am assuming this would work with cosmos and other annuals....??????

Thanks for a fantastic month Susan!!! Happy Spring to all.....

Annie

Susan - Yes, I definitely put your pot gift to good use! The very next day after they arrived. :-)

Peas - I keep saying after this next storm, I'll put them in the ground (their seedlings are such tasty treats for the birds, I like them to get a bit bigger before planting out). Roots had started to come through the bottoms of the pots, so they're now sitting on a nice layer of loose soil in the tray.

And, I really should have stopped ordering seeds earlier - but someone recommended a shop, I checked them out, they had Aleppo pepper (yada, yada, yada) - your pots were just in the nick of time for me starting some. I think the ageratum in the front pots isn't going to sprout.

Aleppo: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4302296/Sandstorm-rips-obliterated-Aleppo.html
http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2014/05/16/a-brutal-war-destroys-a-city-and-a-spice/

http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/05/how-syrias-famous-aleppo-pepper-might-be-saved/

Although I'm a tad disappointed as after getting my seeds I asked the small shop owner if they grew other peppers (yes). Some folks don't understand that peppers and tomatoes can cross and open pollinated doesn't mean you don't make an effort to keep strains pure. I'm hoping my seed came from peppers in the middle of the patch and not the edges. I'll see when I get the peppers.

Susan, Thank you for a great month and for the wonderful peat pots. I will be posting April's swap shortly. Take care, Amy

Bad news on the zinnia roll test. I repotted 2 rolls last night. This morning wilted. The roots for 3 inchs long. On utube she adds dirt to roll then rerolled. I let 2 to do that with. after hitting CVS for the deals.

Susan I'd try covering with a lg plastic and wait for them to perk up again. Good luck . Experiments are fun and when they work well, pretty exciting.

yes I am going to try again . add dirt to the roll sooner. They were showing stress when I planted. I have been watching utube for growing cukes on trellis now.