Software
Houzz Logo Print
p_mac

Spring Fling 2017 - the After Party

9 years ago

I want to first say a big THANK YOU to all that braved the elements to come today!!! And brought so much and many things!!!! Canopies to shield the rain, yummy food, smiles & hugs, cute kiddo's and pups and still TONS of plants!!! You all were most generous in your Potty Fund contributions also so thanks for that too.

And for those that couldn't join us - we missed you!!!! Here are some pics so we can all enjoy them together. As every gardener says - "there's always next year!"

Paula

Comments (21)

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks so much fun, just made me sick that I couldn't be there. I have 2 dozen tomato plans to get rid of!

    Nancy, let us know you made it home safe. Lots of flooding in your area. Kinda also trying to see if my aunt needs to go up and check the house.

  • 9 years ago

    Janet and I had a great time!

    It was nice seeing friends and meeting others for the first time. Lot's of great food and lively conversation as always!

    Now if it will dry out, so I can get back to planting....

    p_mac thanked okoutdrsman
  • 9 years ago

    Can't wait till next year!

  • 9 years ago

    Alexis

    Quick note about your seeds I brought them. I ended up with one pkg at Monis. I do know how or where the other one is. Moni suggested she could meet you sometime

    Kim

  • 9 years ago

    Hi, Rebecca . . .we got home at 6:15. Came across on 40--good until about 10 minutes west of Checotah, then HEAVY (Can barely see the road heavy) rain until we got through Muskogee, then lightened up a bit until right after Wagoner, then HEAVY again until about 2 miles from our house. I emptied the rain gauge this morning at 8:30; had an inch. Emptied it when we got home just now and it had just a skiff below 4". The normal drainage ponds on the way to our house were pretty full (not like May and June of 2015, of course.) If you DO come check her house, would be lovely to see you!!

    What a great day, meeting you all! Just the BEST! Dawn, you were right--it really isn't so much about the plants, is it! Just absolutely grand! Like Jennifer, can't wait til next year, when I'm sure it will be 75 and clear as a bell. Or not, eh? So sorry not to see you, Rebecca, Amy and Bon, and the rest of you who couldn't make it.

  • 9 years ago

    I'm glad everyone had a good time. I'm really loving the canopies. It looks so festive.

    I was hoping the potty fund would get covered. Let us know if anything else wasn't covered!

    bon

  • 9 years ago

    So much fun! Thanks for hosting.

    Im finally getting warm and dried out.

    It was great meeting everyone and I'm sorry the weather kept others from coming.

    I can't wait to look through my plants. Thanks to everyone who shared with me.


  • 9 years ago

    We had so much fun! So thankful for my gardenweb family! Can't wait to plant all these plants! Wowzers, I feel like I made out like a bandit! Hope everyone got what they wanted/needed! Glad to home and warm, but even with chilly wet weather I so enjoyed myself.

    Paula, as usual your place is lovely, and your hubby is a hoot (wink!) Thank you for having us all. The pork was delicious too! I was glad to see you had so many raffle tickets left for many more years of SF s to come, right?! Ha

    Hope everyone made it home safely. I didn't get to say goodbye to Tree or Paula! I'm sorry!

    Kim, I can meet up with Moni anytime. Thank you. At this point I don't even remember what seeds your talking about though! Oops. But thanks for making a way to get them to me!

  • 9 years ago

    I thought about you all through most of the day. We had at least 8" of rain today, more flooding than I can ever recall.

    Perhaps next year I can join you. The one time I made it, I had a great time.

    While weathering the storm, I did do a ton of work, organizing my seeds. I need another stormy day to finish!

    George

  • 9 years ago

    Alexis the teot bat put Korean squash

  • 9 years ago

    George, someone can mail you a snorkel and fins! Just saying ...

  • 9 years ago

    Amunk, I was supposed to give you some baptisia seed. Turns out I only have a dozen or so, but if you still want them PM me your address & I'll drop them in the mail.

    Same for gardendragon, you wanted okra seed. If you're still interested let me know.

  • 9 years ago

    Paula and Ken, Thanks a ton for hosting us yet again. You two are the best!!!!

    To all who attended: thanks a million for everything you did, from bringing and setting up canopies, contributing to the potluck luncheon, bringing plants and seeds, door prizes and goodies for the kids, helping one another unload vehicles and take down all those canopies at the end, and then, at the very end, thanks to all the guys who helped get the vehicles that were stuck in the mud back out of the mud and on the road towards home. Springtime in Oklahoma--always full of surprises. Was this not the best Spring Fling ever? You bet it was.

    To all who were unable to attend: I hope you know that we missed you, we thought about you and talked about you (in a good way---hoping you were well and that the rain wasn't carrying you downstream....and in George's case, it sounds like there was enough rain to do just that) and wished you could be there with us. We know you were with us in spirit if not in actual physical presence.

    It is hard to understand just how it happens, but each and every one of us quickly becomes just like family to each and every other one who participates in this forum and in these gatherings. It never really feels like Springtime in Oklahoma until we've all gathered together for our annual reunion. So, as your family member, I just want to say to all your parents/grandparents who bring your children and grandchildren to these events---your kids are the most beautiful, cute, sweet, funny, intelligent, polite, mature, well-spoken, joyful and well-mannered children ever. It is such a joy to meet them and that joy only deepens year after year as we get to watch them grow up and change from babies and toddlers, to children and young adults. In the blink of an eye, that 4 or 5 year old we met a few years ago suddenly is a teenager. How does that happen so quickly? Their presence each year adds a special touch to our gatherings and I cannot imagine our Spring Flings without them. The fur-babies who come each year are adorable too, and well-behaved and much loved. What's a family gathering without at least a couple of dogs?

    I hope everyone arrived home safe and sound.

    So, how many days until Spring Fling 2018? Let's start the countdown now. (grin)

    Dawn


  • 9 years ago

    I agree. This was the best so far. So many new awesome people and just absolutely the best food kids entertainment. And the icing on the cake. Snuggled at Monis house. We had the best time reliving everything, and catching up. We finally thawed and dried out. It was a great day and one for the books.

    Paula and Ken y'all are awesome hosts. Even let some of them go mudding in the yard. So glad I get to be a part of this okie family.

  • 9 years ago

    I am surprised at my self. Two Saturdays in a row I spent a huge amount of time outdoors, even though it was cold.

    Sure says something about the GREAT people to spend time with. I get cold so easy, and then hurt, cause of my arthritis... but I truly enjoyed myself, and am so glad to have participated even though I am not gardening at the moment.

    Thank you so much Ken and all for pushing Lisa's are out of the stuck in mud situation after I got it in to that predicament. Lisa, you are a doll, for letting me do this. ;)

    Thank you Ken and Paula for once again hosting such a terrific event. Love being in this group.

    Moni

    PS, and I feel so lucky to get to host Kim again too!

  • 9 years ago

    Denise, where are you again? You probably told me yesterday, but I've already forgotten.

    Your children are precious. So glad to meet them and you.

  • 9 years ago

    Denise! That's it! I was trying to remember your name! Thank you HJ. Your children ARE precious, Denise! And HJ, you're precious, too!

    I love my new gardening cart! Thank you!!

  • 9 years ago

    We live down near Lawton.

    Thank you all.

  • 9 years ago

    Weellll the wind keeps trying to blow me back to Oklahoma. I should have stayed at monis one more night.

  • 9 years ago

    Denise, That horrible wind! We almost never have wind as strong as y'all get there, but yesterday we had it gusting in the 30s before sunrise, in the 40s all day long, and in the 50s for several hours in the midday--early afternoon time frame before it dropped back into the 40s again and then into the 30s around sunset. It was horrible. I would lose my mind if I had to fight wind like that all the time. So, there were the usual wind-related things here on Sunday---power poles snapped, lines down, scattered power outages, no internet all day long (which about drove Tim and I nuts), at least one building in Marietta lost its roof to the wind (second weekend in a row) and that roof snapped a power pole in half and took down more power lines......it was an eventful day, but not in a good way. We didn't have an especially windy March, but yesterday made up for it all in one day.

    I so enjoyed being able to meet you and your children---they are a credit to you and your DH as they all are so lovely and well-behaved, so sweet and kind and helpful and well-spoken and just every single good thing that we parents want our children to be. I hope y'all will be able to join us again next year!

    Kim, Wasn't it horrible? I was worried about you driving into those strong win on your way home. I hope your garden didn't take too much of a beating from all that wind.

    Chris was at work Sunday and said they had the first Airport Wind Warning he's seen in his 10+ years as a DFW Airport Firefighter. I know they've had them there before in Tim's 35+ years there, but maybe not in the decade Chris has been there. The very strong wind makes landing the planes very diffficult, and they had to shut down the main runways and use only the crosswind runways for a while. Chris said the pilots were crabbing in the planes (tilting them at somewhat odd angles upon approach in order to be able to handle the wind safely, and then you turn right as you touch down do you're properly lined up on the runway) and it was quite a sight to watch.

    Some friends of ours who live just a short distance from us and who are members of the local VFD along with us are snowed in up there in KS and hoping to be able to get on the roads (after the roads are plowed) today so they can head home. I need to ask them what they were thinking making a quick weekend trip when snow was expected. Were they not watching the forecast? (I'm laughing with them, not at them, and I bet their kids are enjoying the snow a lot.) On the other hand, would snow have kept us home from Paula's and Ken's???? I do think the snow where they happened to be was forecast merely to be a few inches of snowfall but with the wind and much heavier snow than expected, it became a blizzard and the roads got shut down. I believe they are stuck near Garden City, KS.

    April was crazy. Let's hope May is better.

    Dawn