I was just mumbling earlier but I also wanted to thank everyone who played along this year. Beautiful photos and now I have to make a choice on which to hostas to order for this year. I cannot do this by myself it takes you. Thank you again for playing along and putting up with my jokes!

Thanks for hosting again, …and the jokes.

up here in the frozen north we dont get to see outside hosta until late may.

luckily i get to look at the new babies.

i dont get to retire for awhile, so lucky you. …sleep in everyday.

enjoy :)

Paula - Thank you so much for putting this all together for another year and thanks to all that participated! It has been a bright spot on many a dreary day this winter.

Nice to see your smiling face, you sure do look happy. Hopefully more will chime in with their likeness, nice to see who we are communicating with.

Me making the most of a chilly winter day.

Earlier someone mentioned being on an owl watch. These were nesting 50 yards behind my garden area last year. Hope they return this year. I've been waiting for an excuse to post these pics.

Female

Male

Babies - owlets

Thank you Paula for organizing this every year!

Debra

I’ll post a couple of things:

Kibble

My 3 boys, Seu Seurat, Tonto, Jingle

debra

Thanks again, Paula. Not sure if I’ll miss the pix or the jokes more until next year.

BTW-That’s quite the look of peace and contentment on your face.

tj

i expected mikgag to be a bit more buff than that ...lol....ken

Paula thank you for another season of laughs and plants strutting their stuff. The jokes (and musical references) are uplifting in the cold, snowy winter. You look so happy. Glad to hear you have a sideline, it is hard to take the work ethic out of the girl.

Thanks to all who contribute to our mutual obsession. What a beautiful bunch! mikgag who knew you were a dead ringer for Chris Hemsworth??

At my DD's wedding. It was difficult to avoid getting my pic taken.

Callie at approx. 9 months old. She loves chasing & flipping that ball around the property.

Today for the surprise snowfall this AM

Paula, thank you for organizing the alphabet and all the great jokes. I look forward to this during the winter. Seeing all the wonderful gardens and hostas passes the time while I am dreaming of spring. We still have snow on the ground so a little longer before it will be time to start cleaning up the garden.

I used to fix/collect old sewing machines. Two good forums are victoriansweatshop.com and quiltingboard.com. For many years, quiltingboard.com had a corner on many posters. Then they got a really nasty moderator. There are still some good people with experience with machines on quiltingboard.com. That's where I usually post, as they have a good quilting group. (I don't fix anything now except my own machines). The great majority of Victoriansweatshop.com is sewing machine people. Both are usually good sites for information about the machine you are working on. Most of the time, someone has worked on that machine before.

bkay

Necchi, anyone?

Wow! I understand they are great machines!

bkay

It’s a lovely old thing, and yes stitch quality is great.

I just have a common Singer. Lots of bells and whistles that I don’t know how to use! Lol
debra

Debra, I don’t know how to use even half of the features on this thing, so you are not alone 😊

Not too long after I started on sewing machines, I decided to focus on Singer. They weren't the best machines ever made, but were well made. There were lots of them out there, so parts are easy to get. I think the oldest one I have is about 1950. I have a 201, which humms like a charm, a 15-91 which I learned to sew on when I was about 9 years old. I also have a 301, a 401 and a 503. At my high point, I had about 25 assorted machines. Most, I gave away. Some I sold. I turned my shop into an apartment, to improve my retirement income, and to afford more hosta, so had to get rid of a bunch of them.

I enjoyed it as long as it lasted.

bkay

Wow Indian you have all the cams.I have a Singer 1961 Rocketeer that has cams and I am looking to try them all. Right now, it has been my favorite machine to sew with and I can spy out the window and watch the world go to work. And laugh. Last I knew I had 19 sewing machines 3 embroidery and 2 sergers. I would like to start my own quilting guild where no one has to bring a machine with them. Bkay I will check out the sites you suggested. I am always seeking good information. I had to chuckle when you said you only fix your own machines, plural.

I have my order ready, but I am going to call first to make sure I get my plants before July. I am getting a section cleared out in the greenhouse and calling it the Hosta Hide-away. Right now, they are out in full sun living the Florida life pipping and popping.

There is already a new joke file started, the camera is out, and I am ready to go. 2023 is going to be a great year.

You know, we are a good-looking bunch here.

I would not have had a blank stare lol!

Thank you Paula and everyone else. I'm waiting spring, but I have long waiting time. We have lots of snow and cold. But sun is shining almost every day.

Saija

I played that 45 often.

tj

My husband still plays it….it’s on one of his playlists… Paula, I agree with you….we are a very nice looking group! Although maybe next year Pieter will really have a grown out mustache (☺️☺️) and mike will be more comfortable showing his face…. Lol

Debra

Debra, the only way I'll get more facial hair....

...and I've been there done that...

Pieter

Appreciate everyone time and commitment to make Alphabet going. I find it very useful resource to check possible ID and just plain see hostas growing year from year and other people gardens.

My gardening outfit June 1 2022

Waiting at the vet. We all aging gracefully so far.

I enjoy all the alphabet photos (and the jokes) even if I don't have hosta pics to share. I hope to correct that this year.

Paula, I don't fix sewing machines but I do use them. You can see some of my work behind me.

Wow, Ben! You certainly do use them -- and very well.

bkay

Linda, those are beautiful dogs.

bkay

Ben that is beautiful work Points are not easy to do.

Paula, hosta arrived today from Seabright Gardens in Oregon. No doubt you can get them before July. The plants were nice. I'll post photos when I get them all sorted out.

bkay

I went to their site. Good prices and a big selection. I need pips to arrive at my house not a full grown plant. Let me go get my wallet.

Bkay, thanks! Bigger one will be 14 this year and smaller one 13. We are running senior citizen house here, plus 16 yo kitty.

Paula, you won't regret Sebright. Kirk sends really nice plants that grow well, ok grow well here but he is zone 7.

Pieter, that was a joke!! But I must admit, I like you better without the beard. I can see your nice face better. ☺️

debra

At my office

Roxy on perimeter patrol

Chamaegardener, you are not too far from me, tsugajunkie and lindalana. We have our own little group here in NE IL and SE WI.

debra

I see that. The common denominator is hostas because nothing else seems to want to grow where it is cold and shady.

chamaegardener (Z5) Northeast Illinois Just curious what you have tried that has not worked for you. Did you check out the Hosta companions post during the alphabet?

Peren, I garden under established oak trees in ours and our neighbor's yard. My first fail was a vegetable garden in the small corner of the yard that gets a little extra sunlight. Low yields destroyed my confidence and motivation.

I do have some successes though, so my comment was not completely accurate. Successes in addition to hostas are witch hazels, red twig dogwoods, japanese maples, green giant and emerald green arborvitae, coleus, pachysandra and japanese forest grass.

Failures include clumping bamboo, a lot of dear departed full-sun and mostly-sun conifers, astilbes, most flowers except impatiens, and ornamental grasses.

Try Begonias for a good shade annual.

bkay