I rec'd a great St. Patricks Day card in todays mail! It's a great card with farm animals on the front! They're so cute! And the card is so sparkly! From the looks of all the postmarks, the card took a nice lil vacation getting to me! Ilovesunshine, I must have missed your Phlox post. I love Phlox! Both the tall and the creeping phlox's are wonderful! Enjoy your trip and stay safe! Pooch, I am banging my head against the wall right now thanks to the mortgage company! They have a clause in their commitment letter that I want a written explaination of as it can be taken 2 ways and I don't like the 2nd way! Of course they don't want to so I left it at.. deal with my lawyer.. he's wants it in writting also! We were suppose to close last week!! I am about to lose my patience with them and get a different mortgage company. So, I'll miss Mothers Day.. but that's okay.. it'll give me more time to get everything just perfect! So.. needless to say, opening date is still up in the air. Again. LunaMoon, I will send you an email.. don't want to tip my secret pal off! lol Spring is on it's way! We had the warmest day yesterday.. 45 out! I see a few patches of grass and under the Hawthorn tree where it is bear I can see a few clumps of tulips and daffodils! Hoping for some rain to help melt the snow! I still can't tell where my pond is(thank goodness I know!), so the rain and sun have a lot of work to do! Don't tell my dogs I said that! They're Husky's and tend to enjoy the snow! lol Thanks again to my secret pal for the great card! Hope everyone has a great day! ~Dusty~

Wow!! I have not been here in a while and all of you have gotten SO clever with all the photos. I'll have to try it but not this month. I'm trying to get the essentials done so I can go visit friends in AZ before they leave there. I was going in JAN. and still have not made it so... time is running out and there is no end to my list of chores. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Mail man brought me a box full of super goodies from my sweetheart of a Pal. Tha cutest straw hat that will come in so handy for the sun even if I don't make it to AZ this year. It had a red band with white polka dots and will look great with white or with jeans. A real good choice there pal There were two nice smelly candles and one was in a cute ceramic box. I love scented candles. I like plain ones too but scented ones are even nicer. An "oil based" paint sharpie marker. This is new to me but seems like it will be good for marking on pots. Three packages of Gladiolus bulbs, purple, pink and yellow. I had a few and have not planted them yet so I better get going but my neighbor said to plant them over a period of time so they don't all bloom at once. That seems to make sense so I'll do that. The MAlvas are perking up very nicely. The one may loose the biger leaves but the young/small leaves look very good. I think both of them will be fine. I know inAK people grow them in pots. If I plant them out here do they need to come in in the winter? And,the fire witch arrived looking parched but perked up almost instantly with a drink and a spritz. I am really anxious to see that one bloom. Secret Pal, you have done a great job of picking,packing and sending me surprises. Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend with the family. I enjoy getting your friendly notes. I hope to be on the way to AZ by then but just don't know yet. Thanks again. Bethb

A very special thanks to my garden secret pal, who again this month lavished me with such great gifts. What a heart of gold you have my friend. First off, another beautiful card. I have enjoyed receiving the packages each month, but I so look forward to the cards, they are just wonderful and each month top the month before it. I am posting it below to share with you all a bouquet of cut flowers tied in a pretty pink ribbon, made of pressed flowers on handmade card paper  just so lovely. I received two clematis  or is that clematises? One called fireworks and the other carnaby  I googled the pictures and they are just gorgeous. I have two others planted out at 12 and 6 around my lamp post and one is now beginning to bloom. How neat it will be to plant at 3 and 9 oÂclock -- what a gorgeous mix when they all bloom. Also received  to add to my latest crazed addiction  was a daylily called ruby stella, another beauty. I received Rosella dahlia tubers and some hens and chicks. I have a couple of old shoes screaming for these bad boys. Last but not least by any chance, a plant I totally fell in love with when I visited italy ~~ bougainvillea. I am just so absolutely thrilled over this  the size of that baby WOW! WOW! WOW! You have truly made my day, my month, my garden! Thank you so very much. Also included in my box is a nice sized bar of burt beeÂs peppermint soap and a neat cloth storage bag for plastic bags. What can I say pal but thank you again from the depths of my heart for sending me such wonderful and thoughtful things. I feel truly blessed. Pleasant thoughts are sent your way. continued health and happiness to you and yours.

Hi I just wanted to express my thanks for YaYa and my pal for checking in on me. I truly appreciate it more than words can say. My pal has asked me to guess who she is....I emailed the person whom I thought it could be....I am not sure I am right as my pal doesn't talk about children in her letters but does in the posts. Hummmm Well soon I will know! I emailed her as I didn't want to post here as I don't want to be the cause of someone finding out who their pal is if they don't want to know!! My pal included scilla "White City" is my package this month!! Can't wait to see them bloom!! I don't have anything like them. Plus the fact that they are white makes me happy to add them to my angel garden in memory of my special nephew. Thanks my special pal for being so kind to me and taking the time not to only send a surprise package my way but always finding the time to write. My pal trains puppies to become therapy dogs which I think is so wonderful!! What a special person. I thank you for doing that as there is such a need for that. I admire that you are able to let the pup go after being trained. Bless your heart as I know that can't be easy! Hugs! Take care and enjoy your weekend!! Looks like some more warm weather! Yippie I may just get caught up on my planting yet!!