The Hallson Hosta Happening...

[renaldo75]

..must be the reason not much is happening on here today.

I hope you're all having a wonderful time today!! Hopefully it won't rain on your happening. [Sunny here this morning but the clouds have rolled in now.]

I can't wait to hear all about it!! One of these years I'll make it up there for the big day...

[steg]

and don't forget to post pics....

[Patrushka]

I got a wake up call from Ms. Goose this morning. She and Jay were on their way to the nursery.

I wish Jon and I could have been there but it just was not to be.

I hope the weather held and you're having a great time. I can't wait to hear all about it and see everyone's pics.

[wishiwere]

LG is bidding for me at the auction on the phone! THis is so hysterical!

[wishiwere]

YEAH~~~ I won a streaked ELEGANS! Got beat out on a few though! Oh welllllll....LG is too much fun! We need to do this with a teleconfence~

[wishiwere]

Pia's Pillows UP FOR BID NOW!

[wishiwere]

There's a bidding war on the pillows! OMGOSH! TOO funny!

[wishiwere]

It's still going on~ It's making more than any hosta!!!!!!!!

[wishiwere]

LG and NMB each won, ONE pillow! It was a fight to the end!

[steg]

Love the play by play.....

How about a couple web cams for next year?

[wishiwere]

That's what we need! Then more could join the fun and do some phone bidding and we could get more bidding wars and raise even more mulah for the forums! WHat a fun time and I wasn't even THERE!

[renaldo75]

I can actually imagine the bidding with LG on the phone with you. What a hoot!!

that Pia's Pillows were a hit. Now we need to see what we missed out on. Are these the pillows she used to sleep/dream of hostas on or _____???

[barbara]

No kidding...I really want to see those pillows...they are surely special, being from Pia So cool! Must be a way us, non-attendees could participate in the auction fun? I am looking forward to pics, they are always a pleasure and hoot Hope everyone, no, I know everyone is having a blast Waiting for the feedback

[LucyGoose]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!

Yep....what a hoot with Jane on the phone!!! She got 2 hosta's!! Yipppeeee!! I was the nariator(sp) no spell check here.... It was cool doing her bidding and mine....

The pillow covers were bid seperatly......I am the proud owner of one of them!!! I love it Pia!!! Thanks so much for getting them to Chris in the nick of time!! Friday!!! I really wanted one, too.....It's very cool!!!

I am doing great this year, too....only 6 hosta's....4 very tiny..(names later) ..one small and one huge Aligator Shoes Dr. Dave shared, but it came from...... ....I can't remember......but I will later......Thanks for it!!! I have a couple other things, but all in all, I am proud of me not going overboard in the hosta's......

I will take a picture of that pillow case later as I took NO other pictures...... .... I know..... ......

Oh, and we did call the Coot, too.......

I am off to bed......Thanks for the fun Jane.....

[wishiwere]

OMGOSH! Thank you dearest! I couldn't go and had a riot on the phone with you! Then met with Wanda in the Home Depot to pick up my streaked Sitting Pretty and the Streaked Elegans. Cute little buggers!

But then! We stopped to get some ice cream @ McD's and headed home. Saw a police car at the end of the shop drive as we came down the road, then as we pulled into the drive, another pulled up on the end of the house drive! I said, STAN? I did pay for that Ice Cream, didn't I? So I look and they are running over the the old folks home across the street. I swear, my heart dropped to my feet. I threw the stuff in the car and ran over, follow them into the building as the workers are bringing the people out from all the doors. There's a lady there, screaming at the guy and I as we run in (a guy that had left work there minutes before and was called back b/c of fire). She is screaming b/c she can't get figure out how to pull the ring? OMG! I nearly smacked her silly! Don't these people listen to their trainers?

So, we get everyone out and I've got 3 little old ladies (there are 80 in the building total) 79 out no problem. One had died just 1/2 before this fire started.

So I grab the 'idiot' lady and ask if there are blankets just inside we can grab. It's 60 degree and these elderly ladies have tiny thin summer nighties on and nothing else! Nothing but skin and bones at their age! SO I tell her to watch them, (they were alzheimers pts) and run home, grab a bunch of aghgans and blankets off the beds and run back to cover these people up. By now the firemen are there and ever cop from the county, state, and tribal. What a fiasco!
Thank you Lord, NO one was hurt or burned! One county cop had smoke inhalation I know as he was really hacking it up when he came from deep in the building. Whew! What a horrendous thing to come home to! And those poor people to be so scared. One (regina) was so cute! kept asking 'Did you see the flames?' She had been awoken by the smoke and people getting her out although she also told me she was watching 'Peter Pan'! Such a sweetie! None of them wanted to give up their blankies when I left, but we had to walk them with walkers and no shoes and I was afraid they'd be falling and tripping over them as they were queen & king size! Wonder if they're families will ever know about their scare? Thankfully I've never family in a facility like that, so I hope I never have to! So scary! But the ladies did say that these workers were so nice, did everthing they needed for them and were so nice. THAT was good for my heart!

[JaneG]

Oh my goodness, Jane!! What a night!! And what a day, too!! I agree, we need a conference call and web cams so we don't miss out on the fun. I enjoyed you blow-by-blow narration!

Now we need the PICTURES!!!

[wishiwere]

Wouldn't that be cool! Of course, then I'd have to wear makeup if I'm going to be seen by so many people on the net! J/K!

It would be cool! I wonder how we could do it! I have a camera we used with a little eyeball thingy for the robins that year and had it on the Tv in the house, but not sure how to connect it to the web! There are so many that do that, we surely must have enough know-hows here to figure it out by next year!

[Chris_W]

Wow, what a busy day! We started off the with one of the busiest Saturday's for regular customers we've ever seen during the get together. I was out back digging and helping customers almost non-stop until 1:00pm, and a couple customers even left to come back another day as it was so busy. Paul and Lynn (pauhas and lessadragon) helped me pot up plants while I was digging while Brian and Charlotte (our friend and nursery helper) were busy up in the nursery plus getting food together - which we had enough to feed a couple armies Next year we might have to hire some extra help for this day - at least so I don't miss out on being able to visit with people again...

We weren't really sure how many people would come today, and it was a little slower than previous years, but was still so much fun. It was also quite exciting, although definitely not in a way that was as scary as Jane mentioned

It was great meeting Denise and her husband Marvin, and Lori and her husband Bill. These were some of the new faces this year. Unfortunately Denise wasn't feeling well and had to leave a little early - hope you feel better now!

The trade was fun, and the auction was the highlight. Lots of wonderful plants and donations this year! I have the list, but will let others mention their hauls. Thank you to Pia, Bonnie, and Dale for helping with auction donations, and to everyone else who brought plants for the auction as well. We really appreciate it, as it helps us out tremendously, especially with the economy these days!

As for pictures, there just weren't as many people taking pictures this year, although I saw Marvin taking pictures. I hope that he will have a chance to share with us.

Saw the Hosta 'Alligator Shoes' that Dr. Dave got from Greenguy today. Holy cow, that thing was huge! From a distance I though it was a huge Earth Angel in the back seat of Dave's car, but then on closer inspection (that monster just drew me to it) I realized it was Alligator Shoes. Dave shared several pieces too, but you probably wouldn't notice it I guess Greenguy had an extra plant that needed a home - now it has a few new homes. And I think I need to move my Alligator Shoes

I need to get some rest now, as it was a really long day, but look forward to hearing more about the day from everyone else. It was a bit of a blur for me most of the time

Have a good night!

Chris

[LucyGoose]

Morning!!

OMG, Jane!!!!! I can just see Wanda and you with all those police at first....

Thanks for the name of Greenguy Chris!! And thank-you Greenguy....Thanks plant went far!!

Better grab my coffee!!!!

[nmb]

Well... you're going to have to get a pillow picture from Brian... my logic... he wanted one, i won a gas card from him, so he got a $5 pillow which he can take apart, put solid on the back and make 2 pillows from. or he has one $5 pillow cover..

I still think i got the best (which of course everyone thinks)... although, Paul got the cutest haul...
yellow polka dot bikini (haven't decided .. music or naughty garden may have to wait and split it for both..)

hacksaw mini garden.. i may have to give in and make it a fairy garden.. it's gotten to be a fair size and has no garden art to define it. i just have an issue with a fairy garden right next to the angel garden.. seems somehow wrong.

what's that new yellow one... sea angel wings (for the heavenly angel garden) there are a significant lack of heaven/angel names for yellow plants. and this is just too cute with that wavy edge.

sea sunrise (so i don't have to split mine for the celestial (sun/moon/star/comets etc garden)

kiwi fresh salad... food garden.. of course.. that one is getting out of hand....

and a yet unregistered emerald in the ruff (working name for the all green emerald ruff cut) you know... i may have to start a gem garden.. like diamond tiara, emerald tiara, emerald ruff cut... humm... it's a thought.... always another reason for a garden bed.. not that i don't have mixed beds.. but when the count gets high enough that's enough incentive to dig.

my best part... when Brian called during using the customer's phone so that Chris wouldn't know it was him and he'd answer the phone. what a hoot.... that and making the customer's eat before they could shop and feeding that lady's shitzu mini hotdogs....

mary