Adding sympathy to falling prey to the treacherous footing of the season. Alana, how about carrying a walking stick for balance and/or to stay erect when you walk your driveway?

Staying off spots that I know are ice would probably help too, but I do have a staff a friend made me from a sapling with a huge vine wrapped around it. I use it when I walk in the forest but the next time it snows I will make it a winter accessory.

Those staffs can have many uses. Regarding the last time I fell through the ice on a trail and twisted my ankle, I don't know how I would have hobbled out without that staff. A staff is also great for extending across a sheet of ice if a DH goes out on it to rescue a dog that has fallen through. Miraculously, both DH and pooch survived in good shape, albeit not very stylishly

I'm home early today and so must be the mailman because Jonna's seeds are here. He usually runs about 4 pm. I'm a little under the weather but I will work on those tomorrow evening and get all the loose ends tied up so that I can start mailing this weekend. I will probably mail over a couple of days but I will enter the tracking numbers into the system as I go so you will be able to see when yours goes out.

We had one trader that did not send their seeds and did not communicate that there was a problem so presumably their seeds are not in the mail. It is too late at this point and I will be putting the seeds you sent for them in your return packet.

The end is in sight. Thanks traders!

Yay! Oh yay! Oh yay! *dances around excitedly*

Thanks so much for all your hard work Alana. I can hardly wait! There were so many great seeds from so many great traders!

Alana, I don't need to have my seeds back, but if that's easier for you, then okay. A newbie might be a good destination, or an enthusiast who'd like to have 2 of whatever, or a surprise-me person. I wonder if we'll ever see a trader around here with a screen name of "EenyMineyMoe"?

Ditto to what Erica said - hosting this swap on top of everything else was heroic, imho - thank you

@poisondartfrog - I wasn't among the clever people who sent extra postage, and I just realized postal rates went up. Do you have a PayPal account I can use to send a couple bucks so you aren't out the extra postage?

Thanks Alana!! Can't wait for the return package Thank you so much!

~Michael
heavenlyfarm

Alana -- I didn't realize postage rates went up. I saw Michelle's post and checked and it looks like they went up by about a dollar (1.10 I think). If you have paypal, I'd be happy to send the difference.

Some prescient folks sent in extra and the additional postage is mostly covered by our swap partners. I should not be out of pocket more than a couple of dollars and I don't mind that at all. I get a kick out of handling seeds and if one of you had been hosting I would have had to spend 6.00 on the return anyway.
The padded flat rate envelope I like now ships for 6.80 so if we do this next year that will be the price of admission for priority mail. A first class return will likely be more than it was this time, also. I've not checked yet.

I think it is 6.80 for the small box and 6.45 for the envelope. That's why I chose the envelope this time.

You may be right Horntoad. I just prefer the envelope to the box. When I went to the USPS website this morning to verify they had the padded envelope at 6.80 and the legal flat rate envelope was the only one that was 6.45. I'll know for sure Friday when I start printing postage.
We are under a flood advisory but it is still too dark for me to see what damage the wind did last night. Has everybody counted their lawn chairs?

You are correct, the box and padded envelope are both 6.80. The unpadded are 6.45.

@alana if i need to send more i will do so just let me know I Don't have PP But I will send by mail TY for a great swap .

No need, Susie, but thank you.

Very interesting about the postal rates, I had no clue.
Thanks Alana. If you want any of the seeds for the "dropout" you can keep them.
Have you all had good success with the envelopes? I sent some seeds to someone in a small padded envelope, and the tiny nuts were crushed (Styrax japonicus, the Japanese snowbell) which were less than 1/4" x 1/2". Someone then told me I could have asked for "Hand Cancellation" so it would not be run through a mechanical device. I have also thought putting tiny seeds in a CD plastic box might work well.

Alana and anyone else under a flood warning or dealing with bad weather, be safe!! Prayers to you guys!

Here its raining all day so far and we have had fog but nothing serious thank god! A perfect day for sleeping for me and maybe getting some reading done of all my books that are constantly piling up!

~Michael

[quote="Pistil"] If you want any of the seeds for the "dropout" you can keep them.
same here..

Same goes for me. I'm not sure who dropped out, but if you want any seeds I sent for them, help yourself, Alana.

Me, too. (Me, three? Me, four?) If you see some things that might fit into your yard, Alana, please feel free to grab 'em.