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Wow ... it's really happening!


Just made my hotel reservation for this year's Spring Fling to be held in Chicago and had a few thoughts that actually apply to the bigger picture:

1. It's possible to trust other people to get things done - at the first Spring Fling in Austin, the Chicago gardeners were telling us that we'd be gathering "next year in Chicago". Honestly, it was hard to imagine they'd go home and not get so busy gardening and being regular folks that it wouldn't slide to the bottom of the "to do" list.

2. Sometimes others do a better job than I ever might have done - This is probably something I should engrave on a metal disc and wear around my neck. I mean, just look at the Chicago Spring Fling website! They have a logo, and hotel info, and links, and lions and tigers (well, okay, no lions and tigers but there IS a borzoi!)

3. There are people you just met (last year or last week) but feel you've known your whole life and your life is actually better for knowing them - whether it's our common interests or what we learn about each other by reading blogs, I don't know. But, in these times when so much talk is about what's wrong with everything from the economy to politics to the taste of tomatoes, it's refreshing to remember the world is full of things and relationships that are absolute perfection . Without exception, the Spring Flingers are amazing people with talent, people I'm proud to call friends, people I want to hate because their gardens are so much better than mine. See for yourself - visit every link over there on the right under "Their sites are prettier than mine" and go to Chicago Gardeners at blogspot dot com. There's worse ways to spend your time.

Comments

Katie said…
I can't wait! Although I feel like I'm going to have to peruse the bloggers that have signed up at the site and memorize lots about them!

See you in May.

Katie
February 4, 2009 at 6:28 PM
Pamela Villars said…
Well, looky here, I checked your blog and this is what I find! :-)

Your description of the fun makes me wanna be a gardner.
February 4, 2009 at 8:24 PM
Anonymous said…
I'm happy to hear that you'll be at the Chicago Fling too, Vicki. The Austinites will make a good showing. I'm staying downtown too, and I'll see you there!
February 5, 2009 at 8:54 PM
Lori said…
Oh, I'm so envious! I was thisclose to going, but then took a hard look at my finances and decided that I really couldn't afford to spend the money. I'm going to have to attend vicariously and hope everyone takes a ton of pictures. Someday, someday I will see the Lurie Garden!

*shakes fist at sky*

Also, I owe you a HUGE belated thank you for sending me that marmalade recipe back in, oh, December. I got swamped with work and didn't manage to get around to making it until the lemons were on the verge of being unusable. Next year I'm going to have to make it sooner and use less ginger, but considering that I'm a truly crappy cook, the whole marmalade-making experience was less traumatizing than I expected, and I've found the end result is especially great stirred into hot tea this time of year. :)
February 6, 2009 at 3:39 PM
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