HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GITA!

Birthday greetings to our poet gardener. May it be a very special year for you.

Happy birthday, Gita! Let's hope you don't have too much to shovel on your birthday!

Happy birthday Gita! Hopefully you don't have to go into work today.

Happy birthday Gita! Hope you have a great day!

Happy Birthday Dear, I hope you have a great day!

Thanks to you all early-birds.....Pat--if I ate that cake...I would get sick.

I am not shoveling today--why?
I am not working today, and not again until Sunday. Yeah!

That woman in China--who is 117 years old--today is her Birthday as well.

Well, then, let the China lady eat the cake! I know you can't eat it, but I wanted a cake with flowers and that reminded me of spring.

Don't know if you heard the whole story of the 117-years-young woman from China - with the 92 year old son who still lives at home...

Happy birthday, Gita!

Apologies if my pronunciation is off - but in honor of such a day, well, I'm not adverse to verse...

http://www.metrolyrics.com/candida-lyrics-tony-orlando-and-dawn.html

The Latvian woman named Gita
One would never confuse with Candida
Her opinions are strong
Her advice rarely wrong
And won't replace real cheese with Velveeta...

Hey G happy birthday to you!!

AWWW, V-V---You are the winner--hands down!
That is sooo original! Love the cupcakes! I am overwhelmed!
Did you bake them just so you could do this? Be honest!
Either way--thank you so very much!!!

Velveeta is a dirty word! YECH!

Your verse is super too...
Can't wait to meet you! NOT likely--unless you two travel this-a-way....
minus all the cats....lodging is always available.

SO? What is the "whole story" on the old woman? I heard her husband dies in 1031.
That is way before i was born!

Jeff--we cross-posted....

Thanks for your wishes from afar....G.

Just took this so you can appreciate where YOU are!
Looking across the street from my house...

Looks pretty out there G!

Happy Birthday, Gita, dear!!!

I hope you've had a nice birthday so far, Gita!

Just saving my energy for shoveling snow--either tomorrow, or Saturday.
Thanks for all the good wishes.....

Jeff--here is another picture an hour or two after the one I posted above.
Looking to the West of my house....the plows never came back.
Probably, because the schools are closed....

G.

Zoom in on those morsels - they are not cupcakes.

Those are actually four flavors of chocolate truffles. In order from left to right are

1) Bourbon and Sea Salt
2) Simply Chocolate
3) Chambord
4) Grand Marnier

Be honest? Awww....where's the fun in that?

Those confections are delicacies that Mrs. VV concocts as part of her second job - Viburnum Valley Farm Confections. Her delights show up here on DG rather regularly. I am responsible for Quality Control - which makes the world safe to consume these. On this occasion, I did perform the arrangement and photography.

Regarding the aged Chinese woman story, I was just joking around. She was blessed to live 117 years, but still having to tend to a 92 year old "young 'un" - who can't seem to cut the apron strings.

You may or may not be surprised to know that - for a Kentuckian - I travel through the metroplex rather often these days. As KY trustee, I am in DC in late April/early May every spring for a four-day trustees midyear meeting for the American Society of Landscape Architects. I am also currently President of the Holly Society of America (have you planted a holly today?) which requires me to travel to Millville NJ in mid June every year to the midyear HSA trustees meeting there.

I always threaten to stop in on DGers in the corridor that I drive through on the way to these meetings. Some of them are foolish enough to take me up on it, and lived to tell the tale. Many of Mrs. VV's confections often travel with me - as well as wine to pair with them and any other food I might stumble upon.

Baltimore has more than its fair share of good nurseries, and excellent plantspeople that are HSA members. I've visited with several on the north side of town, and I never drive through without visiting McLean Nurseries (Bill Kuhl, Esq. proprietor, landscape architect, and stalwart HSA member).

This fall (October 28 - Nov. 1, 2015) the 68th Annual Meeting of HSA will be held in Hunt Valley MD. I'll be there to preside over the proceedings. Never shrinking from an opportunity to advance the institution, I invite all in Mid-At to consider attending - for a day or the whole sha-bang. Lots of good people (like here!) that are generous with plants and plant knowledge. To know and grow more holly...

http://www.hollysocam.org/meetings.htm

A few more images of the chocolate truffles - what they look like when not participating in a birthday event...

1. Full trays of heavenly goodness
2. Closeup of Bourbon and Sea Salt (with salt, not coconut)
3. Simply Chocolate
4. Chambord
5. Grand Marnier (the ones with gold dust, above the coconut ones)

Those are gorgeous chocolates; my compliments to Mrs. VV!

Thanks. She's got game.

Holy Moley!!! You are certainly full of "importadness".....
I never cease to be impressed at the quality of DG members...

Sorry about the cupcakes.....I did not enlarge to look closer. :o(
Your wife is quite the "chocolateer" (is that a word?

Our spring Plant Swap is on May 9th and Muddy is hosting it.
Wonder if you could finagle to stop by her place ?????
There would be NO lack of food and wine! Nor plants to take home.

Also--if you are in Hunt Valley--that is about 1/2hr. N. from my house.
I live in the White Marsh (aka Perry Hall) area. 2 miles off of I-95N at exit #67.
Do you feast at the "Oregon Inn" when there?
If you go to Hunt Valley--have you ever stopped by "Valley View Farms"Nursery?
It is right there--on York Rd. Big, fancy Nursery--NOT exactly too customer friendly.
You are, sort of, on your own there.....Lots of garden stock--but no one around to help you.
They are known for their Christmas xtravaganza displays--which draws thousands of people.
It is mind-boggling.
I bought a shrub there once--their return policy is just 3 months. HD's is a full year--w/receipt.

If you need a sleep-over--I have plenty of room. I also have beer and wine if needed.
Zillions of good food places around here too.

When you travel--I suppose you are provided with lodging and food--all expenses paid?

The next closest people to Hunt Valley would be Rick and Holly.(PA). Jan--just off of the
Delaware bridge. Also--Sally (Millersville) --she lives just 1/2hr. south of me close to I-97.
Near Annapolis is also "coleup". SS gardener", Jill, (Frederick) and some others.

I do not know in detail who else would be close-by. Many of our people live around DC.
It would be great to just meet up for an hour or so.
Keep this in mind.
I would love to taste some of your Mrs.'s chocolates. I have a sweet tooth.

If you like odd plants--I could give you starts of:
--Three different Epis--incl. Ric Rac cactus,
--"Pregnant Onion" Plant
--"Dr. Seuss" and "Maya" Brugmansias, growing...
--Brazilian Plume Flower, a lot--all rooted and growing...
--Curly Spider plants ("Bonnie")
--Several different color Holiday cactus.

Plus--you can rummage through my BIG BOX of 60 different, self-collected seeds.

Need any more incentives to stop by? LMK.

Gita

Happy Birthday! Phew. Glad I saw this in time!

Happy Birthday Gita!
Hope your day included some Neil Diamond tunes.

Gita, hope your birthday was a great one,

Didn't get to say happy birthday to you yesterday because I was stuck in the apartment with no access to the internet - I had to go to the office for a meeting yesterday, didn't prepare to stay, but got stuck. I tried to drive home in the afternoon, but had to turn around after about 6 - 7 miles. Dangerous driving.

Donner, that sounds so scary! How awful that they couldn't reschedule the meeting, or have a conference call instead. :(