Newsletter 4 – March 26, 2009

Events             Recipe        Back to the Basics

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly,

our whole life would change.” Buddha

Opening Day

The countdown is almost over.  For the past few weeks, we’ve been marking off the days leading up to April 1, our official opening day.  The calendar isn’t the only indicator that the time is short.  Baby plants we started in February have grown into budding adolescents.  Hanging baskets fill the sky of our big greenhouse.  Hardy perennials are breaking dormancy.  The shelves in our retail area are stocked with exciting garden products.  Trucks have delivered pallets of soil, compost and mulch.  And most convincing of all, bright blossoms of pansies and begonias are popping open.

We are so close to ready, that even though we aren’t officially open, we invite you to stop out and see for yourself that spring is finally here.  If you want to brighten up your home or office, or need an inexpensive gift, nothing says spring like pansies planted in a terra cotta pot with a raffia bow.  In April we will also have a nice selection of potted plants, including Easter lilies, daffodils, tulips, hydrangeas, and violets.

What did the Forty Thieves like to drink?

Tea, after all, they were the For Tea Thieves!Joke 1

Back to the Basics

I recently saw an advertisement on television for a large insurance company, telling us they had been in business over 100 years and in that time had weathered 12 recessions.  The spokesman went on to say that one thing they have always noticed is that tough financial times always sends people back to the basics.  We have been hearing this at meetings and reading it in industry literature, so much in fact, that we adjusted our plant production this year to include more herbs and vegetables, adding several varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  We have also increased our selection of garden seeds, and ordered lots of potato and onion sets.  If you are among the millions of Americans planning to expand your garden this year, America’s Best Flowers is ready to help.

Open Sesame” opened the doors to the robbers’ cave.

Which piece of jewelry closed it?

A locket!.joke 2

UPCOMING EVENTS

April 1            Opening Day

April 4 -5        Sneak Peek Weekend – Take a look at the new season’s offerings and pick up a lovely blooming plant for your Easter table.

April 11           Community Egg Hunt 10 AM Join the Easter Bunny and our staff for this ‘Sweet’ event!’ Rain or Shine! -  Children 6 and under, please

April 12           Easter Sunday we will be closed to allow our associates to spend time with their families.

April 18-19      Open House - FREE hot dogs and popcorn 11-3 for our Loyalty Members.

April 25            Earth Day Celebration – FREE CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES 10-2 PM. Bring a white T-shirt to paint, make seed balls and more!

April 24-26      Arbor Day - Receive a FREE Black Hills Spruce with purchase.  While supplies last.  Limit 1 per family.

Watch for days of other spring events, including Container Workshops.

The first Saturday in May is our annual “SALSA SATURDAY,” when we celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Latin music, free samples of chips and salsa, and you can even plant a salsa container that weekend at our workshop. We will give away a $50 gift certificate for the best salsa in our Salsa Recipe Contest.

Special Mother’s Day activities and free classes on vegetable and perennial gardening will continue throughout the season, along with our Make and Take Workshops.  We also promise many exciting surprises. Our goal is to hold events that are interesting and helpful to our customers. Remember to give us your input. We’re listening!

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend.

Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. Groucho Marxjoke 3

Sun Prairie Garden Club Hosts Author

Saturday, March 28, the Sun Prairie Garden Club is sponsoring a lecture and book signing by Mariette Nowak at the Sun Prairie High School.  Ms. Nowak is the former director of Milwaukee’s Wehr Nature Center, and offers expert advice for native landscaping that will provide a habitat for backyard birds.  There will be a small charge at the door.  Discounts are available to members of Wild Ones, Wisconsin Garden Club members, and students with ID.

Everybody has a photographic memory.

Some people just don’t have film.joke 4

Bonnie’s Kitchen

Want an easy dessert? These only take a few minutes to make, and 2 hours of chilling time!

Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes

12 vanilla wafer cookies

1 package (8 ounces) plus 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

12 1” chocolate covered peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 medium muffin cups, 2½ x 1¼ inches, with paper baking cups.  Place 1 cookie, flat side down, in each cup.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fill cups ¾ full. Press one candy into cheese mixture in each cup until even with top of cheese mixture.

Bake about 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 5 days. Cover and refrigerate any remaining cheesecakes after serving

12 servings.

Serving size: 1 piece. 140 Calories

Lottery Winner

During an interview on TV, a farmer who had won ten million dollars in the lottery

was asked what he was going to do with all the money.

He scratched his head and said, “Not sure as I know right off.

Guess I’ll keep farmin’ till it’s all gone.”joke 5

SEE YOU SOON!!!