Sharing the Love

Did any of you know I am a ray of sunshine? I didn't (and my longsuffering spouse sure doesn't think so, some mornings before coffee!) Well, the always-sunny Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage thinks so, and she awarded me the Spread the Love Award. She also awarded the even more sunny and well deserving Kylee of Our Little Acre and Yolanda and the whole Bliss Team with this cheery February award.

What a perfect way to chase away the grey days of what I refer to as Farch--that interminable period that starts on February Oneth and ends on March Thirty-Oneth. We're into about day four or five or maybe seventeen of grey, dreary, blah, sunless, cloudy, precipitation of various sorts days...and I'm out of good chocolate! May have to resort to eating chocolate chips when I feel down.

Here's the info on the award:

The Spread the Love Award originated from Mica at Garb-oodles Soup with Mica's purpose being, "I have met so many lovely and very talented ladies here in Blogdom, what more can I do or say to express my humbled heart to each, than to give all my Dearest Readers and Friends a special award filled with Love. So, Spread The Love dear ones, Spread The Love to those you love. Accept my award in which I have specially designed and share it with others. Enjoy the day."

I'm with Mica on this; i've met so many talented and wonderful people (guys too, though they're in a shorter supply in the garden blogger's world, it seems), and some of you have become friends across the miles, including Cindy, Kylee, and Yolanda! So how on earth can I award this (because you have to pass it on!) to only a couple of people?

Well, it's my blog and I'll make up my own rule. I'm going to award it to five bloggers, some of whom I'm just getting to know across the bloggin' miles. They aren't all gardening blogs, either, because I checked back and that's fine. You know me and rules...if I can bend them just a bit, or push them just a bit, it's a great thing.

So; my picks are:

Victoria Cummings at Teachings of the Horse, for her wisdom about horses and the adept way she learns from them;
The entire team at GardeningGoneWild, because they are encouraging us all to become better gardeners, and they take the time to reply to comments, unlike some 'professional' garden writers.
Stuart at Gardening Tips n Ideas, for all his work both with his blog and with Blotanical, where some of us are having just too much fun;
Diane at Alberta Postcards, because her photographs make my heart sing (and she's a great writer too)
and Robin's Nesting Place, because A. I love her blog and her concern for other creatures and B. I had her URL messed up on my sidebar for several weeks!

And two special recipients (because I can) my blogging buddies and fellow Blotanical addicts, Carolyn of Sweet Home & Garden Chicago and Kate of Kate Smudges ; we have this hilarious three-way-gallop going on for top post-picker at Blotanical...none of us sleeps much, obviously.

As far as I know, there's no code for this award; just copy the image above and put it on your blog especially in a post where you share the love forward (if you wish).

And for the other hundred and leventy-three blogs I read--you all deserve it too, so give yourselves a hug from me; you all make me a better gardener, better writer and photographer (because I am inspired by you) and make my life a little richer, in the things that money CAN'T buy. So there.