Our girls are crafty. They can turn things we throw away into fun little projects that keep them occupied for hours. There are lots of bookmarks, cards, and simple things like that, but this week they really turned it up a notch. They started by just doing origami – swans, flowers, and such – but then suddenly they were making lockers, clocks, and ATM machines, all out of old cardboard and various bits and pieces we have lying around. Then Madeleine found this crazy project to create a sort of Super Mario Bros.® screen complete with dials to move the scenery along and another to move your “player” away from obstacles.

As they were doing it, I remembered this old computer program I got once for a birthday called The Toy Shop™. I’m sure many of you remember The Print Shop®. It was our go-to in the 80s and 90s for making invitations, banners, signs, all on our old dot matrix printers. The same company (Brøderbund®) that brought us The Print Shop also had a program called The Toy Shop. With it you printed templates for a variety of different crafts, but you also needed cardstock paper, dowels, glue, and an X-ACTO® knife. I can’t remember everything I made with it, but for some reason a carnival carousel sticks out in my mind, because it had gears and a crank made out of dowels, and Maddy’s 2023 creation reminded me of it.

We love watching their creativity. They do use their computers to find sources of inspiration, but the crafting is all theirs. It does leave a mess around the house, with them completely covering one surface with scraps of paper before quickly moving to the next and covering it with a delightful pile of bits and pieces. But I know that exercising that creativity now will pay dividends for them in the future as they figure out where their lives will lead them. Even for us adults, exercising creativity is important to keep our minds sharp and to have fun in our everyday lives.

And what better place for creativity than the garden and the kitchen? Creating beautiful gardens and beautiful recipes are both great ways to have some fun. Which makes this weekend’s seminar perfect because I’ll be talking all about Herb Gardening. We’ll learn about planting and caring for herbs and talk about the different tasty herbs that grow in our area. We can’t wait to be creative with you.

We are also thrilled about next week’s seminar: Start a Pollinator Party on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22. Earth Day started it all. It’s when taking care of the planet became everyone’s responsibility. This year on Earth Day, Kerby’s Nursery is going to shine the spotlight on Pollinators and the important role they play in the food we eat, the flowers we enjoy, and the overall health of Mother Earth. We’ll talk about biodiversity and how Florida Native Plants are a significant piece of the ecosystem puzzle. A delivery arrived this week with a large assortment of Florida Natives, some we’re carrying for the first time. We’re excited about the possibilities for Native Gardening and Pollinators, and we hope you’ll join us next week to learn how you and your garden can be part of it all.

Finally, I saw a funny quote this week: “My kids can pick up 300 Easter Eggs from the yard in 90 seconds, but it takes them three months to pick up five toys from their room.” So true, so true! We witnessed this on Saturday at the annual Easter Egg Hunt. 6,000 eggs were gone in the blink of an eye. Thanks to everyone who came out to make the event a success. We’re already making plans for next year’s hunt, and of course the White Rabbit will likely make another appearance. Someone has to keep the time!

Again, thank you so much for coming out. It’s great to see everyone in the community come together to have fun! Enjoy your week in the garden.