Order now….plant later
Yes. Yes and yes. We should be scouring our seed catalogs to find the best things to plant when Spring finally comes. Mother Nature is generous. She gives us prodigiously of the best fruits, vegetables and flowers. Don’t forget flowers. They cheer us and along with certain house plants, help with air quality. If you need advice, check with our capable Focus Chairmen. Depending on your need, Jerry Howard for Horticulture Therapy; K.S. Sury, Gardening Focus; Environmental concerns, Betty Monahan and Barbara Hochstettler for Floral Arts Focus.
Not only will planning a garden already in place be a pleasant thing, but the result will be a more healthy you and family, safe from some of the toxins at our supermarkets as well as saving a great deal of money. And if you currently don’t have a garden to dig up, this is an ideal time to plant one.
But if this is not practical for you, DO buy locally from your own neighboring farmers and growers. Remember, we are the Woman’s National Farm and Garden Association, Inc. Our name should say it all.
On the “Bee” front….the Rochester Branch had a program, “Chapter Two-the Life of Bees” with speaker Dr. Dyanne M. Tracy. From the Bee Journal, we learn that there is a new glass chip that can “read” any of the bacterium etc. plaguing bees and will point to learning much more about bees and the survival of our food supply. Marla Diamond, our dearly loved Advisor and immediate Past President, sent several articles among which was one using a penny to ease bee stings. She allowed (with something of a written wink) that she hadn’t tried it yet. No wonder. Bees won’t fly if the temperature is below 50 degrees.
Jean DeDecker is anxious for you to send the National Award Applications on to your chairman and to encourage everyone to submit applications.
Thank you all for your response to my Arts and Crafts call for help. Susan Yeager from the Ambler Branch had some excellent suggestions as did Audrey Ehrler, President of the New York Division and others more locally. I’m excited about the possibilities.
The Mayflower Branch, Susan Hunt and the two Lisas’ spent most of their last business meeting planning for your visit in June. Needless to say Mary Bertolini has on her magic hat and is organizing your June visit to be the best yet, in spite of the economy, while in Texas our indefatigable Hazel Herring continues the fund raising for our Ambler home. And when we speak of “our home”, we must not forget the part that Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey as well as New England contributed as pioneer founders.
Kay Engelhart continues to graciously take care of these letters and of basic budgeting communications, for which I humbly thank her.
The Earth IS our only home, isn’t it?