President's Message

President’s Hot Flashes June 15, 2008

I have lots to report since I last checked in with you. I had a couple of days to finalize everything and it was off to Convention in Woodland Hills. From all accounts and according to the evaluation surveys turned in, most everyone had a great time and learned a lot to take back with them to their clubs and districts. That’s what we hoped we could provide. Our special guest was our NGC President Barbara May and she delighted us with her good humor and information about NGC. Fifty some members went on the tour which included a continental breakfast followed by Southern California GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication before heading over to Conejo Valley Botanic Garden to see my President’s Project “The Trail of Trees.”

There was a special presentation at convention for donors to the President’s Project – “The Trail of Trees” – each individual, club or district that had donated to the project took home a specially decorated tree and a thank you note from me. Marie Zimmerman and her It’s Garden Thyme GC crew decorated 60+ trees mostly in a patriotic theme. The room looked so festive with the trees everywhere.

Then it was off to Ramona GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication and installation of officers on June 11. The marker was placed as the focal point of the club’s native plant garden in a park in town. It was the fastest installation on record but we got our job done (one of the officers had to appear for jury duty – and I wasn’t sure the courts would accept second place to a garden club installation).

Then I filled up the gas tank and zoomed up to Tuolumne County GC in Sonora. Truly spectacular scenery and the garden clubbers are special up there. I visited the club’s Blue Star Memorial Marker in Tuolumne. As we drove into town I noticed somebody’s laundry hanging across the street (up pretty high). “Odd,” I thought but this is rural California. Then another street had overalls and flannel shirts hanging across the street – ahhhhh, it’s Lumberjack Festival that was a-comin’ to town soon. Then members took me to the Black Oak Casino where I rode the only escalator in town but more importantly I strolled in the Heritage Garden that would be receiving a Landscape Design Commendation the next day at the club meeting. It was a lovely garden. And no, I didn’t lose any money at the casino – I gamble less than I drink!

After staying at a club member’s B & B (Sterling Gardens – I sure can recommend it to anyone), on Friday, June 13, I attended the Tuolumne County GC meeting where I installed officers and made Bettie Ries a President’s Winner. I have corresponded with Bettie since my first issue as editor of Golden Gardens in 1995 so I was delighted to finally meet her. We had a great time and I left with a new pet goldfish, Tuoly (rhymes with Wally) which was part of the centerpiece theme, Fishing for New Members, President Linda Santos’ theme for this year.

Back home the next day, I attended It’s Garden Thyme GC’s Flag Day party at the Hathaway Ranch and Museum in Santa Fe Springs. There were plants for sale and activities for the kids. It was a fun day with a lot of red, white and blue clothing and décor!

And now we are officially halfway through this term. I’ve loved every minute and I’m looking forward to the second half. You are all so special to me. Merry Christmas.

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes June 4, 2008

There will be a special presentation at convention on Sunday, June 8, for donors to the President’s Project – “Trail of Trees” – if you haven’t done so but are thinking about contributing, bring all your spare cash to convention!

I had a wonderful April. I attended the Canyon Crest GC spring tour – check out the beautiful roses behind Paddee Neff and me. It was a spectacular day of gardens ended with a very special boat ride on Lake Viejo.

Check out the beautiful behinds ON Paddee and me. Who took this picture???

Later in April I was lucky enough to judge the fantabulous (my word) Redlands Horticultural Improvement Society flower show.

Then I visited Anaheim GC’s flower show. I saw a knockout hybrid tea rose at the show, Moonstone. It had been grown by club president Sue Schairer. And guess what, my kitties gave me a Moonstone rose for Mother’s Day. And my final flower show judging was out in Morro Bay at Montana de Oro District’s flower show. We had a great time! I installed officers out in the desert for the Oasis GC of Indian Wells Valley (shall I talk to them about shortening their club name to Oasis GC??)

May found me headed north on I-5 or CA-99 every week! The second week of May brought me to the Golden Foothills District in Roseville. Several district members joined us for dinner the night before the Golden Foothills District garden party. Before the garden party Rosemary & Dick Gaspari took me to the Maidu Interpretive Center where we met Ed Dempsey and I got to see the Jubilee Grant and the NGC/Principal Grant native plant gardens (see picture) that had been planted. Dick took me to see probably the best petro glyphs anywhere – amazing! Then off to the party where they gave me a warm welcome – really warm – over 100° F. I was on the panel that judged the decorated hats and I got to see rope made from twine! I came home with a donation to my President’s Project – Trail of Trees and a watering can for my Christmas tree. I enjoyed every minute except the very last one when Greg called to say Mom was in the hospital. Wanna know how fast I can get from Roseville to San Fernando? As fast as Maryanne Lucas can do it (and that’s really saying something!) Happily, Mom is home and recovering and will be at convention – come over and say hello to her on Awards Night.

The following week, Corresponding Secretary Pat Clayes and I journeyed yet again up the I-5 to Diablo Foothills District. Pat and I stayed with Kay & Paul Palmbaum and were treated to a Reception at Nelda Champion’s lovely home overlooking a canyon – we got to see wild turkeys and deer grazing through the field. Horticulture Wonder Woman & and our CGCI Herb Chairman on the Horticulture Team, Karen Mahshi was presented with a Landscape Design Commendation from our Landscape Design Council for her work at the Markham Arboretum, which I was pleased to be able to tour.

Mary Lou Goodwin was guest at the district meeting and Virginia Bennetts and Betty Hedtke were both there as well – all former CGCI Presidents (see picture – I’m the tall one).

I learned that if you want an informational display for your flower show or education table at a meeting or event; contact your local Vector Control (Google Vector Control for your county). Discovery Bay GC reported that the boys at the ranch which the club supports are excited to eat what they’ve grown. Sowing tomorrow’s seeds…

Livermore-Amador Valley GC mentioned that their Tomato Tasting event was successful as was its Daffodil Show (1 of only 3 in the state). Diablo Women’s GC netted $800 from a tag sale (Keitha DeMara who reported this must have come from the east where their yard sales are tag sales). Montelindo GC sponsored a speaker’s series of events. Each program had 90-100 attendees and the club gained 25 new members from EACH program! Layfayette GC held its first garden tour and sold 344 tickets – their first time out of the chute – way to go!

Then it was off to Vista GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication on May 26. The dedication was in conjunction with the solemn local VFW’s Memorial Day ceremony. The ceremony was moving and I caught my breath several times. The annual ceremony is Special Order #11 in the VFW charter and I was so glad I was allowed to observe it.

And finally, I concluded May with an exceptionally special event: the celebration of San Pedro GC’s 80th Anniversary! The club awarded three local students scholarships of $800 each (in recognition of the club’s 80th anniversary). Then the biggest surprise of all was that the club bestowed an Honorary Membership on me. One of the biggest honors I’ve received and I am very proud to be associated with this special group of garden clubbers!

So I’ve had a wonderful May – hope yours was as productive and enjoyable. We’re not quite halfway through my term but I am enjoying it as much as I did Installation night and am learning so much from all of you.
Merry Christmas.

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes May 31, 2008

There will be a special presentation at convention on Sunday, June 8, for donors to the President’s Project – “Trail of Trees” – if you haven’t done so but are thinking about contributing, bring your check to convention!

I returned from the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Convention with awards in hand and lots of information for our chairmen and directors. We stayed at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis where our NGC President Barbara May was invested as the Honorary Duckmaster on the last day of Convention. Anyone coming to our CGCI convention should bring a duck call – it may be needed.

I have noticed in going to NGC conventions for the past several years that on Awards Night the Georgia state president brings a lawn chair and a mint julep onto the stage and does her nails while the long list of awards that Georgia has won is read to the audience. Some states (who don’t enter for national awards) don’t even need to slow down. They are introduced, shake hands with the NGC President and move right off the stage. For California, while I didn’t need to bring a nail file to do my nails while I was up there, I was able to stand for a bit swelling with pride at the list of California winners! Do I have your interest piqued? Then come to our convention in Woodland Hills and see what we won.

Early May found me in Stockton at the home of Lucille Soleagui. We enjoyed an Italian dinner the evening before the Valley Lode District meeting. The reports from the clubs and committees were so interesting. Valley Lode supplies each club with a great Club President Report form on which the club’s activities, projects and events may be reported. Click here to view the report. Valley Lode clubs are certainly busy. Calaveras County GC is planting natives (plants not people) at their local museum. The club has purchased eight Penny Pines Plantations and 85 trees besides and celebrated Arbor Day with the planting of a tree. Ceres GC members tend the Masonic Lodge gardens in exchange for meeting space and they hosted more than 500 children at their Arbor Day celebration. Linden GC members are working on their civic beautification project. I hope they are taking pictures to enter for an award later this year! Lodi GC members work on the Lodi Lake beautification and butterfly garden project. They should be taking pictures and entering the Butterfly Conservation award. They had 15 members of their youth group at their Arbor Day celebration. They also held a successful Game Day as their fundraiser and purchased three Penny Pines Plantations. Members serve Meals on Wheels to those in need in Lodi. Aren’t garden club members really wonderful people?!

Manteca GC is holding a garden tour and tends a local memorial rose garden. Newman GC was pleased with their yard sale fundraiser. Oakdale GC offered a bus tour to the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show in March and invited the community. They gained several new members from that trip. Patterson GC is 49 years old (though the club doesn’t look a day over 39) and members are offering their expertise to the city on civic plantings. Stockton GC reported on a fun project of making paper roses from coffee filters. I recycle my used coffee filters in the bottom of pots so the planting mix doesn’t all get washed out. I hope someone from Stockton GC will send me the directions and a completed rose – sounds like a project I’d like! Tuolumne County GC maintains a Blue Star Memorial Marker garden. The club has purchased four Penny Pines Plantations and planted two native trees at a school for Arbor Day. Members donate blood in exchange for meeting space. There sure are a lot of ways of getting free meeting space. If your club needs meeting space - check to see if your members have any spare blood they aren’t using.

Modesto GC joined the Chamber of Commerce and realized $27,000 in proceeds from their Spring Tour. Members have planted 211 roses and four trees, installed four benches and replanted 440 planters, 140 hanging pots and the flower clock for their downtown area (Modesto must be in full bloom!). The club planted seven trees for Arbor Day.

You can see why I come home all fired up with wonderful ideas and my bag of pride in our CGCI clubs measurably increased at what is reported in only their three minutes of time. Valley Lode District honored me with my first Penny Pines Plantation as well as a generous donation to my President’s Project, the Trail of Trees. I sure had a wonderful time with you all, Thank you, Valley Lode District!

It’s only 6 days to Christmas…oops, no 6 days to convention….well, it’s the same thing in my book!

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes April 17, 2008

Pacific Region Convention was great! I learned so much. Do you remember I told you I love going to convention because I get all fired up with ideas? It’s happened again! A club in Alaska increased its moose membership from 10 to 55 through local publicity. They have no moose in Alaska (as far as I’m concerned – I hear about them, but I NEVER once saw a moose when I was there) but they have great ideas for membership increase. That’s just one of the reasons to participate on the Pacific Region Board.

Greg and I joined the Post Convention Tour through the Columbia River Gorge and spent a delightful three days (in the rain) enjoying spectacular scenery and waterfalls. Al Finegold took this splendid picture of the gardens at the historic Columbia Inn, where we stayed our first night.

Russ Ford took this picture of Multnomah Falls. I guess there are lots of things taller than me – I look positively frozen but tiny!

I had to come home, if nothing else, to thaw out.

On April 9, I drove to Highland’s Environmental Learning Center to participate in the check presentation of Arrowhead GC’s NGC/Principal Financial Group grant. I got to view the fabulous rooftop garden. They can be so proud of this project.

On April 12, I joined San Dieguito GC for their flower show at Quail Botanical Garden (www.QBGardens.org). They had arranged for me to join the kids for flower arranging and then we enjoyed a private tour of the Garden. A wonderful place to stroll for an hour or two. After the Garden I was treated to a tour of THE GARDEN – Palomar District Director Jerry Thirloway’s back yard.

Don’t forget to order your club, district, or council’s banner. There’s still time and we want to see how many banners can be displayed on the Parade of Banners at our convention at the Woodland Hills Hilton.

Year Around GC encourages members to bring their own cup to club meetings, to reduce the amount of disposable cups going in to the landfill.

When Temecula Valley GC held a garden workshop for members to make wind chimes, attendees made two wind chimes, one to keep and one for the club’s flower show marketplace. That’s a clever way to obtain inventory.

Stockton GC’s newsletter, The Rotiller, announced the start up of a horticulture group that would meet monthly and discuss gardening problems (and solutions).

San Clemente GC lists each month’s club activities (date and time) on the back page of their newsletter so members can quickly note all the events and projects.

Clayton Valley GC marched in their July 4th parade distributing seed packets stapled to garden club flyers.

Are you saving stamps to bring to convention? Have you purchased a new flag and folded your old ragged flag to bring to me at convention? Are you bringing a friend to their first CGCI Convention? Are you bringing new and incoming club officers to the Parliamentary Workshop? There are a lot of awards to be given amid glitz and glamour on Awards Night – don’t miss a single event!

As this first year of my term winds to a close – the sparkle and excitement of being your CGCI President has not worn off – in fact, the lights in my heart twinkle ever more brightly like Christmas.

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes March 30, 2008

I have so much to tell you. I want to catch you up on my last two trips. I’m calling them the Call of the Wild Northern Tour. I was invited to Modesto GC’s March meeting and so went up the night before to stay with
Judi (CGCI Judges Council Chairman) and Ron Picinini – their cat Scruff brought a mole to the back patio door for dessert. We enjoyed a wonderful evening and then the next morning we were off to Modesto GC’s clubhouse and meeting. Penny Binney, President, welcomed me warmly and I got to experience the Magic of the Modesto GC.

From Modesto I drove to the Cow Palace and the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. 3rd VP George Speer set up our CGCI Membership Table and Dolores Moffat and Shane Looper, each an Organizer Extraordinaire had coordinated the magnificent floral designs displayed in the Cow Palace’s lobby!
Click here for stunning photos of our talented members! Your 1st VP Maryanne Lucas had her Kids Growing Strong display there as well. Click here to go to the website.

I was at the Membership Table until the Show closed Sunday evening. fox Then I packed up the Highlander and was off to Santa Cruz where Rosa Radicchi opened her aunt’s home to me. After a delightful breakfast on the Santa Cruz wharf we headed off on a one-lane road to Big Basin sighting a red fox strolling down the lane ahead of us. At Big Basin we visited the California Garden Clubs, Inc. planting sights. It was very impressive! Finally found something taller than me!

big basin2

From Big Basin Rosa invited me to “drop in” on the Las Jardineras GC meeting. We decorated wooden hearts that hold a vase for cut flowers. I’m taking the example to my club. Some wood,
some paints & wire and you’ve got a great therapy project!

A fun group greeted me at Las Jardineras GC – can you find the three puppy-dogs in the crowd?

Then I got home, caught up on my email and re-packed for the second half of my Call of the Wild Northern Tour. This time 3rd VP George Speer came along for the ride. George and I stayed with Carolyn (CGCI Air Chairman) & Ron Villi. At Carolyn’s country home we admired peacocks; breathed deeply the scent of lilacs; gopher two horses (one Icelandic and one regular horse horse); one exuberant puppy named Stinky, no, it was Tuffie; one sweet and gentle Doberman named Annie (who ate walnut shells and caught a gopher); the tuxedo kitty Punky; wood ducks in the morning on the pond and one brown mouse! mouse

We went out for dinner with Carolyn & Ron and Sequoia Foothills District Director Gloria Aminian (who drove 100 miles for dinner and then returned home) and then came dessert. We went to Hanford’s Superior Dairy and innocently ordered a single scoop of lemon ice cream and look what happened!

The next morning we were off to Caruthers and the Sequoia Foothills District meeting. I got lots of ideas from the club presidents’ reports. Such as: Porterville GC collects magazines and hotel soaps and such. They label the magazines “Compliments of Porterville GC” and bag up the hotel soaps and sample size items with the same label and give the magazines and bags to senior centers, shelters and the like – a great way to get your club’s name out there. A good rule of thumb? Never let anything go out to the public without your club’s name and a method of contact on it. Porterville GC also held a card party with the proceeds going to Penny Pines – how much did they make? $2300!!

Visalia GC holds plant swaps – you bring a plant and you get a plant – extras are sold. They also have a Landscape of the Month award. Evening GC holds round table gardening discussions. La Casa GC makes generous donations to Habitat for Humanity. Hanford GC plants trees and roses and veggies – everywhere! Twenty trees at a school, 32 roses at the Memorial Wall in Hanford, and built six raised veggie beds for their youth group.

Caruthers GC, only two years old, participates in the last Free-Gate Fair in California and had interesting programs on white gardens and weed control. Sequoia GC is planting beds at a local shelter and is proud of their Smokey Bear Poster Contest winner. Four Seasons GC meets in the evening and manages a 2-acre Nature Trail that includes 140 trees. They also host an Arts and Crafts Fair that netted the club $3K. Bakersfield Green Thumb GC has a table at meetings with jewelry or garden-related items for sale – proceeds going to Penny Pines. They report getting on average – one new member each month!

From the District meeting, I had the incredible honor of presenting Ralph Moore with a CGCI Commendation for his extraord Robin-Ralph Moore inary work in horticulture. Mr. Moore and I chatted for a long time – at least one of his roses is on every continent except Antarctica. I told him I had last visited his nursery in 1995 when I was in Visalia for the CGCI Convention. And he said to me, “Don’t wait so long to come back and visit.” Amazing 101-year-old gentleman.

Then we loaded up and caravanned to see the Monrovia growing grounds and then on to Woodlake Pride (http://news.ucanr.org/storyshow.cfm?story=153&printver=yes). Woodlake, California has good reason to show their pride. The demonstration agriculture display of more than 450 cultivars is impressive. Planned and planted by Woodlake’s youth under the direction of Manuel Jimenez, the garden gives you goose-bumps to see. From Woodlake Pride we had dinner that included Bleu Cheese ice cream and George and I scooted on home that night.

April 15 approaches. If you are on the CGCI Board of Directors and need a letter indicating the necessity of your attendance at board meetings, please click here.

Banner orders are coming in like crazy. We are going to have quite the Parade of Banners at Convention in Woodland Hills in June. I hope your club, district and council will have a place in that parade. Orders placed are generally delivered within two weeks. Click here for the order form.

This weekend I attended Orange County District’s Gardening Study School in Aliso Viejo at Soka University of America. They had a great line-up of instructors, wonderful facilities and a whole bunch of donuts! Maybe you’ll join us for Course II in August.

I’m off to the Pacific Region Convention in Portland, Oregon this week where I represent CGCI and TRY, in a mere three minutes, to report all the wonderful projects and events happening in California.

The thrill of hearing and seeing what CGCI clubs and districts are doing in our state is astounding – very much like Christmas. You keep me inspired. Merry Christmas!

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes February 18, 2008

And now I can justify this column. I actually have late-breaking news to report. The news of is that the dates of the 2008 Fall Board Meeting have been changed. The new dates of the meeting are September 9 - 11, 2008. There will be a Tri-Refresher at which everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – they have lined up wonderful speakers and pending NGC approval, eligible Consultants can refresh their certificates.

You know the banners, Maryanne Lucas created? With the stunning poppies and your club, district or council’s name vertically presented along the side? Let’s have a Parade of Banners at our Convention Hotel in June. If everyone would bring their banner and their stand, we can make quite an impression, I bet. Place your order now with George Speer so you will have yours in time for Convention!

I made several notes from the reports at the Winter Board Meeting in Redding that I want to share with you. Boron GC, in Desert Empire District, has seven members and yet they created 250 stockings for distribution when Santa made his appearance at the 20-Mule Team Museum. I found small stockings at my local Big Lots store and bought all they had for a nickel each and donated them to Boron GC when I heard what they were doing. I think that’s amazing that a club of seven members can make such an impact!

Also interesting to note was that Costa Verde District is working on distributing their District newsletter to as many district members as possible – not just the officers and committee members. Email makes this financially feasible. Could your district do this?

Willits GC, in Mendo-Lake District, enters a float in local parades. Wish I could see pictures of their float.

Four clubs have availed themselves of the Blue Star Byway Marker grant money. That means four more clubs can still get in on the moola offered for this year from Principal Financial Group. Contact Ruth Angevine, to reserve your space on this list.

The air still has a bit of a chill to it. Reminds me of Christmas. And speaking of Christmas and gifts…..the NGC/Principal Financial Group Grants have been announced and FIVE California clubs and our state project received funding. However, there are no losers this year. The remaining 15 clubs and 1 district will be receiving $250 CGCI grants. Merry Christmas!

Robin

President’s Hot Flashes February 7, 2008

So it’s been awhile since we chatted. All 12 trees went up at Christmas and everything was down in time to travel to Redding for the CGCI Winter Board Meeting. I enjoyed seeing the snow-covered Mount Shasta reigning regally outside our hotel windows and the tour to the Turtle Bay Exploration Park (www.turtlebay.org) and walking across the magnificent Sundial Bridge. Very cool. We presented a commendation from the Landscape Design Council for the Park’s excellent land use and design. We handled our business and I hope everyone felt the meeting was productive. I sure did.

President's Hot Flash February, 2008

On January 26, Greg and I went out to San Luis Obispo where I judged the Battle of the Bloom for Bob Gordon. Bob orchestrated a fantastic and profitable event featuring floral designers from our garden club world and the other world (non-garden clubbers). George Speer, our 3rd Vice President, did us proud and arranged several outstanding designs, some with a time limit, some with pre-selected materials and container. The finale was the Celebrity Design – the guest designers had their hands tied behind their backs and the San Luis Obispo mayor, councilwoman and your CGCI President (a known floral designer of negative talent – I can judge them but I cannot arrange them) then with only the verbal help of the guest designer created a design. I was surprised but had a great time!

I enjoyed the hospitality of Palomar District on January 28 and a great floral design program (I can enjoy ‘em, just can’t arrange ‘em). On January 29, my mom turned 94 years old and we had family dinner and cake! Last Monday I had a great time when I visited Orange County District and enjoyed some fantastic cookies that Director Carole Lung brought me (the world’s best cookie maker). That brings us current.

This weekend I am off to Banning for the Palms to Pines District’s Winter Gathering. I am narrating their student design competition (I can talk about ‘em, but I can’t arrange ‘em.) Next week I offer my talents for Valentine’s Day at my friend Diane’s florist shop. Oh, calm down, I take the phone orders, she doesn’t let me near the roses unless it is to de-thorn them. I am looking forward to attending the 50th Anniversary party of Oasis GC of Indian Wells Valley on February 16. The following week I’ll be visiting Roadrunner District.

Have you heard of the Blue Star Memorials Grant money available? Two grant opportunities are offered and I have a short explanation of both programs – click here.

Those who attended the Winter Board Meeting were asked to complete Evaluation Surveys. Submitted surveys have been tallied and a recap is available – click here.

I have left a small 10” Christmas tree up in my office. It reminds me of how much fun I am having serving you these two years. Only 321 days till Christmas. Don’t believe me? Then click here…http://mysite.verizon.net/vze201j5/countdown.htm

Robin
“Garden Club: A Natural Place to Grow”

I returned home this week from a “Presidential Tour” full of ideas and pride in the many accomplishments of our CGCI member clubs. My first stop was in Ripon at the Valley Lode District meeting. I stayed at Judi Picinini’s home. Judi puts up 12 Christmas trees and I know Bob Gordon puts up a dozen or so themed trees – so your President isn’t looking quite so odd now, is she?

Ruth and I then dashed back home that night to attend Walnut Creek GC’s meeting on Monday morning. We recognized the LD Commendation winner and we all participated in creating a candle centerpiece which was a lot of fun. I was honored with a donation to my Trail of Trees project and I was off again to Hanford. I stayed at the home of Barbara and Dick Dodge that evening and enjoyed a fantastic dinner created by Chef Dick. The next day I celebrated La Casa GC’s 55th Anniversary. Charter member Lilia Giacomazzi related the history of the club. President Barbara Dodge reported that the club made nearly $5,000 at the Fair. But I didn’t get to hear how they made so much money (maybe I can report that in another Hot Flashes). After eight wonderful days, I happily went home and introduced myself to my mom and husband. I wouldn’t have traded a single minute, though. Thank you all for a wonderful experience!!!

The outdoor lights went up yesterday (but they don’t get turned on until the day after Thanksgiving) and the Garden Tree goes up today. Oops! I got elfed! “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

My first “tour” is history and I came home with wonderful ideas and goodies. My first “tour” started in Fairfield at the Geranium City GC meeting. Lucky for me, the club was dedicating its garden which was a gift to the Senior Center. (You should see the wonderful 2-foot diameter, lighted, hanging Christmas sphere ornament I got at the Craft Store in the Center!). The garden was just beautiful and the mayor of Fairfield spoke to the club and thanked everyone involved and he pinned me with a Fairfield pin.

Then I was off to Davis and the next morning visited Sacramento River Valley District at the Iva Shepard Art and Garden Center in Sacramento where we enjoyed tea and presented two Landscape Design Commendations. Bob Bigham was the guest designer and 75 attendees thoroughly delighted in Bob’s floral creations.

Then I made my way to Rohnert Park and had a great time with Luther Burbank District members. I presented a program, Black Magic in the Garden, and their raffle brought in $200. Gayle Davis and the Rohnert Park GC (the meeting hosts) circulated a basket. All donations in the basket were matched 100% by Rohnert Park GC with the proceeds going to the Trail of Trees President’s Project. Luther Burbank District meeting members donated $100 so with the matching $100, a check has been sent to the CVBG for $200. Thanks, Rohnert Park GC and Luther Burbank District Members!! After the district meeting we all went to Gayle Davis’ home and had a bit of the grape and some yummy cheese. Then District Director Cathy Biggins and I went to the mall where the Men’s GC of Santa Rosa was holding its semi-annual plant sale. I was able to leave some of my money with that club and brought home a wonderful alstroemaeria. Of particular note is that every pot in the sale contained a plant stick with the plant’s name and a second stick with the club’s name and contact number. I’ll bet they had a bunch printed and my guess is that’s an inexpensive way to make your club and contact information visible in the community.

Rohnert Park GC and Hesperia GC both had the same idea. They formatted their club yearbooks on 8.5” x 11” paper which can be easily inserted in the CGCI yearbook for those that had one and for those that did not have a state yearbook, the club yearbook was enclosed in a plastic theme binder which should be able to be purchased inexpensively and should last a few years. Hesperia GC’s yearbook included a one-page history of the club. That way, new members get a feel for the club and its past as soon as they join.

I’m off to Ripon for the first Valley Lode District meeting of this season then to Chicago Park GC for its Victorian Tea (have just been waiting to be President to be invited!) then to Walnut Creek to pick up Blue Star Memorial Markers Chairman Ruth Angevine. We’re going to head up to Trinidad for an Official Visit in Humboldt District and a Blue Star Marker Dedication with Patrick’s Point GC. Then we’ll dash back to Walnut Creek to attend the Walnut Creek GC meeting and then on my way home I’m happy to attend the 55th Anniversary of La Casa GC.

The next deadline fast approaching is December 1 – yearbooks to CGCI Awards Chairman Nancy Lee Loesch. Our average is 100 yearbooks – can we break all records and get 150 clubs and districts represented? All you need to do to enter is to clip an Evaluation Form (click here) inside the front cover and postmark by December 1 to Nancy Lee Loesch. I’ve offered to be on the judging team – come on, show me your stuff!

The Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Contest deadline – January 15 – is fast approaching. Will your youth group enter some posters? How about your kids’ or grandkids’ or their classmates? Linda Riddle is looking forward to judging lots of posters – maybe she’ll ask me to help?? I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Have you thought about encouraging a student to apply for the CGCI, Pacific Region and NGC scholarships? California is eligible for two $4,000 NGC scholarships. Click here for the CGCI scholarship form – CGCI offers two $2,000 and a Wil J. Tebo Scholarship of $1,000. Click here for the Pacific Region scholarship form – Pacific Region offers one $1,000 scholarship. Click here for the NGC scholarship form.

From the newsletter of Garden Study Club of the Peninsula, Bay Ocean District: Spraying “Wilt-Pruf” on newly carved pumpkins will keep them from shriveling, collapsing and turning black. It will also keep holiday greens fresh longer. The product is made from pine oil and is more commonly used to guard against moisture loss through leaf transpiration in growing plants.

Colfax Garden Club News printed an excerpt from the club’s report to the Golden Foothills District. It was divided into state, district and local levels. This is a great way to keep club members aware of everything going on.

Temecula GC, Palomar District, has an Associate Member class of membership. The class was created for those individuals and organizations unable to attend meetings but wishing to receive the newsletter. The dues are $10 which covers the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter.

Were you at the Fall Board Meeting and meant to complete an Evaluation Survey but forgot to turn it in, or didn’t know where to turn it in? Click here to download the survey and send it to me.

Have you seen the new CGCI banners? We ratified the purchase of three at the Fall Board Meeting. These banners are available for your club and district to use. Each of the vice-presidents has custody of one available for borrowing. You can also order a banner with your club or district’s name on it for $75 and a sturdy but lightweight stand to display the banner for an additional $20. Have you seen the new CGCI bookmarks? They display our name, logo and website. Order a quantity from your Membership Chairman George Speerwhose goal is 40,000 members!

Mary Lou Goodwin hosted an Ice-breaker at the Fall Board Meeting. Mary Lou cleverly gave each person a card that had eight categories listed – attendees were to introduce themselves to others until they found a person that fulfilled each category. Their new friends in each listed category signed their names and listed their garden clubs on the card. Categories included: District Director, state chairman, sprays roses, Environmental Consultant, loves geraniums, etc. I was in the Executive Committee Meeting but I’d have loved to participate.

Lake Forest GC, Orange County District, included a page with their newsletter that listed the officers and committee positions and associated duties for each. Members can consider holding an office or chairing a committee knowing what is expected of them.

West Valley GC, San Fernando Valley District: Plant a couple of ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberry bushes. For those in Southern California, add peat moss or plant with azalea/camellia planting mix. Maryanne Lucas says her bushes provided enough berries for her (and Bob’s) breakfast cereal. So I’ve planted 2 bushes that I got on the Post Fall Board Meeting Tour at Roger’s Gardens and I’ve got Mom on alert to be ready with a pie crust.

From The Desert Breeze, newsletter of Hi ‘N’ Dri Gardeners,
Roadrunner District

I’m unpacked and the laundry is finished from our Fall Board Meeting in Long Beach. Diane Charbonneau and Costa Verde District outdid themselves putting on a fantastic meeting.

Forty people attended the Parliamentary Workshop given by Gerry Olsen–several returned after lunch to take the membership exam. I have it on good authority that 9 people passed the exam – some with perfect scores! Congratulations!

Many enjoyed a fun harbor boat trip before returning to lunch and a garden therapy program of making snowflakes from plastic six-pack rings. Excellent programs on dahlias and gesneriads punctuated our meetings. An auction of a few special CGCI historic items raised over $200 for the President’s Project. I was thrilled to receive on behalf of CGCI a letter from President George W. Bush congratulating CGCI on our 75th Anniversary and a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol Building in honor of CGCI. Click here to view letter

After the close of business, 14 of us went on the Post Tour & Tri-Refresher which included tours of a Japanese garden, a rancho garden, Sherman Gardens, Roger’s Gardens and Soka University of America’s campus landscaping where a Landscape Design Commendation was presented to Soka’s president.

Petaluma GC, Luther Burbank District, held a Coffee Hour for new club members – a total of 37 members attended. Board members and committee chairs outlined their jobs, answered questions and welcomed the new kids. It was reported as “a very pleasant and productive morning.” It must be working as their newsletter reported that 7 guests attended the June meeting and 4 of them joined.

Fallbrook GC, Palomar District, distributed a member survey. The results are posted on the club’s website. Do you wonder what they asked and the feedback they received? Visit www.geocities.com/FallbrookGardenClub Fallbrook also holds a New Member Coffee – should your club try this?

From The Roadrunner, newsletter of Roadrunner District: Take a small pumpkin (any size will do, the mini ones are especially cute) and cut off the top as if making a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Scoop out the insides. Fill the cavity with potting soil. Plant a mum in the soil and water. If using for a display indoors, place the pumpkin in a dish as the bottom can get mushy. After the need for the decoration is over (and the pumpkin starts to decay) plant the whole thing (pumpkin plus the mum) outdoors keeping the soil level in the pumpkin even with the outdoor soil. The pumpkin will break down and provide fertilizer for the plant. The editor said, “I saw this idea in a magazine years ago and it works!! My mums came back the next year. This makes a great fall centerpiece, especially when several are grouped together. They are also pretty when several sizes are lined up on outdoor steps.”

3rd VP George Speer gave the members of the Executive Committee fancy name badges – thank you, George! On the box mine came in were the words, “Every day is like Christmas – Have a Merry CGCI Term.” I am indeed enjoying a very merry CGCI term.

A Fact Sheet on CGCI is available for download in MSWord format (click here)l. It has “just the facts, ma’am.” Include it with your press releases for background information.

State Pins and Misc Sales Chairman Jackie Jackman presented your President with a set of the new CGCI license plate frames which will debut at the Fall Board Meeting in Long Beach – may I say they look great on my new 2008 white pearl Highlander? Contact your District Director or a CGCI Chairman to pick up (at the Fall Board Meeting) a set for your car.

Sharon Smith, President of Canyon Crest GC shared an idea for secretaries and treasurers. Sharon suggests that minutes and financial reports be stored on CD to be passed on to the next officers.

I promised to tell you how I grow onions – because I think it’s so ingenious I can’t stand myself some days! After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, there were many ceramic chimney flue liners out for the waste haulers to collect. I snarfed up several that were in good condition. The liners are 3-feet tall. Two liners make a set. I left one as is and got a friend with a diamond-bladed saw to saw off 1-foot of the second liner leaving a 1-foot, a 2-foot, and the uncut 3-foot liner. I lined them up stair-step-like and put a bunch of Styrofoam packing peanuts in the bottom of the 3-foot liner. But now here comes the magic….I filled the remainder of the 3-foot liner and the other two with a rich mixture of compost and planter mix.

I plant onions in the liners year round and always have fresh green onions and I leave a few to get substantially larger. Carrots grow long and straight in the rich, unpacked soil in the liner. Lots of vegetables grow well this way. So after the next earthquake…

Only 120 days until December 25 but it feels like Christmas every day in our house!

I picked up this tip from The Desert Breeze, newsletter of Hi ‘N’ Dri Gardeners, Roadrunner District: Did you know . . . . . clay pots can be used to water hills of squash, cucumbers or even large containers. All you need is a size 10 clay pot and its saucer, make sure the drain hole is sealed. Place the pot into a hole in the middle of the mound of soil or large container and fill in soil to within a ½ inch from the rim. Place seeds or seedlings in the soil around the pot, water the soil and fill the pot with water, place the saucer over the top to keep dirt from falling in and to slow evaporation. The water will ooze through the sides of the pot and keep the soil moist. All you need to do is to check every so often to refill the pot with water.

The summer has been delightful and I’ve spent much of my “Christmas” vacation in my garden. Friday I picked the first three string beans and took them to Mom. Soon after, here comes Mom with a huge bowl in which to pick all the rest of the harvest. “Hey, where are all the beans?” she asked. “That was it,” I said. (Greg says that she can now literally make 3-bean salad). She’s ready as soon as the beans are. Within a week we’ll have a serving of beans…and the crookneck squash is coming on and cukes are filling out. I always have onions (oh, remind me to tell you how I grow onion) and we have a million tomatoes (romas, cherry, Better Boy, heirlooms) and lemons, oranges and tangerines.

Maryanne Lucas, CGCI 1st VP, and I drove a cargo van to Sacramento for the California State Home & Garden Show. Maryanne set up an impressive California Kids Growing Strong display.

Lydia & Roy Reibel, CGCI Youth Program Development Co-Chairmen provided tremendous help assembling the exhibit and then working with the kids. Hundreds of kids and their parents passed through our area.

Sacramento River Valley District members were there manning the membership booth. Lydia developed an ingenious method of distributing club information. Using a map from the Auto Club, Lydia mounted it on a display board adding a push pin on a club location and a caption listing the club’s name. On the computer she laid out club information (see below). Ten fit on a page. Print several copies and use a paper-cutter to cut the page into slips for distribution. Lydia cleverly placed the slips in small clay pots and lined up the pots in a window box tray.Each pot had a sign with the club’s meeting city so that as people identified the club they wished to visit they could take the corresponding slip of information.

Club name
Meeting location
Meeting day
Contact name & email/telephone
www.CaliforniaGardenClubs.org

I mentioned in my last message that I had spent July 3-4 at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar helping staff Palomar District’s Membership booth, but now I have several membership ideas to share with you. With 1.3 million visitors to the fair, Palomar District members greeted more than 800 people and referred 400+ to clubs. Joan Blankenship, CGCI Grass Roots Editor, listed all the district clubs and contacts on a one-page (folded in half) sheet of paper that we distributed to those interested in finding a garden club. Also available were: Poway Valley GC had full-color business cards that gave the club name, club logo and website.
La Jolla GC had a color tri-fold brochure that included a membership application and a list of the club’s activities. San Dieguito GC had a full-color brochure printed on card stock. They listed when and where the club meets, website and some of their activities.

Saturday, July 21, Greg and I attended a meeting of the Southern Area of the California State Association of Parliamentarians (CSAP). This is the CSAP version of our districts. The meetings consist of a lesson in the morning, lunch, short business meeting and then a problem clinic. Greg and I got involved with CSAP through garden clubs. I had wanted a firmer parliamentary base as I moved toward leadership positions. This last Saturday’s meeting was full of information. We learned about balloting and voting and the problem clinic addressed elections and nominations. Very interesting!

On the personal side, I took off Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings to immerse myself in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows……..it was an intense book that I will re-read again at a slower pace to take in every detail.

So am I still enjoying serving as your CGCI President? Yup, every day still feels like Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to YOU!

June, 2007

Convention and installation in Bakersfield were some of the best moments of my life. I mentioned to George Speer at convention that the installation and associated hoopla made me feel like it was Christmas morning. I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I have been enjoying mine. Here’s what I’ve been doing on our summer hiatus.

I installed three sets of club officers upon my return from the Bakersfield convention. I love installing officers, it is always an exciting event for a club or district.

I was invited to participate in Walnut Creek GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication on June 20. The weather was perfect and the Blue Star Memorial By-way Marker was mounted in a rock with blue veins running through it.

We had a delightful dinner that evening with several members of Walnut Creek GC in President Jane Berger’s beautiful home. I got to walk through her perfect garden – there wasn’t a single yellow leaf or spent flower – Jane is NOT busy enough in garden club if she has so much time her garden looks that nice! Hmmm, I can think of some things for this talented gal to do! Then my hosts, Ruth and Ed Angevine, took me for my first trip to The Gardens at Heather Farm – they were lovely and the rose garden was in spectacular full-bloom.

I spent July 3-4 at the San Diego Fair in Del Mar helping man Palomar District’s Membership booth – I’m taking my fishing pole to reel in a bunch of new members for the Palomar District clubs. The Fair lasted nearly a month. Palomar District clubs participated by manning the booth one day each.

This week, Maryanne Lucas and I will at the Sacramento Home & Garden Show with the California Kids Growing Strong display and a membership table (I’ll be taking my fishing pole up there, too!). Come by and see us.

I love reading the club and district newsletters – my goal is to share some of the many things that catch my eye in your newsletters. For example:
San Clemente GC has an interesting insert – they include a Membership Application – it asks for all the usual vital information needed for a yearbook but then also has a list of activities for the new member to check indicating his areas of interest in which to participate. They sure have a long list of activities – which must be an enticement to a new member – lots of projects, programs, events and activities indicate a dynamic and interesting group.

Idyllwild GC included several gardening tips in its newsletter such as “Keep a small spray bottle of full-strength distilled white vinegar with you outside whenever you garden. If you get an insect bite, scratch, scrape, nick or gash, spritz it with vinegar and cover with a bandage until you can go indoors and clean and dress it properly.” And another tip: “If you are one of the many who forego garden gloves & prefer bare-handed gardening, remember to scrape your fingernails across a damp bar of soap before going out – the soap is a great protector and cleans up easily with a nail brush. Also rubbing your damp palms with soil helps prevent blisters when using tools.”

Thanks for all your kind words and notes. I am excited to represent you as your CGCI President for the next two years – and yes, every day still feels like Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to YOU!

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	President's Hot Flashes
	"Garden Club: A Natural Place to Grow"
	President's Travel Log
President’s Hot Flashes June 15, 2008 I have lots to report since I last checked in with you. I had a couple of days to finalize everything and it was off to Convention in Woodland Hills. From all accounts and according to the evaluation surveys turned in, most everyone had a great time and learned a lot to take back with them to their clubs and districts. That’s what we hoped we could provide. Our special guest was our NGC President Barbara May and she delighted us with her good humor and information about NGC. Fifty some members went on the tour which included a continental breakfast followed by Southern California GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication before heading over to Conejo Valley Botanic Garden to see my President’s Project “The Trail of Trees.” There was a special presentation at convention for donors to the President’s Project – “The Trail of Trees” – each individual, club or district that had donated to the project took home a specially decorated tree and a thank you note from me. Marie Zimmerman and her It’s Garden Thyme GC crew decorated 60+ trees mostly in a patriotic theme. The room looked so festive with the trees everywhere. Then it was off to Ramona GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication and installation of officers on June 11. The marker was placed as the focal point of the club’s native plant garden in a park in town. It was the fastest installation on record but we got our job done (one of the officers had to appear for jury duty – and I wasn’t sure the courts would accept second place to a garden club installation). Then I filled up the gas tank and zoomed up to Tuolumne County GC in Sonora. Truly spectacular scenery and the garden clubbers are special up there. I visited the club’s Blue Star Memorial Marker in Tuolumne. As we drove into town I noticed somebody’s laundry hanging across the street (up pretty high). “Odd,” I thought but this is rural California. Then another street had overalls and flannel shirts hanging across the street – ahhhhh, it’s Lumberjack Festival that was a-comin’ to town soon. Then members took me to the Black Oak Casino where I rode the only escalator in town but more importantly I strolled in the Heritage Garden that would be receiving a Landscape Design Commendation the next day at the club meeting. It was a lovely garden. And no, I didn’t lose any money at the casino – I gamble less than I drink! After staying at a club member’s B & B (Sterling Gardens – I sure can recommend it to anyone), on Friday, June 13, I attended the Tuolumne County GC meeting where I installed officers and made Bettie Ries a President’s Winner. I have corresponded with Bettie since my first issue as editor of Golden Gardens in 1995 so I was delighted to finally meet her. We had a great time and I left with a new pet goldfish, Tuoly (rhymes with Wally) which was part of the centerpiece theme, Fishing for New Members, President Linda Santos’ theme for this year. Back home the next day, I attended It’s Garden Thyme GC’s Flag Day party at the Hathaway Ranch and Museum in Santa Fe Springs. There were plants for sale and activities for the kids. It was a fun day with a lot of red, white and blue clothing and décor! And now we are officially halfway through this term. I’ve loved every minute and I’m looking forward to the second half. You are all so special to me. Merry Christmas. Robin President’s Hot Flashes June 4, 2008 There will be a special presentation at convention on Sunday, June 8, for donors to the President’s Project – “Trail of Trees” – if you haven’t done so but are thinking about contributing, bring all your spare cash to convention! I had a wonderful April. I attended the Canyon Crest GC spring tour – check out the beautiful roses behind Paddee Neff and me. It was a spectacular day of gardens ended with a very special boat ride on Lake Viejo. Check out the beautiful behinds ON Paddee and me. Who took this picture??? Later in April I was lucky enough to judge the fantabulous (my word) Redlands Horticultural Improvement Society flower show. Then I visited Anaheim GC’s flower show. I saw a knockout hybrid tea rose at the show, Moonstone. It had been grown by club president Sue Schairer. And guess what, my kitties gave me a Moonstone rose for Mother’s Day. And my final flower show judging was out in Morro Bay at Montana de Oro District’s flower show. We had a great time! I installed officers out in the desert for the Oasis GC of Indian Wells Valley (shall I talk to them about shortening their club name to Oasis GC??) May found me headed north on I-5 or CA-99 every week! The second week of May brought me to the Golden Foothills District in Roseville. Several district members joined us for dinner the night before the Golden Foothills District garden party. Before the garden party Rosemary & Dick Gaspari took me to the Maidu Interpretive Center where we met Ed Dempsey and I got to see the Jubilee Grant and the NGC/Principal Grant native plant gardens (see picture) that had been planted. Dick took me to see probably the best petro glyphs anywhere – amazing! Then off to the party where they gave me a warm welcome – really warm – over 100° F. I was on the panel that judged the decorated hats and I got to see rope made from twine! I came home with a donation to my President’s Project – Trail of Trees and a watering can for my Christmas tree. I enjoyed every minute except the very last one when Greg called to say Mom was in the hospital. Wanna know how fast I can get from Roseville to San Fernando? As fast as Maryanne Lucas can do it (and that’s really saying something!) Happily, Mom is home and recovering and will be at convention – come over and say hello to her on Awards Night. The following week, Corresponding Secretary Pat Clayes and I journeyed yet again up the I-5 to Diablo Foothills District. Pat and I stayed with Kay & Paul Palmbaum and were treated to a Reception at Nelda Champion’s lovely home overlooking a canyon – we got to see wild turkeys and deer grazing through the field. Horticulture Wonder Woman & and our CGCI Herb Chairman on the Horticulture Team, Karen Mahshi was presented with a Landscape Design Commendation from our Landscape Design Council for her work at the Markham Arboretum, which I was pleased to be able to tour. Mary Lou Goodwin was guest at the district meeting and Virginia Bennetts and Betty Hedtke were both there as well – all former CGCI Presidents (see picture – I’m the tall one). I learned that if you want an informational display for your flower show or education table at a meeting or event; contact your local Vector Control (Google Vector Control for your county). Discovery Bay GC reported that the boys at the ranch which the club supports are excited to eat what they’ve grown. Sowing tomorrow’s seeds… Livermore-Amador Valley GC mentioned that their Tomato Tasting event was successful as was its Daffodil Show (1 of only 3 in the state). Diablo Women’s GC netted $800 from a tag sale (Keitha DeMara who reported this must have come from the east where their yard sales are tag sales). Montelindo GC sponsored a speaker’s series of events. Each program had 90-100 attendees and the club gained 25 new members from EACH program! Layfayette GC held its first garden tour and sold 344 tickets – their first time out of the chute – way to go! Then it was off to Vista GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication on May 26. The dedication was in conjunction with the solemn local VFW’s Memorial Day ceremony. The ceremony was moving and I caught my breath several times. The annual ceremony is Special Order #11 in the VFW charter and I was so glad I was allowed to observe it. And finally, I concluded May with an exceptionally special event: the celebration of San Pedro GC’s 80th Anniversary! The club awarded three local students scholarships of $800 each (in recognition of the club’s 80th anniversary). Then the biggest surprise of all was that the club bestowed an Honorary Membership on me. One of the biggest honors I’ve received and I am very proud to be associated with this special group of garden clubbers! So I’ve had a wonderful May – hope yours was as productive and enjoyable. We’re not quite halfway through my term but I am enjoying it as much as I did Installation night and am learning so much from all of you. Merry Christmas. Robin President’s Hot Flashes May 31, 2008 There will be a special presentation at convention on Sunday, June 8, for donors to the President’s Project – “Trail of Trees” – if you haven’t done so but are thinking about contributing, bring your check to convention! I returned from the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Convention with awards in hand and lots of information for our chairmen and directors. We stayed at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis where our NGC President Barbara May was invested as the Honorary Duckmaster on the last day of Convention. Anyone coming to our CGCI convention should bring a duck call – it may be needed. I have noticed in going to NGC conventions for the past several years that on Awards Night the Georgia state president brings a lawn chair and a mint julep onto the stage and does her nails while the long list of awards that Georgia has won is read to the audience. Some states (who don’t enter for national awards) don’t even need to slow down. They are introduced, shake hands with the NGC President and move right off the stage. For California, while I didn’t need to bring a nail file to do my nails while I was up there, I was able to stand for a bit swelling with pride at the list of California winners! Do I have your interest piqued? Then come to our convention in Woodland Hills and see what we won. Early May found me in Stockton at the home of Lucille Soleagui. We enjoyed an Italian dinner the evening before the Valley Lode District meeting. The reports from the clubs and committees were so interesting. Valley Lode supplies each club with a great Club President Report form on which the club’s activities, projects and events may be reported. Click here to view the report. Valley Lode clubs are certainly busy. Calaveras County GC is planting natives (plants not people) at their local museum. The club has purchased eight Penny Pines Plantations and 85 trees besides and celebrated Arbor Day with the planting of a tree. Ceres GC members tend the Masonic Lodge gardens in exchange for meeting space and they hosted more than 500 children at their Arbor Day celebration. Linden GC members are working on their civic beautification project. I hope they are taking pictures to enter for an award later this year! Lodi GC members work on the Lodi Lake beautification and butterfly garden project. They should be taking pictures and entering the Butterfly Conservation award. They had 15 members of their youth group at their Arbor Day celebration. They also held a successful Game Day as their fundraiser and purchased three Penny Pines Plantations. Members serve Meals on Wheels to those in need in Lodi. Aren’t garden club members really wonderful people?! Manteca GC is holding a garden tour and tends a local memorial rose garden. Newman GC was pleased with their yard sale fundraiser. Oakdale GC offered a bus tour to the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show in March and invited the community. They gained several new members from that trip. Patterson GC is 49 years old (though the club doesn’t look a day over 39) and members are offering their expertise to the city on civic plantings. Stockton GC reported on a fun project of making paper roses from coffee filters. I recycle my used coffee filters in the bottom of pots so the planting mix doesn’t all get washed out. I hope someone from Stockton GC will send me the directions and a completed rose – sounds like a project I’d like! Tuolumne County GC maintains a Blue Star Memorial Marker garden. The club has purchased four Penny Pines Plantations and planted two native trees at a school for Arbor Day. Members donate blood in exchange for meeting space. There sure are a lot of ways of getting free meeting space. If your club needs meeting space - check to see if your members have any spare blood they aren’t using. Modesto GC joined the Chamber of Commerce and realized $27,000 in proceeds from their Spring Tour. Members have planted 211 roses and four trees, installed four benches and replanted 440 planters, 140 hanging pots and the flower clock for their downtown area (Modesto must be in full bloom!). The club planted seven trees for Arbor Day. You can see why I come home all fired up with wonderful ideas and my bag of pride in our CGCI clubs measurably increased at what is reported in only their three minutes of time. Valley Lode District honored me with my first Penny Pines Plantation as well as a generous donation to my President’s Project, the Trail of Trees. I sure had a wonderful time with you all, Thank you, Valley Lode District! It’s only 6 days to Christmas…oops, no 6 days to convention….well, it’s the same thing in my book! Robin President’s Hot Flashes April 17, 2008 Pacific Region Convention was great! I learned so much. Do you remember I told you I love going to convention because I get all fired up with ideas? It’s happened again! A club in Alaska increased its membership from 10 to 55 through local publicity. They have no moose in Alaska (as far as I’m concerned – I hear about them, but I NEVER once saw a moose when I was there) but they have great ideas for membership increase. That’s just one of the reasons to participate on the Pacific Region Board. Greg and I joined the Post Convention Tour through the Columbia River Gorge and spent a delightful three days (in the rain) enjoying spectacular scenery and waterfalls. Al Finegold took this splendid picture of the gardens at the historic Columbia Inn, where we stayed our first night. Russ Ford took this picture of Multnomah Falls. I guess there are lots of things taller than me – I look positively frozen but tiny! I had to come home, if nothing else, to thaw out. On April 9, I drove to Highland’s Environmental Learning Center to participate in the check presentation of Arrowhead GC’s NGC/Principal Financial Group grant. I got to view the fabulous rooftop garden. They can be so proud of this project. On April 12, I joined San Dieguito GC for their flower show at Quail Botanical Garden (www.QBGardens.org). They had arranged for me to join the kids for flower arranging and then we enjoyed a private tour of the Garden. A wonderful place to stroll for an hour or two. After the Garden I was treated to a tour of THE GARDEN – Palomar District Director Jerry Thirloway’s back yard. Don’t forget to order your club, district, or council’s banner. There’s still time and we want to see how many banners can be displayed on the Parade of Banners at our convention at the Woodland Hills Hilton. Year Around GC encourages members to bring their own cup to club meetings, to reduce the amount of disposable cups going in to the landfill. When Temecula Valley GC held a garden workshop for members to make wind chimes, attendees made two wind chimes, one to keep and one for the club’s flower show marketplace. That’s a clever way to obtain inventory. Stockton GC’s newsletter, The Rotiller, announced the start up of a horticulture group that would meet monthly and discuss gardening problems (and solutions). San Clemente GC lists each month’s club activities (date and time) on the back page of their newsletter so members can quickly note all the events and projects. Clayton Valley GC marched in their July 4th parade distributing seed packets stapled to garden club flyers. Are you saving stamps to bring to convention? Have you purchased a new flag and folded your old ragged flag to bring to me at convention? Are you bringing a friend to their first CGCI Convention? Are you bringing new and incoming club officers to the Parliamentary Workshop? There are a lot of awards to be given amid glitz and glamour on Awards Night – don’t miss a single event! As this first year of my term winds to a close – the sparkle and excitement of being your CGCI President has not worn off – in fact, the lights in my heart twinkle ever more brightly like Christmas. Robin President’s Hot Flashes March 30, 2008 I have so much to tell you. I want to catch you up on my last two trips. I’m calling them the Call of the Wild Northern Tour. I was invited to Modesto GC’s March meeting and so went up the night before to stay with Judi (CGCI Judges Council Chairman) and Ron Picinini – their cat Scruff brought a mole to the back patio door for dessert. We enjoyed a wonderful evening and then the next morning we were off to Modesto GC’s clubhouse and meeting. Penny Binney, President, welcomed me warmly and I got to experience the Magic of the Modesto GC. From Modesto I drove to the Cow Palace and the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. 3rd VP George Speer set up our CGCI Membership Table and Dolores Moffat and Shane Looper, each an Organizer Extraordinaire had coordinated the magnificent floral designs displayed in the Cow Palace’s lobby! Click here for stunning photos of our talented members! Your 1st VP Maryanne Lucas had her Kids Growing Strong display there as well. Click here to go to the website. I was at the Membership Table until the Show closed Sunday evening. Then I packed up the Highlander and was off to Santa Cruz where Rosa Radicchi opened her aunt’s home to me. After a delightful breakfast on the Santa Cruz wharf we headed off on a one-lane road to Big Basin sighting a red fox strolling down the lane ahead of us. At Big Basin we visited the California Garden Clubs, Inc. planting sights. It was very impressive! Finally found something taller than me! From Big Basin Rosa invited me to “drop in” on the Las Jardineras GC meeting. We decorated wooden hearts that hold a vase for cut flowers. I’m taking the example to my club. Some wood, some paints & wire and you’ve got a great therapy project! A fun group greeted me at Las Jardineras GC – can you find the three puppy-dogs in the crowd? Then I got home, caught up on my email and re-packed for the second half of my Call of the Wild Northern Tour. This time 3rd VP George Speer came along for the ride. George and I stayed with Carolyn (CGCI Air Chairman) & Ron Villi. At Carolyn’s country home we admired peacocks; breathed deeply the scent of lilacs; two horses (one Icelandic and one regular horse horse); one exuberant puppy named Stinky, no, it was Tuffie; one sweet and gentle Doberman named Annie (who ate walnut shells and caught a gopher); the tuxedo kitty Punky; wood ducks in the morning on the pond and one brown mouse! We went out for dinner with Carolyn & Ron and Sequoia Foothills District Director Gloria Aminian (who drove 100 miles for dinner and then returned home) and then came dessert. We went to Hanford’s Superior Dairy and innocently ordered a single scoop of lemon ice cream and look what happened! The next morning we were off to Caruthers and the Sequoia Foothills District meeting. I got lots of ideas from the club presidents’ reports. Such as: Porterville GC collects magazines and hotel soaps and such. They label the magazines “Compliments of Porterville GC” and bag up the hotel soaps and sample size items with the same label and give the magazines and bags to senior centers, shelters and the like – a great way to get your club’s name out there. A good rule of thumb? Never let anything go out to the public without your club’s name and a method of contact on it. Porterville GC also held a card party with the proceeds going to Penny Pines – how much did they make? $2300!! Visalia GC holds plant swaps – you bring a plant and you get a plant – extras are sold. They also have a Landscape of the Month award. Evening GC holds round table gardening discussions. La Casa GC makes generous donations to Habitat for Humanity. Hanford GC plants trees and roses and veggies – everywhere! Twenty trees at a school, 32 roses at the Memorial Wall in Hanford, and built six raised veggie beds for their youth group. Caruthers GC, only two years old, participates in the last Free-Gate Fair in California and had interesting programs on white gardens and weed control. Sequoia GC is planting beds at a local shelter and is proud of their Smokey Bear Poster Contest winner. Four Seasons GC meets in the evening and manages a 2-acre Nature Trail that includes 140 trees. They also host an Arts and Crafts Fair that netted the club $3K. Bakersfield Green Thumb GC has a table at meetings with jewelry or garden-related items for sale – proceeds going to Penny Pines. They report getting on average – one new member each month! From the District meeting, I had the incredible honor of presenting Ralph Moore with a CGCI Commendation for his extraordinary work in horticulture. Mr. Moore and I chatted for a long time – at least one of his roses is on every continent except Antarctica. I told him I had last visited his nursery in 1995 when I was in Visalia for the CGCI Convention. And he said to me, “Don’t wait so long to come back and visit.” Amazing 101-year-old gentleman. Then we loaded up and caravanned to see the Monrovia growing grounds and then on to Woodlake Pride (http://news.ucanr.org/storyshow.cfm?story=153&printver=yes). Woodlake, California has good reason to show their pride. The demonstration agriculture display of more than 450 cultivars is impressive. Planned and planted by Woodlake’s youth under the direction of Manuel Jimenez, the garden gives you goose-bumps to see. From Woodlake Pride we had dinner that included Bleu Cheese ice cream and George and I scooted on home that night. April 15 approaches. If you are on the CGCI Board of Directors and need a letter indicating the necessity of your attendance at board meetings, please click here. Banner orders are coming in like crazy. We are going to have quite the Parade of Banners at Convention in Woodland Hills in June. I hope your club, district and council will have a place in that parade. Orders placed are generally delivered within two weeks. Click here for the order form. This weekend I attended Orange County District’s Gardening Study School in Aliso Viejo at Soka University of America. They had a great line-up of instructors, wonderful facilities and a whole bunch of donuts! Maybe you’ll join us for Course II in August. I’m off to the Pacific Region Convention in Portland, Oregon this week where I represent CGCI and TRY, in a mere three minutes, to report all the wonderful projects and events happening in California. The thrill of hearing and seeing what CGCI clubs and districts are doing in our state is astounding – very much like Christmas. You keep me inspired. Merry Christmas! Robin President’s Hot Flashes February 18, 2008 And now I can justify this column. I actually have late-breaking news to report. The news of is that the dates of the 2008 Fall Board Meeting have been changed. The new dates of the meeting are September 9 - 11, 2008. There will be a Tri-Refresher at which everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend – they have lined up wonderful speakers and pending NGC approval, eligible Consultants can refresh their certificates. You know the banners, Maryanne Lucas created? With the stunning poppies and your club, district or council’s name vertically presented along the side? Let’s have a Parade of Banners at our Convention Hotel in June. If everyone would bring their banner and their stand, we can make quite an impression, I bet. Place your order now with George Speer so you will have yours in time for Convention! I made several notes from the reports at the Winter Board Meeting in Redding that I want to share with you. Boron GC, in Desert Empire District, has seven members and yet they created 250 stockings for distribution when Santa made his appearance at the 20-Mule Team Museum. I found small stockings at my local Big Lots store and bought all they had for a nickel each and donated them to Boron GC when I heard what they were doing. I think that’s amazing that a club of seven members can make such an impact! Also interesting to note was that Costa Verde District is working on distributing their District newsletter to as many district members as possible – not just the officers and committee members. Email makes this financially feasible. Could your district do this? Willits GC, in Mendo-Lake District, enters a float in local parades. Wish I could see pictures of their float. Four clubs have availed themselves of the Blue Star Byway Marker grant money. That means four more clubs can still get in on the moola offered for this year from Principal Financial Group. Contact Ruth Angevine, to reserve your space on this list. The air still has a bit of a chill to it. Reminds me of Christmas. And speaking of Christmas and gifts…..the NGC/Principal Financial Group Grants have been announced and FIVE California clubs and our state project received funding. However, there are no losers this year. The remaining 15 clubs and 1 district will be receiving $250 CGCI grants. Merry Christmas! Robin President’s Hot Flashes February 7, 2008 So it’s been awhile since we chatted. All 12 trees went up at Christmas and everything was down in time to travel to Redding for the CGCI Winter Board Meeting. I enjoyed seeing the snow-covered Mount Shasta reigning regally outside our hotel windows and the tour to the Turtle Bay Exploration Park (www.turtlebay.org) and walking across the magnificent Sundial Bridge. Very cool. We presented a commendation from the Landscape Design Council for the Park’s excellent land use and design. We handled our business and I hope everyone felt the meeting was productive. I sure did. On January 26, Greg and I went out to San Luis Obispo where I judged the Battle of the Bloom for Bob Gordon. Bob orchestrated a fantastic and profitable event featuring floral designers from our garden club world and the other world (non-garden clubbers). George Speer, our 3rd Vice President, did us proud and arranged several outstanding designs, some with a time limit, some with pre-selected materials and container. The finale was the Celebrity Design – the guest designers had their hands tied behind their backs and the San Luis Obispo mayor, councilwoman and your CGCI President (a known floral designer of negative talent – I can judge them but I cannot arrange them) then with only the verbal help of the guest designer created a design. I was surprised but had a great time! I enjoyed the hospitality of Palomar District on January 28 and a great floral design program (I can enjoy ‘em, just can’t arrange ‘em). On January 29, my mom turned 94 years old and we had family dinner and cake! Last Monday I had a great time when I visited Orange County District and enjoyed some fantastic cookies that Director Carole Lung brought me (the world’s best cookie maker). That brings us current. This weekend I am off to Banning for the Palms to Pines District’s Winter Gathering. I am narrating their student design competition (I can talk about ‘em, but I can’t arrange ‘em.) Next week I offer my talents for Valentine’s Day at my friend Diane’s florist shop. Oh, calm down, I take the phone orders, she doesn’t let me near the roses unless it is to de-thorn them. I am looking forward to attending the 50th Anniversary party of Oasis GC of Indian Wells Valley on February 16. The following week I’ll be visiting Roadrunner District. Have you heard of the Blue Star Memorials Grant money available? Two grant opportunities are offered and I have a short explanation of both programs – click here. Those who attended the Winter Board Meeting were asked to complete Evaluation Surveys. Submitted surveys have been tallied and a recap is available – click here. I have left a small 10” Christmas tree up in my office. It reminds me of how much fun I am having serving you these two years. Only 321 days till Christmas. Don’t believe me? Then click here…http://mysite.verizon.net/vze201j5/countdown.htm Robin “Garden Club: A Natural Place to Grow” President’s Hot Flashes November 17, 2007 I returned home this week from a “Presidential Tour” full of ideas and pride in the many accomplishments of our CGCI member clubs. My first stop was in Ripon at the Valley Lode District meeting. I stayed at Judi Picinini’s home. Judi puts up 12 Christmas trees and I know Bob Gordon puts up a dozen or so themed trees – so your President isn’t looking quite so odd now, is she? At the Valley Lode District meeting I learned that Linden Community GC honors a garden and the prize is a one-year membership in the club. Clever! From Ripon I drove to Grass Valley, staying with Carlotta and Dick Wixon, who led the campaign that deer were everywhere. Everyone I met assured me that deer were all over the place every day but I didn’t see a single Bambi until the last morning and finally there were three deer browsing in a meadow outside my bedroom window – they were far away and could have been mechanical but I choose to think they were real. I attended Chicago Park GC’s Victorian Tea. The food was delicious and I enjoyed a wonderful Ikebana floral demonstration. Chicago Park GC members made and sold remarkable pressed flower greeting cards and honored me with a package of their greeting cards and a donation to my President’s Project, Trail of Trees. Jewell DeLapp, President of Colfax GC was at the Tea and invited me to the Colfax GC meeting the following morning, so luckily having an extra outfit, I was warmly welcomed in the metropolis of Colfax with the gift of a club mug and a donation to the Trail of Trees. Colfax GC members were planning holiday season activities. The club recognizes outstanding holiday decorations with a certificate. Members assemble and decorate large swags that are hung on Main Street’s lamp posts. They have a potted plant exchange at their Christmas party and they participate as Salvation Army Bell Ringers for one day during the holiday season. On the way out of town I stopped in Auburn at the Bell Road Baptist Church and strolled through the Memorial Rose Garden and behind that, the Military Memorial Rose Garden. Both gardens were beautiful. Then I was off to Walnut Creek to pick up Ruth Angevine. I toured the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church garden which would be receiving a Landscape Design (LD) Commendation and several Walnut Creek GC members took me out to dinner. Saturday morning, Ruth and I drove up to Arcata, enjoyed wine and cheese at the home of Pat & Ron Chaney before dinner in town with Humboldt District club presidents and members. Both the CGCI and Humboldt District’s banner were prominently on display in the restaurant where I received a box full of Christmas ornaments for my garden tree. Ruth and I stayed at ocean-front home of Katherine and Bruce Wayne who hosted a Sunday morning brunch. After a tour of Pat Wells’ Landscape Design Commendation winning garden, we participated in Patrick’s Point GC’s Blue Star By-Way Marker Dedication. The ceremony ended with whales breaching in the harbor. Following the dedication Patrick’s Point GC members hosted a tea. Ruth and I then dashed back home that night to attend Walnut Creek GC’s meeting on Monday morning. We recognized the LD Commendation winner and we all participated in creating a candle centerpiece which was a lot of fun. I was honored with a donation to my Trail of Trees project and I was off again to Hanford. I stayed at the home of Barbara and Dick Dodge that evening and enjoyed a fantastic dinner created by Chef Dick. The next day I celebrated La Casa GC’s 55th Anniversary. Charter member Lilia Giacomazzi related the history of the club. President Barbara Dodge reported that the club made nearly $5,000 at the Fair. But I didn’t get to hear how they made so much money (maybe I can report that in another Hot Flashes). After eight wonderful days, I happily went home and introduced myself to my mom and husband. I wouldn’t have traded a single minute, though. Thank you all for a wonderful experience!!! The outdoor lights went up yesterday (but they don’t get turned on until the day after Thanksgiving) and the Garden Tree goes up today. Oops! I got elfed! “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…” Robin October 31, 2007 My first “tour” is history and I came home with wonderful ideas and goodies. My first “tour” started in Fairfield at the Geranium City GC meeting. Lucky for me, the club was dedicating its garden which was a gift to the Senior Center. (You should see the wonderful 2-foot diameter, lighted, hanging Christmas sphere ornament I got at the Craft Store in the Center!). The garden was just beautiful and the mayor of Fairfield spoke to the club and thanked everyone involved and he pinned me with a Fairfield pin. Then I was off to Davis and the next morning visited Sacramento River Valley District at the Iva Shepard Art and Garden Center in Sacramento where we enjoyed tea and presented two Landscape Design Commendations. Bob Bigham was the guest designer and 75 attendees thoroughly delighted in Bob’s floral creations. Then I made my way to Rohnert Park and had a great time with Luther Burbank District members. I presented a program, Black Magic in the Garden, and their raffle brought in $200. Gayle Davis and the Rohnert Park GC (the meeting hosts) circulated a basket. All donations in the basket were matched 100% by Rohnert Park GC with the proceeds going to the Trail of Trees President’s Project. Luther Burbank District meeting members donated $100 so with the matching $100, a check has been sent to the CVBG for $200. Thanks, Rohnert Park GC and Luther Burbank District Members!! After the district meeting we all went to Gayle Davis’ home and had a bit of the grape and some yummy cheese. Then District Director Cathy Biggins and I went to the mall where the Men’s GC of Santa Rosa was holding its semi-annual plant sale. I was able to leave some of my money with that club and brought home a wonderful alstroemaeria. Of particular note is that every pot in the sale contained a plant stick with the plant’s name and a second stick with the club’s name and contact number. I’ll bet they had a bunch printed and my guess is that’s an inexpensive way to make your club and contact information visible in the community. Rohnert Park GC and Hesperia GC both had the same idea. They formatted their club yearbooks on 8.5” x 11” paper which can be easily inserted in the CGCI yearbook for those that had one and for those that did not have a state yearbook, the club yearbook was enclosed in a plastic theme binder which should be able to be purchased inexpensively and should last a few years. Hesperia GC’s yearbook included a one-page history of the club. That way, new members get a feel for the club and its past as soon as they join. I’m off to Ripon for the first Valley Lode District meeting of this season then to Chicago Park GC for its Victorian Tea (have just been waiting to be President to be invited!) then to Walnut Creek to pick up Blue Star Memorial Markers Chairman Ruth Angevine. We’re going to head up to Trinidad for an Official Visit in Humboldt District and a Blue Star Marker Dedication with Patrick’s Point GC. Then we’ll dash back to Walnut Creek to attend the Walnut Creek GC meeting and then on my way home I’m happy to attend the 55th Anniversary of La Casa GC. When I get home, Christmas goes up – all 14 trees! Happy Christmas Halloween. Robin October 14, 2007 The next deadline fast approaching is December 1 – yearbooks to CGCI Awards Chairman Nancy Lee Loesch. Our average is 100 yearbooks – can we break all records and get 150 clubs and districts represented? All you need to do to enter is to clip an Evaluation Form (click here) inside the front cover and postmark by December 1 to Nancy Lee Loesch. I’ve offered to be on the judging team – come on, show me your stuff! The Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster Contest deadline – January 15 – is fast approaching. Will your youth group enter some posters? How about your kids’ or grandkids’ or their classmates? Linda Riddle is looking forward to judging lots of posters – maybe she’ll ask me to help?? I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Have you thought about encouraging a student to apply for the CGCI, Pacific Region and NGC scholarships? California is eligible for two $4,000 NGC scholarships. Click here for the CGCI scholarship form – CGCI offers two $2,000 and a Wil J. Tebo Scholarship of $1,000. Click here for the Pacific Region scholarship form – Pacific Region offers one $1,000 scholarship. Click here for the NGC scholarship form. Some tidbits from your newsletters….. From the newsletter of Garden Study Club of the Peninsula, Bay Ocean District: Spraying “Wilt-Pruf” on newly carved pumpkins will keep them from shriveling, collapsing and turning black. It will also keep holiday greens fresh longer. The product is made from pine oil and is more commonly used to guard against moisture loss through leaf transpiration in growing plants. *Colfax Garden Club News* printed an excerpt from the club’s report to the Golden Foothills District. It was divided into state, district and local levels. This is a great way to keep club members aware of everything going on. Temecula GC, Palomar District, has an Associate Member class of membership. The class was created for those individuals and organizations unable to attend meetings but wishing to receive the newsletter. The dues are $10 which covers the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter. It won’t be long before I have Greg drag out all the Christmas boxes. Robin October 6, 2007 Were you at the Fall Board Meeting and meant to complete an Evaluation Survey but forgot to turn it in, or didn’t know where to turn it in? Click here to download the survey and send it to me. Have you seen the new CGCI banners? We ratified the purchase of three at the Fall Board Meeting. These banners are available for your club and district to use. Each of the vice-presidents has custody of one available for borrowing. You can also order a banner with your club or district’s name on it for $75 and a sturdy but lightweight stand to display the banner for an additional $20. Have you seen the new CGCI bookmarks? They display our name, logo and website. Order a quantity from your Membership Chairman George Speerwhose goal is 40,000 members! The new CGCI banners are 2 feet wide by 6 feet tall. Mary Lou Goodwin hosted an Ice-breaker at the Fall Board Meeting. Mary Lou cleverly gave each person a card that had eight categories listed – attendees were to introduce themselves to others until they found a person that fulfilled each category. Their new friends in each listed category signed their names and listed their garden clubs on the card. Categories included: District Director, state chairman, sprays roses, Environmental Consultant, loves geraniums, etc. I was in the Executive Committee Meeting but I’d have loved to participate. Some tidbits from your newsletters….. Lake Forest GC, Orange County District, included a page with their newsletter that listed the officers and committee positions and associated duties for each. Members can consider holding an office or chairing a committee knowing what is expected of them. West Valley GC, San Fernando Valley District: Plant a couple of ‘Sunshine Blue’ blueberry bushes. For those in Southern California, add peat moss or plant with azalea/camellia planting mix. Maryanne Lucas says her bushes provided enough berries for her (and Bob’s) breakfast cereal. So I’ve planted 2 bushes that I got on the Post Fall Board Meeting Tour at Roger’s Gardens and I’ve got Mom on alert to be ready with a pie crust. From The Desert Breeze, newsletter of Hi ‘N’ Dri Gardeners, Roadrunner District The Gardener’s Morning The robin’s song at daybreak Is a clarion call to me Get up and get out in the garden, For the morning hours flee. I cannot resist the summons, What earnest gardener could? For the golden hours of morning Get into the gardener’s blood. The magic spell is upon me, I’m glad that I did not wait. For life’s at its best in the morning As you pass through the garden gate. The air has that Christmasy feel about it, doesn’t it? Robin September 22, 2007 I’m unpacked and the laundry is finished from our Fall Board Meeting in Long Beach. Diane Charbonneau and Costa Verde District outdid themselves putting on a fantastic meeting. Forty people attended the Parliamentary Workshop given by Gerry Olsen–several returned after lunch to take the membership exam. I have it on good authority that 9 people passed the exam – some with perfect scores! Congratulations! Many enjoyed a fun harbor boat trip before returning to lunch and a garden therapy program of making snowflakes from plastic six-pack rings. Excellent programs on dahlias and gesneriads punctuated our meetings. An auction of a few special CGCI historic items raised over $200 for the President’s Project. I was thrilled to receive on behalf of CGCI a letter from President George W. Bush congratulating CGCI on our 75th Anniversary and a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol Building in honor of CGCI. Click here to view letter After the close of business, 14 of us went on the Post Tour & Tri-Refresher which included tours of a Japanese garden, a rancho garden, Sherman Gardens, Roger’s Gardens and Soka University of America’s campus landscaping where a Landscape Design Commendation was presented to Soka’s president. In case you think I don’t read your newsletters….. Petaluma GC, Luther Burbank District, held a Coffee Hour for new club members – a total of 37 members attended. Board members and committee chairs outlined their jobs, answered questions and welcomed the new kids. It was reported as “a very pleasant and productive morning.” It must be working as their newsletter reported that 7 guests attended the June meeting and 4 of them joined. Fallbrook GC, Palomar District, distributed a member survey. The results are posted on the club’s website. Do you wonder what they asked and the feedback they received? Visit www.geocities.com/FallbrookGardenClub Fallbrook also holds a New Member Coffee – should your club try this? From The Roadrunner, newsletter of Roadrunner District: Take a small pumpkin (any size will do, the mini ones are especially cute) and cut off the top as if making a Jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Scoop out the insides. Fill the cavity with potting soil. Plant a mum in the soil and water. If using for a display indoors, place the pumpkin in a dish as the bottom can get mushy. After the need for the decoration is over (and the pumpkin starts to decay) plant the whole thing (pumpkin plus the mum) outdoors keeping the soil level in the pumpkin even with the outdoor soil. The pumpkin will break down and provide fertilizer for the plant. The editor said, “I saw this idea in a magazine years ago and it works!! My mums came back the next year. This makes a great fall centerpiece, especially when several are grouped together. They are also pretty when several sizes are lined up on outdoor steps.” 3rd VP George Speer gave the members of the Executive Committee fancy name badges – thank you, George! On the box mine came in were the words, “Every day is like Christmas – Have a Merry CGCI Term.” I am indeed enjoying a very merry CGCI term. Robin August 27, 2007 A Fact Sheet on CGCI is available for download in MSWord format (click here)l. It has “just the facts, ma’am.” Include it with your press releases for background information. State Pins and Misc Sales Chairman Jackie Jackman presented your President with a set of the new CGCI license plate frames which will debut at the Fall Board Meeting in Long Beach – may I say they look great on my new 2008 white pearl Highlander? Contact your District Director or a CGCI Chairman to pick up (at the Fall Board Meeting) a set for your car. Sharon Smith, President of Canyon Crest GC shared an idea for secretaries and treasurers. Sharon suggests that minutes and financial reports be stored on CD to be passed on to the next officers. I promised to tell you how I grow onions – because I think it’s so ingenious I can’t stand myself some days! After the Northridge earthquake in 1994, there were many ceramic chimney flue liners out for the waste haulers to collect. I snarfed up several that were in good condition. The liners are 3-feet tall. Two liners make a set. I left one as is and got a friend with a diamond-bladed saw to saw off 1-foot of the second liner leaving a 1-foot, a 2-foot, and the uncut 3-foot liner. I lined them up stair-step-like and put a bunch of Styrofoam packing peanuts in the bottom of the 3-foot liner. But now here comes the magic….I filled the remainder of the 3-foot liner and the other two with a rich mixture of compost and planter mix. I plant onions in the liners year round and always have fresh green onions and I leave a few to get substantially larger. Carrots grow long and straight in the rich, unpacked soil in the liner. Lots of vegetables grow well this way. So after the next earthquake… Only 120 days until December 25 but it feels like Christmas every day in our house! Robin August 12,2007 Are you aware that a Parliamentary Workshop is offered and open to everyone on September 13 just prior to the Fall Board Meeting in Long Beach? Whether you take the optional NAP membership test that follows the workshop or just attend to learn the basics or brush up on your parliamentary knowledge, this is a wonderful opportunity to avail yourselves of a fantastic workshop leader – Gerry Olsen. Gerry has been President of the California State Association of Parliamentarians and is an avid supporter of parliamentary units. To find out more or to sign up contact me at RobinP@juno.com Did you know that everyone is welcome at a CGCI board meeting? Garden clubbers may attend without voice or vote. That’s one of the reasons the meetings are held all around California so that local clubbers can be introduced to the CGCI Board of Directors and its activities. To find out more or to sign up contact me at RobinP@juno.com. I’m looking forward to judging San Pedro GC’s Hat Parade on August 21 together with Master Judge Helen Gates and Daily Breeze Garden Editor Meredith Grenier. Meredith wrote a wonderful article about Costa Verde District and CGCI’s activities. Click here to read a transcript of it. I picked up this tip from The Desert Breeze, newsletter of Hi ‘N’ Dri Gardeners, Roadrunner District: Did you know . . . . . clay pots can be used to water hills of squash, cucumbers or even large containers. All you need is a size 10 clay pot and its saucer, make sure the drain hole is sealed. Place the pot into a hole in the middle of the mound of soil or large container and fill in soil to within a ½ inch from the rim. Place seeds or seedlings in the soil around the pot, water the soil and fill the pot with water, place the saucer over the top to keep dirt from falling in and to slow evaporation. The water will ooze through the sides of the pot and keep the soil moist. All you need to do is to check every so often to refill the pot with water. The summer has been delightful and I’ve spent much of my “Christmas” vacation in my garden. Friday I picked the first three string beans and took them to Mom. Soon after, here comes Mom with a huge bowl in which to pick all the rest of the harvest. “Hey, where are all the beans?” she asked. “That was it,” I said. (Greg says that she can now literally make 3-bean salad). She’s ready as soon as the beans are. Within a week we’ll have a serving of beans…and the crookneck squash is coming on and cukes are filling out. I always have onions (oh, remind me to tell you how I grow onion) and we have a million tomatoes (romas, cherry, Better Boy, heirlooms) and lemons, oranges and tangerines. Merry Summer Christmas Dig in and enjoy, Robin July 11-16, 2007 Maryanne Lucas, CGCI 1st VP, and I drove a cargo van to Sacramento for the California State Home & Garden Show. Maryanne set up an impressive California Kids Growing Strong display. Lydia & Roy Reibel, CGCI Youth Program Development Co-Chairmen provided tremendous help assembling the exhibit and then working with the kids. Hundreds of kids and their parents passed through our area. Sacramento River Valley District members were there manning the membership booth. Lydia developed an ingenious method of distributing club information. Using a map from the Auto Club, Lydia mounted it on a display board adding a push pin on a club location and a caption listing the club’s name. On the computer she laid out club information (see below). Ten fit on a page. Print several copies and use a paper-cutter to cut the page into slips for distribution. Lydia cleverly placed the slips in small clay pots and lined up the pots in a window box tray.Each pot had a sign with the club’s meeting city so that as people identified the club they wished to visit they could take the corresponding slip of information. Club name Meeting location Meeting day Contact name & email/telephone www.CaliforniaGardenClubs.org I mentioned in my last message that I had spent July 3-4 at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar helping staff Palomar District’s Membership booth, but now I have several membership ideas to share with you. With 1.3 million visitors to the fair, Palomar District members greeted more than 800 people and referred 400+ to clubs. Joan Blankenship, CGCI Grass Roots Editor, listed all the district clubs and contacts on a one-page (folded in half) sheet of paper that we distributed to those interested in finding a garden club. Also available were: Poway Valley GC had full-color business cards that gave the club name, club logo and website. La Jolla GC had a color tri-fold brochure that included a membership application and a list of the club’s activities. San Dieguito GC had a full-color brochure printed on card stock. They listed when and where the club meets, website and some of their activities. Saturday, July 21, Greg and I attended a meeting of the Southern Area of the California State Association of Parliamentarians (CSAP). This is the CSAP version of our districts. The meetings consist of a lesson in the morning, lunch, short business meeting and then a problem clinic. Greg and I got involved with CSAP through garden clubs. I had wanted a firmer parliamentary base as I moved toward leadership positions. This last Saturday’s meeting was full of information. We learned about balloting and voting and the problem clinic addressed elections and nominations. Very interesting! On the personal side, I took off Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings to immerse myself in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows……..it was an intense book that I will re-read again at a slower pace to take in every detail. So am I still enjoying serving as your CGCI President? Yup, every day still feels like Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to YOU! June, 2007 Convention and installation in Bakersfield were some of the best moments of my life. I mentioned to George Speer at convention that the installation and associated hoopla made me feel like it was Christmas morning. I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I have been enjoying mine. Here’s what I’ve been doing on our summer hiatus. I installed three sets of club officers upon my return from the Bakersfield convention. I love installing officers, it is always an exciting event for a club or district. I was invited to participate in Walnut Creek GC’s Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedication on June 20. The weather was perfect and the Blue Star Memorial By-way Marker was mounted in a rock with blue veins running through it. We had a delightful dinner that evening with several members of Walnut Creek GC in President Jane Berger’s beautiful home. I got to walk through her perfect garden – there wasn’t a single yellow leaf or spent flower – Jane is NOT busy enough in garden club if she has so much time her garden looks that nice! Hmmm, I can think of some things for this talented gal to do! Then my hosts, Ruth and Ed Angevine, took me for my first trip to The Gardens at Heather Farm – they were lovely and the rose garden was in spectacular full-bloom. I spent July 3-4 at the San Diego Fair in Del Mar helping man Palomar District’s Membership booth – I’m taking my fishing pole to reel in a bunch of new members for the Palomar District clubs. The Fair lasted nearly a month. Palomar District clubs participated by manning the booth one day each. This week, Maryanne Lucas and I will at the Sacramento Home & Garden Show with the California Kids Growing Strong display and a membership table (I’ll be taking my fishing pole up there, too!). Come by and see us. I love reading the club and district newsletters – my goal is to share some of the many things that catch my eye in your newsletters. For example: San Clemente GC has an interesting insert – they include a Membership Application – it asks for all the usual vital information needed for a yearbook but then also has a list of activities for the new member to check indicating his areas of interest in which to participate. They sure have a long list of activities – which must be an enticement to a new member – lots of projects, programs, events and activities indicate a dynamic and interesting group. Idyllwild GC included several gardening tips in its newsletter such as “Keep a small spray bottle of full-strength distilled white vinegar with you outside whenever you garden. If you get an insect bite, scratch, scrape, nick or gash, spritz it with vinegar and cover with a bandage until you can go indoors and clean and dress it properly.” And another tip: “If you are one of the many who forego garden gloves & prefer bare-handed gardening, remember to scrape your fingernails across a damp bar of soap before going out – the soap is a great protector and cleans up easily with a nail brush. Also rubbing your damp palms with soil helps prevent blisters when using tools.” Thanks for all your kind words and notes. I am excited to represent you as your CGCI President for the next two years – and yes, every day still feels like Christmas morning. Merry Christmas to YOU! HOME \| ABOUT CGCI \| CALENDAR \| JOIN US \| CLUB SERVICES \| SEARCH \| CONTACT US Copyright 1998-2008 California Garden Clubs, Inc. ... the non-profit federation of garden clubs in California representing more than 22,000 California gardeners. 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