...for discerning weeders September, 2012
WHY IT’S WORTH IT Inside this issue:
Weed of the
2
Month Walk on the Wild 3 Side Coming Events
4
Progress Report
5
Here Kitty, Kitty
6
Book Review
7
Member Photos
7
Puzzle Page
8
Last Word
9
Many of us see and talk to folks who need our advice. Some of them have large, lush lawns, trees, or gardens with minor problems that can easily be fixed with some bugkiller or a little less “kindness.” Then, there are others….
by Bill Buckellew er day, Michael called, asking me to come by and see what he had done. He had followed all our instructions, and his place looks as good as it can under the circumstances. He’s proud of it and wanted to show it off. His new trees are doing well. He was so grateful for the help that he actually mailed me (he has no computer) his prized tree catalog, in case I wanted something from it. He didn’t have to do that, but that was what he had, and it was his way to thank the MGs.
Let me tell you about Michael. He is a 70+, handicapped widower who lives alone in a dilapidated, rented trailer in the poorest part of Niceville. His lot has no soil; it is simply “dirt” in the form of compacted sand. He lives on his pension, has no car, and has to walk to K-Mart or wherever to Folks, we can make a difference in people’s get what he needs. He can’t afford to water. lives. All of our clients are important, whether it’s somebody who wants his place Last year, he wanted to make his place look to look like the golf course next door or a better, so he called the Extension. Joe and I lonely old man who just wants to do what visited and gave him advice on trimming his he is still able to do. That’s why we volunshrubs and what he should try to grow. At teer. the most recent Arbor Day, I took two trees to him along with planting advice. The oth-
CALLING ALL MEMBERS!
DON’T FORGET! You have to log your hours onto the VMS system!
As you are all aware, we will be moving into the new Extension building. Hopefully, the move will take place in the next few months. As you also might know, the nursery has been and continues to be busy growing and propagating plants that will be used in the landscape at the new building.
month, just one. Spend a couple of hours helping. Bodies are desperately needed and there is plenty to be done. The new office landscape has the potential to be a real asset in showing what Florida’s native plants have to offer.
Take a Friday and give a bit of your time. Folks, these plants don’t take care of themselves and only having a few people show up A huge THANK YOU to the dedicated souls to help with the plant chores isn’t going to who do show up, time after time. Your hard work. work is appreciated. If each person could give one Friday a 1