President's Message

Wow! Is February teaching us what winter is all about? How about the temperatures in the teens and twenties and much lower wind chills? And the occurrence of snow for Austin and the southeastern counties late Thursday and early Friday (Feb 3 and 4). I hope that all of you were able to stay warm, cozy, and safe and that you survived the power outages. Of course, I know we all tried to protect our pets, plants, and pipes, but this spell will probably prove to have been more serious than we were able to normally guard against. Until we finally get above freezing, we won’t know the actual toll on everything.

Our January meeting was very interesting. Thanks to Laura for getting some unusual tools to show, some of which went to door prize winners. The February meeting scheduled for February 24 will also be great. Make plans now to attend. Be thinking about volunteering in some capacity for our June 4th and 5th show and plant sale. Also thanks to all who signed up to man the front gate at the Zilker Garden Fest on Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27. Check with Dick Peterson and Barry Lovelace to see if they need more volunteers for those two days. Thanks again to Dick and Barry for managing this important job for our club and the AAGC. Make sure you buy your Zilker Garden Fest tickets at our next meeting. All members are expected to purchase at least two of these tickets. The club has already had to pay for them so help the club get its money back. This is your only chance to purchase tickets for $3.00. Ticket price will be $7.00 at the gate. Get some for your friends and neighbors. It will save them money and it will recoup the money the club has had to pay.

Now is the time to drool over the beautiful pictures of flowering plants and vegetables in the seed catalogs that you’ve probably been receiving in the mail. Remember that not all of these are suited to our area. Nevertheless, it is a great way to dream, and now is the time to plan for what you will be growing this spring, summer, and fall.

Annie and I will be attending the Southwest Regional meeting of The Gardener’s of America, (MGCA), on Feb. 12, 2011 in Bryan, Texas. We will be discussing show dates and requesting judges, and other matters and sharing other ideas.

Check the Calendar of Events section of this newsletter for all the upcoming meetings and events.

Sincerely,
Wilburn