Master Gardener Program

Yesterday, the local Master Gardeners and a bank sponsored a program featuring an Extension Services horticulture specialist from our capital city. The event was scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but was cut short by a winter storm that arrived earlier than expected.

I didn't feel up to sitting through a six-hour program, so Mother and Hubbie went early, and I joined them closer to lunchtime.

The event was held at one of our local colleges, just a mile or so from home. Considering the iffy weather, I was surprised at how many folks, especially folks from surrounding hilly communities, showed up.

Tables in the event room featured white table clothes, with napkins in light yellows, greens, blues and other spring colors, folded into shapes resembling flowers. At the "Go Red for Women" event, red napkins had been folded into the shapes of hearts. I wonder who the talented napkin folder is?

Small, live plants in decorated clay pots served as centerpieces, and became door prizes at the end of the event. Lunch, complements of the sponsoring bank, was catered by a local sandwich shop...deli turkey and Swiss cheese on a wheat hoagie bun for me. I cast aside the potato chips and cookie, of course, and opted for bottled water as my drink.

Lots of folks had heard about my bout in the hospital and came to my table to wish me well and ask lots of questions about my symptoms.

It began sleeting before lunch was over, and a few folks had received cell phone calls informing them that it was snowing pretty hard in their towns. After lunch, the speaker presented one more slide show before closing the program at 1 p.m. By then, quite a few folks had left, some of whom live about 40 miles away, in a mountain community accessed only by a narrow, winding, uphill road.

It was a brief outing for me, but it felt good to be among folks again. I'm not a gardener, but I still managed to learn a couple of things. For instance, we apparently have excellent mulch material in our yard....pine needles galore, and an endless supply sweet gum balls.