President's Letter February

"Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the withered air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveler stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, and housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I hope that you have found some time to ‘sit around the radiant fireplace’, to browse through garden catalogues, to enjoy the spell of a beautifully written and satisfying novel [I have just been intrigued by the opening sentence of Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden: “Sometimes when you open the door to your mother’s past, you find your own future.”], or to surround yourself with music. Mark Padmore’s new recording of Schubert’s Winterreise might just fit the bill!

As I have watched the snow fall on New Haven, I have thought back to our February Garden Club meeting and the engaging talk by Rick Macsuga from the CT Department of Agriculture. Armed with interesting facts, he informed us about the original farmers’ market held at the side of the State House in the 1600s; he told us about Hale’s peaches and the first ‘grading’ of this fruit – once a thriving crop in the state; he spoke of the benefits of shade for a burgeoning tobacco crop; he painted a picture of pumpkin pie ‘crusts’; with pride he mentioned that we are the largest producer of witch hazel and of black currants, are famous for our certified Bluepoint Oysters, our Cato Corners and Beaverbrook Farm cheeses, and can boast the second highest density of horses in the United States! Clearly, Connecticut’s greatest asset has always been the family farm and our past history reflects and directs our current practices. Won’t it be fun to emerge from this ‘withered air’ to visit the farms and the markets that he so enthusiastically described?

In the meantime enjoy the ‘privacy’ as well as the gorgeous CT flower show, The Spice of Life (February 18-21). Work on ‘making flowers come alive’ by trying your hand at Ikebana in preparation for the next meeting. Locate your GCA bulletin or visit the website to read about the Founders Fund Awards in preparation for our club ‘vote’ next month. And join us for lunch at Taste on February 22^nd !

Carol