President's Letter May

Nature, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,
Her admonition mild

In forest and the hill
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.

How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon,--
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down

Her voice among the aisles
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.

When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky

With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere .

– Emily Dickinson

As I sit here on Mother’s Day, writing my last letter for our Garden Club website, I am reminded of this endearing poem by Emily Dickinson, “Nature, the Gentlest Mother.” Here we see the epitome of motherhood -- a benevolent, kind, and patient mother, well-balanced in her approach, imbued with purity and love. I hope that you have all had a lovely day.

Our meeting last Monday was filled with gentle moments and celebratory occasions. It was also filled with reminders of the lessons, advice, and support we all have gleaned from our mothers and grandmothers.

• We had an opportunity to recognize Kelly O’Leary, the principal of St. Martin de Porres Academy, and award her the prestigious 2011 GCA Elizabeth Abernathy Hull Award for her remarkable school-wide initiative of environmental education that includes recycling, community gardening and neighborhood beautification. (Miss Hull credited her mother and grandmother with instilling in her a concern for the environment and encouraging her to appreciate common-sense horticultural practices long before they became nationally accepted. Ms. O’Leary has followed in this tradition.)

• We were warmly and supportively encouraged by our speaker, Sylvia Abbott, (who was inspired to garden by her mother and has passed down her interest and considerable skills in horticulture and floral design to her own daughter) to participate in our Club’s activities – particularly the upcoming Zone II GCA Flower Show in October. And, she provided us with valuable thoughts on “growing and grooming for a Flower Show” – tried and true methods that will enhance our participation.

• We were thanked by Urban Resources Initiative and by the Garden Club of America for our thoughtful donations that will contribute to the on-going ‘greening’ and beauty of our communities.

• We approved the bylaws revisions, building upon the work of our former members – mothers and grandmothers, too. We now have a document that is informative, useful, streamlined, and flexible; one that we hope will serve us well for years to come.

• We heard about the plans and projects of our many committees and marveled at their energy, enthusiasm, and devotion to the purposes of the Garden Club.

• We applauded the news that the 2013 Elm Tree Project Committee had secured the services of Paul Giamatti, a theatrical super-star with New Haven roots, to provide the background ‘voice’ for our New Haven Green documentary.

As we continue to tackle the welcome tasks of springtime – the pruning and raking and mulching and planting – I remind you of other Garden Club events that you might want to add to your busy calendar.

Our final fund-raising activity for the Zone II meetings will be held on Thursday, May 26^th from 6-8 p.m. at the home of Susan and Richard Ehrenkranz. We have $5,000 left to raise to meet our budget for the hosting of the GCA meetings in October. With a bit of luck, this wine-tasting event will enable us to reach our goal and, at the same time, have a bit of fun. Please join us…and bring your husbands and fathers, mothers and grandmothers, sisters and aunts. While the ticket price of $100 may seem high, it was set to allow us to cover our costs and complete our fundraising. If you wish to attend but find the fee a challenge, please do let me know.

On Friday, June 3rd, please join members of the Club for a tour of the Highstead Arboretum in Redding, CT, that will be organized by the Visiting Garden and Conservation Committees. Discover 36 acres of woodland, meadows, and wetlands; view an extensive collection of laurels; and enjoy a delicious boxed lunch. (See details under committee reports in the blog.)

Then, gather (wearing your festive hat and toting some plants from your garden for the Plant Sale) at the home of Rosita Murphy for our annual meeting on June 6^th at 12 noon. This will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our busy year and to welcome our newest members.

How fair [our] conversation,
A summer afternoon,--

I look forward to seeing you soon,

Carol

May, 2011