"Winter is for the Birds" Program

This year, it was our club's turn to sponsor the November Open Meeting.   Our theme was "winter is for the birds" and we meant that literally!   Julie Baldwin of Wild Birds Unlimited gave a fantastic program, all about feeding and enjoying the birds throughout the winter.  



What a great turn out!

Pat Sarosi helps get the delicious food ready!

 

Notice the little bird feet markings!   So Cute!!



The ladies were lining up to get in!



Lots of great door prizes were given away!

We also learned several birdfeeder craft projects that could also double as gifts.

The entire evening was enjoyed so much by everyone!   I truly think everyone was psyched to get home and start feeding the birds!

June Gardening Fun

Hi folks!   The Derby Garden Club has been busy, busy with two successful fundraisers in May and some garden clean-up.   At our last meeting, Pat had some very interesting tid-bits for creating a successful environment for butterflies!   Don't we all love butterflies? 

Butterflies need a water source, a flat warm rock, and a sheltered site with trees and shrubs.  They enjoy a wet, sand-filled container and flowers such as aster, black eyed susan, butterfly weed, Joe Pye weed, zinnia and phlox.  Host plants for some butterflies are dill, fennel, parsley, milkweed, mallows and coneflowers.

We've also been busy with some overdue garden clean-up at the Church where we have meetings in their Prayer Garden.   It's such a lovely, peaceful place and we enjoy being able to contribute to it's beauty and upkeep.

 

I am super-excited about our next meeting on Monday, July 11.    We are meeting at a home in Grove City, Ohio for a personal tour of her garden and then to the Gardens at Gantz Farms for our meeting, refreshments and a self-guided tour of their gardens with their new labyrinth garden.    Anyone who is interested in tagging along, please email me at shabbygardencreations@gmail.com.

 

Keep those hands dirty!!

Founder's Day Fun

Our last meeting was our Founder's Day Banquet.   Our Derby Garden Club is 54 years old!   We celebrated by having a delicious meal together at China Bell in Grove City.   Pat and Barb set a beautiful spring table for us and we each received a pretty pansy in a spring-colored tumbler decorated with Easter grass.

Glenn Watson of Grove City was our guest speaker and presented a very informative and interesting program all about purple martins.   He had a nice handout for us and we learned all about their habits and habitats.   

He also gave away some gourds to a few of us lucky winners.

We have lots of important dates coming up.   We are having a fundraiser on May 13; we will be selling perennial starts and divisions at Pat S.'s house during the big spring garage sale days in Clarks Lake.    Also that same weekend, we are having our annual coupon fundraiser at Ehmann's greenhouse on Lambert Rd., May 14 and 15.   All you do is present our coupon when you check out and a portion of your sales go directly to the garden club; it's that easy!    If you need a coupon, please email me: rparzych@columbus.rr.com.

We had a lot of fun at our Founders Day Banquet and we have two new members!   Thanks to Pat Jeffries and Freda McPherson for joining us!   (Freda for the 2nd time! yeah!)    Please see the sidebar for our next meeting info. and other important dates.
See you next time!

March Meeting Fun

Well, we are back from our winter break and boy, was it a long winter!!   We were all small group tonight but hopefully by next month, everyone will be back in the swing of things; we really missed those of you who couldn't make it!

Martha Jo surprised us with a pop-quiz on cardinals!  How dare she!   But it was all in good fun and we even learned a few little tidbits about the beautiful cardinal we didn't know before.

We then proceeded to make fun birdfeeders using all kinds of natural elements: apples, cranberries, pinecones, seed.   It became quite messy but everyone had fun.

(I would have taken more pictures but my fingers were covered in peanut butter and bird seed; not a good combination with a digital camera! ha)

Our next meeting is our Founder's Day Celebration.   We meet at a nice restaurant or place and enjoy a nice meal together and celebrate the fact that our garden club is 54 years old!  A short program will also be presented.  (I cannot find my program book to check it for next month but when Vickie emails the meeting minutes, I'll update this blog with more-detailed information.)

Well, hope to see everyone next month!  The weather is warming up and will be time to get those flower beds cleaned up soon!

Holiday Fun!

Our Christmas Get-Together was a lot of fun last month!  Pat S. was quite the hostess!   She put together a beautiful table setting and had the room decorated to the hilt.   It felt like we were in the cutest tea room!



(maybe I should have told everyone to say "Cheese"! Looks like a serious moment!)

 The food was all so delicious too!

Our gift exchange was a lot of fun; normally we draw numbers and pick the present with that number on it; however this year, Melba thought she'd shake things up a bit.

We stood in a circle, holding the gift we brought.   Melba then recited a funny Christmas story and every time she said the word 'right' or 'left', that's how you passed the gift to the next person.   It was very funny because of course the story was about a family call "The Wright's"! 

Barb H. was a complete doll and brought everyone a beautiful Christmas tea-cup filled with delicious fudge!   Thanks Barb!    (Of course my fudge is gone now but maybe I'll turn the tea-cup into a birdfeeder!)

The whole evening was very enjoyable!  

(Next year, I'll remember to get a pix of the whole group!)

Remember, we take January AND February off (no meetings) and our next meeting is the second Monday in March, 7:00 pm at the Derby UM Church.   Bring any material you have on hand for making natural birdfeeders!   (apples, oranges, nuts, dried fruits, pinecones, etc.)   I had the prettiest woodpecker at my feeder the other morning; was quite a site, him drilling away at it!