When my mom retired, she got into genealogy with a vengeance. She didn’t have a computer or internet access, so I did her research for her. When she passed, there were several boxes of genealogy files in her house that I donated to the Hacker’s Creek Pioneers Central West Virginia Genealogy Library in Horner, West Virginia. They were thrilled to have them. Through my own research, I discovered four of my former classmates were related to me in one way or another. This was the first year they’ve all attended and I got a picture of us together. That was such a treat!
I remember the year my aunt and uncle went to their 50th Class Reunion. I thought, “Wow…I’ve always thought they were so YOUNG!” I mean, really…fifty whole years had passed since they graduated? And now…here I am. And we’re…so YOUNG! lol Well…we aren’t THAT young! At 11:00 on Friday, I thought surely the clock on my iPhone was mistaken. It HAD to be later than that! I was truly the social butterfly and ran around chatting with so many friends…some I hadn’t seen since graduation.
Saturday morning, we had twenty-four gals for our coffee gathering that was SO much fun. We all brought a chair and our beverage of choice and sat in a big circle. Some of us didn’t leave till around 1:30. I was really tired at this point so I headed home to a little siesta. Saturday evening was the dressier Dinner/Dance and seein’s how Mr. FixIt clean up pretty good, we were ready to trip the light fantastic.
Attending an event at the historic hotel in our town is always a treat. Everyone was dressed in their finery. We staked claim to our tables and soon were directed to the buffet line where we were served our meals already plated. The food was good. Small portions were the order of the day. I don’t eat that late as a rule, but I made an exception and paid for it by 10:00 when I had to asked my sweetheart to bring me home. The combination of spicy food eaten too late and a really LOUD DJ and two days of chaos and noise and wall-to-wall people just did me in.
We were home by 10:30 and I was in bed by 10:32, I think. I had a day of dry toast and crackers and DripDrop electrolyte solution and by 1:00, I was well enough to head to the farm to mow. We literally had a 45 minute window to cut the grass before the next rain hit. It has been so wet, we couldn’t mow for the last couple of weeks and that grass was thick and wet. No matter how many times I rode over it and over it, mulching it down to ever smaller pieces, I could not get rid of the clumps of wet grass laying on the top. Hopefully in a few days, those clumps will decompose and provide moisture and nutrients to the lawn.
It’s unbelievable how the leaves are already starting to turn here. I think it must have something to do with the excessive heat and moisture we’ve been having. Everyone I’ve talked to have said they can’t remember a wetter summer than we’ve had in West Virginia this year. Global warming is indeed real…and our weather is changing drastically. I haven’t seen a single monarch butterfly this summer and that makes me so sad. I am heartened to see some of my friends in other counties have them.
I am determined to create more pollinator space here on Marshmallow Ranch next season. My table partner at dinner Saturday night was my friend Chris Tanner German. Her sister is Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, Pamela Tanner Boll. Her most recent film is “To Which We Belong” about farmers, ranchers, and scientists finding ways to mitigate climate change. We had a wonderful conversation and Chris suggests I start small, adding to the pollinator garden every year. This will make the change from mowing all of it a more gradual process, thus appeasing my sweet Mr. FixIt who….let’s just say…shies away from drastic change.
You can watch Pamela’s film through this link:
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“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Genesis 2:15 ESV
Love the idea of the pollinator patch. We have six acres and I would love to add that to our place. Do I start next spring?
NOW through FALL is the best time to get started. Visit the FB page POLLINATOR FRIENDLY YARDS and see the FILES links for techniques on getting rid of turf first by using non-chemical methods. Then find the files that link to area-specific sources of the species native to your area. (that is a vital component of pollinator garden establishment.) Most natives suppliers have fall sales, so get a jump by eliminating your turf asap. Remember Google is your friend!
Thanks for the information! I hadn’t had time to Google it yet! ?
So glad some of our fellow Ranchers spoke up. It seems the time is now! ?
so, so pleased to hear of your pollinator support garden plans! There is a great FB page support group for those looking for methods to get started, and a FILE for links to nursery and seed houses that specialize in non-cloned plants NATIVE to your particular habitat and AREA of the country.
The FACEBOOK page POLLINATOR FRIENDLY YARDS was founded by Atlanta educator Leslie Nelson Inman, and she produces some wonderful educational materials, including a small and simple pamphlet suitable for kids. The FB page is Pollinator Friendly Yards. There is lots of pubic discussion on the page so plenty of useful tips on getting started and keeping a native garden going all year. Surprisingly, t here is so much less work involved in upkeep because you allow nature to take the reins and do as it was designed.
Another educator who advocates for using REGIONAL NATIVE plants in our gardens and public areas is Dr. Douglas Tallamy, an American entomologist, ecologist and conservationist. He is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. He’s written two authoritative books on Native Plant Gardening : Bringing Nature Home, and Nature’s Best Hope. He is a frequent public speaker on the subject of pollinator protection. He is featured on many youtubes, check it out and best wishes to you!
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