A perfect use for a garden

Hey everybody--last night's meeting was just terrific--and it reminded me that I wanted to post about the week before. A fellow garden club, the Iris Elm Garden Club of Winimac came to visit the garden. I sat next to Darlene Fritz, the club president, at the board meeting, and we hit it off immediately. Darlene is a wonderful down to earth person--you don't have to be around her long to KNOW she is a gardener deep in her soul. She remembered me from several years ago when Mary Ann McG and I attended a garden show in Winimac, and asked about coming to spend some time at our house. Of course they were more than welcome, so on a very fine Thursday morning, they arrived. Darlene and 4 other members spent several hours here, looking at the gardens and flowers. Then they unpacked a picnic lunch and we all ate together in front of the little house. The weather was simply perfect, the flowers were blooming beautifully and we had such a terrific visit. One of the members was Edna, who is in her 90's. I want to be Edna when I grow up. She walked most of the garden with the help of her trusty cane, and enjoyed every inch of it. Her love of gardens flowed from her like a river--she asked questions and made notes about daylily eyezones so she could pass on what she learned to the club, and told me all about her daughters, who it sounds like were also passionate gardeners. Meeting Edna was a vivid reminder of how important it is for us to impart our love of gardens by mentoring others. After spending time with her I don't know how anyone could restrain themselves from heading to the nearest garden center!
Our lunch on the lawn was delicious--Darlene had prepared it and brought enough for everyone--the friendship these ladies feel for one another is so infectious I felt like I had been a part of the group for years. When they left there were hugs all around, and a firm desire to see each other again. It is my hope that we can spend some time doing a fun activity with this terrific bunch in the future.
The more dirt, the merrier!