Ryall, M. E. (12 September 2007). Wildlife & Garden Club Washburn County Register, p. 28.

Wildlife & Garden Club

By Mary Ellen Ryall

The Wildlife and Garden Club is winding down now for the season. August was a flurry of activity. Bob Stariha took up the banner of keeping the front entrance petunia flowers watered in the midst of severe heat and drought. With a watering can in hand, he smiled and commented, "Well someone's got to water the flowers out front!" Nancy Noggler introduced me to her cat, Copper, one day last week. She proudly reported that Copper liked the chives growing in the herb garden. Nancy and I both use scissors to cut herbs. We chop them up and freeze them. Chives can be stored in zip-lock freezer bags. Snack-size bags work best for seniors who live alone.

One evening in early September, a tiny, sweet, green tree frog was lounging on the community room door window. He was attracted to bugs that landed on the windowpane. We were mindful of not having a mishap with a frog when we opened the door. Last week, a monarch butterfly landed on the tall, purple garden flax that Julie Weston planted near the building. It wasn't long before the monarch had its full of nectar and was on its way.

On Sept. 7, Dennis Schraufnagel's delicious, organic watermelon was cut up for movie viewers. Coffee was made and we settled in to watch former Vice President Al Gore's global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." We, as seniors at Lakeland Manor, are doing our part to leave a small carbon footprint. Many of us use energy efficient light bulbs. We try to be conscious of waste disposal and recycling. We grow a kitchen garden of vegetables and herbs to support the theory of eating locally. Stanley Wickman delivered free-range chicken eggs to us weekly before a fox sadly killed five of his chickens in midsummer. We appreciate how Stanley took such good care of us.

Diane Dryden donated an heirloom zebra tomato plant that was a delight to watch as it turned into green and yellow stripes. All in all as seniors living in community, we enjoy the sense of trying to do our part for the sustainability of the earth. According to Mavis Viltz, "We want to leave something for the next generation." Have a happy year until we meet again next spring at planting time.