The October meeting of the Glove and Trowel Garden Club was held on October 11th at 3:30 p.m. at the home of Fay Sloan with 14 members in attendance.
The meeting was called to order by President Molly Pittman who then thanked Fay Sloan for her hospitality in opening her home for the meeting. Following the reciting of the Club Collect, members birthdays for the month of October was recognized – Julie Hatcher and Patricia Page. The newest member of the club, Cindy McDuffie, was introduced and welcomed into membership.
‘Feeding the Birds in the Winter” was the theme of this month’s program which was presented by Sally Harrison. A brochure from the Nation Wildlife Federation showing pictures of birds you might see in your backyard was distributed along with a brochure from the Audubon Society of South Carolina discussing native plants for birds.
Discussion began with information about the benefits of feeding birds – it helps with insect control, flower pollination and weed control to name just a few. Feeding birds can also be an educational, much can be learned by just observing birds at your feeding stations. It is also a great way to introduce children and grandchildren to birds and to their feeding.
It is important to remember to keep feeders clean and full year-round. In the summer birds need additional food because of feeding their young and in the winter birds expends more calories to keep warm and need an additional food supply.
The program ended with the display of some options for feeders you can make yourself which included taking lard, peanut butter, and bird seed to create a mixture. The mixture is then put into a cookie cutter to shape it. A hole is made with a piece of straw so that a piece of string can be inserted for hanging. After the forms have been chilled the cookie cutter can be removed and string can be threaded through the hole. Samples were available for members to take home for their yards.
Following the program, club business was discussed. The minutes of the September meeting by Julie Sawyer, Secretary, were approved. A Treasurer’s Report was given by Julie LeChette. Other committee reports were discussed including our plans for our December Christmas Party.
The name of Holli Strickland was presented for membership by Chairman, Julia McLaurin. She was voted into our club.
President Molly reminded us of the Garden Club of South Carolina’s “VETERANS DAY CEREMONY” to be held on November 12, 2017 at Memorial Garden in Columbia, S.C. The Glove and Trowel Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Clubs, Inc., South Atlantic Region, The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., and the Coastal District GCSC.
