President's Letter - January 2021

Greetings, Garden Friends, 

It is only a few days from a new year, and I suspect that most of us will not be unhappy to bid 2020 goodbye. The arbitrary shift from “old” to “new”  suggests the possibility for renewal – of our gardens, our connections with friends, our promises to ourselves. 2020 exploded with events and circumstances we couldn’t ignore – we had to deal with so much! I am proud of what Shaker Lakes Garden Club, and the GCA, accomplished in spite of the roadblocks. We shifted to the virtual world and discovered serendipitous advantages, but we managed some in-person gatherings as well, and we had six new trees planted at the Lower Lake!  I hope you had a chance to visit the Botanic Garden for Glow, where the tree decorated by SLGC Provisionals, led by Petra Moran and Nan Webb, was a standout. Their design was excellent and the execution, with their own handmade ornaments, was perfectly beautiful.

I looked up Mary Bruce’s letter from last year - she wrote that after the busy celebrations of the holidays she looked forward to the quiet of winter months….This year we’ve had plenty of quiet, and we’re looking forward to getting actively re-engaged. Start by thinking hard about proposals to submit to Charitable Projects.  Many organizations that focus on the environment and environmental education have suffered financially in 2020, and our funding can make a big difference. We depend on our members for their contributions, but also for the proposals they bring to the committee’s attention.  The deadline for submitting proposals is February 1, and you can still donate if you haven’t already – check the list of current donors on our website.

So enjoy a quiet celebration of the New Year, and be thankful that the vaccines hold the promise of the end of the pandemic. That’s a reason to celebrate! Have a happy one.

Leigh