January 2017 Meeting Notes

January 24, 2017

Claudia Hickly, LAGC President, welcomed members and guests to our 67^th year as a garden club.  She noted we had not all met since October other than the successful Hartwood Acres Mansion tour and luncheon many attended.  Dianne Machesney took the photos on our blog of the tour and luncheon. Claudia and members applauded Mary Anne Kurtz for her years of service to our club as president.

Old Business:

·        2017 Handbooks completed – Kudos to Marlow and proofreaders Colleen, Jenna, and Claudia. Check your contact information in the directory and report any errors to Marlow immediately; note dates of plant sale May 20 & picnic June 6. Review phone chain. Suggestions for 2018 Handbook: add calendar and perhaps cell phone numbers.

·        2017 Program Overview – Congratulations to Jenna Noker and her team Jeanne Schomaker & Linda Keiser for the variety of programs. Give her your suggestions for 2018 programs and tours throughout the year.

·        New plant sale signs, shown, were completed and the old refurbished for $115. Mary Anne said to think of what to dig for the sale. The sale is our only money maker and plants required.

·        A download of the movie “The Story of Longvue Acres” has never been found. If you have it, tell Claudia.

·        McCandless History Center may not be accepting any donations right now. Claudia will follow up.  If we ever decide to scan our club records, the Archives Service Center of the University of Pittsburgh has been recommended and they will store them for a nominal fee. The Archives Service, 7500 Thomas Blvd. 412.648.3232.

New Business:       

·        2016 Final Treasurer’s Report – Denny Brown. 2016 Budgeted $2,863, Actual $3,180.

·        2017 Proposed Budget – Denny. 2017 Preliminary $3,190 with increased donations based on Plant Sale success. Room rental budget increased to $400. Approved donations to Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, North Area Environmental Council, Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens. Glade Run Adventures Therapy may receive donation when we tour in August.

·        Discussion of possible donation to Eagle Scout Service Project benefitting UPMC Cancer Center at UPMC Passavant. Our participation on hold until Claudia gathers more information.

·        Thank you to Patty Bumbaugh’s publicity about January program in North Journal.

·        Dianne will send card from LAGC to Sharon Walston to thank her for her years of service and wish her God Speed on her upcoming move to South Carolina. Other members are asked to participate in a card shower for her.

·        Facebook Volunteer Needed - Members approved having a Facebook presence to promote club and plant sale. We’d like to get that up and running before May plant sale. Blog will be for members only.

·        Post Office Box Discussion - Voted no on renting USPS post office box for $85/year.

·        Suggestion to raffle off selected arrangements, IF arranger wants to donate.

·        Thank you to Colleen Fingal and Dianne Machesney for desserts and arrangement respectively.

*recipe below

Program: A Walk in the Park by Dianne Machesney

Jenna introduced member and speaker Dianne Machesney. Dianne is widely experienced in nature 

through her volunteer work of twenty years in Boy Scouts, a Penn State Master Gardener, and member and officer of Wissahickon Nature Club. She hikes each and every Thursday (except Thanksgiving) with an informal group meeting at the North Park ice skating rink parking lot at 10 a.m. and ending at noon. All are invited to join them.

The program showed monthly features at North Park. We were in awe of the wide variety of plants and flowers, insect life, especially butterflies, frog eggs, fungi, geologic features, birds, early archeology, etc. found in North Park. Dianne gave interesting information about many plants, animals, and insects. An apt summary could be, look around, look down, look for things tiny, listen, and enjoy the enormous variety found at North Park throughout the year. 

Upcoming Meetings:

February 28^th – Cutting and Arranging Perennials by Kurt Malecki

March 28^th – Straw Bale Gardening by Pat Morgan

April 25^th - Mushrooms

Apricot Bars                    From Colleen Fingal via her mother

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3  2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks) room temperature

1 1/2 cups apricot preserves (12 oz.) Use any flavor of jam or preserves

In a bowl combine flour, sugar and butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Remove 3/4 cup of mixture and set aside for later. Press remaining flour mixture into a 15x10x1 rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until lightly or barely browned. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Spread preserves evenly over the cookie base. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top of jam. Bake for 10 minutes.

Let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.