So, I did a thing this weekend that I am kind of excited about. Our first garden market was fun and I got to know some like-minded gardeners much better than before. We talked plants and techniques, and interests, and family...it was awesome and I loved it. This past Saturday, the 19th, we also had the honor of hosting representatives of the Longview Bonsai Society and it was a real pleasure getting to know them better. They have a public event coming up on the 29th - check it out!
For those of you that were not able to make it Saturday, you were missed, but your absence served as a good illustration for why building a cohesive community is so hard these days. We are all busy, and it simply is not possible to cram everything we all want to do into a single Saturday!
What have I done about it? (Thanks for asking!)
I want Grumpy's Garden Club to be about people - specifically, serving people in East Texas - and I want the club to become a community of people that care about each other, share our stories, and get to express their unique personalities in creative ways. Plants ARE involved somehow, but it is healthy community that I have my sights set upon.
We can't always get together at the same place & time, but that does not mean we can not benefit from the friendship and sharing our creative efforts with others. I made a single, small step this weekend toward covering the distance between our complex schedules. This weekend I mounted a sign and a small blue box to a tree.
The sign is there to welcome visitors and to remind them why Grumpy's Garden Club exists.
The blue box is there to demonstrate my trust and respect for each member of our community.
Instead of just having "special events" on certain busy Saturdays, I will be maintaining a table or two of my plants up in the vineyard Full Time and allowing our club to visit the vineyard at YOUR convenience! I will try to keep the website & facebook page up to date concerning what is currently available. I would like you to feel free to stop by, browse, and purchase anything I have presented for you at the Club discounted prices.
Of course, I still want to meet you, talk about stuff you think is important, and grow the community. We will continue to host special events and hold garden clinics in the Summer and Fall. Those will be announced ahead of time. But, I don't want folks to miss out the benefits of the club just because they are busy on that particular day.
Furthermore, I am looking for gardeners that would be interested in selling their own plants at our special events. If you know someone that has a garden-related craft or, grows more plants than they need, or has a garden with more produce than they can eat - put them in touch with me, please!
We NEVER ask for vendor fees, and we benefit from having folks present sharing what they love to do. If you want to share your craft with others or have a product to offer for sale to the public then send me an email and we will provide you with some free space at our next event.
We are an INCLUSIVE club - so, share our story and invite your friends. If you like any kind of gardening - we want to meet You and yours.
Finally, my culinary and medicinal herbs are starting to wake up so you will be seeing some of those in the vineyard. I have a TON of baby trees we just potted up and they will be coming on very soon as well. Veggies like Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant and many others will be ready to sell over the next two weeks so stay tuned.
Thanks for being a part of this with me.
~ Steve
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