Portrait of Janet Chance
Fresh Starts & Giving To Others

Weeds sprouting in Janet's garden.Happy New Year to all of you! Now that the seasonal rush is over it is time to return to our gardens. If you are like me those gardens have been somewhat neglected. Although we are still in the midst of a catastrophic drought, the rains this past month have been wonderful and hopefully the predicted La Niña will fade away. Meanwhile I have grown a huge crop of “Undesirable Things,” so it is time to get back to my favorite job: weeding. There is nothing better than grubbing around in the dirt on your hands and knees pulling them out and smelling the wonderful smell of newly turned soil! Your mind drifts away and all problems vanish, at least for a little while.

A bunny munching on new lettuce leavesIt is also time to prepare for spring. Shrubs need trimming, roses pruning and the vegetable garden needs to be prepped. This year it will be particularly important to plant salad greens as the lettuce fields in Salinas (America’s salad bowl) have been devastated by disease with no relief in sight. Unfortunately, bunnies and gophers also love those tender young greens, but they look so adorable….

Above all, enjoy this relatively peaceful time in your gardens. A 19th century English poet wrote “ A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot!” Words to live by in our increasingly rushed lives. I look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on January 13. Take care and stay well.

– Janet

Club members shared the Christmas spirit by bringing in cans of food for the Laguna Beach Food Pantry and toys for the Spark of Love Toy Drive to the December meeting. Pictured here with V.P. Jane Leary, Paramedic Luther from the LB Fire Dept. thanked the members for their support in these worthy causes.

Jane Leary and paramedic Luther standing in front of a table of our toy drive donations    A table laden with our food drive donations