Members of the San Saba Garden Club (SSGC) used the often chilly and drear months of February and March to celebrate the bounties of nature, always mindful that every season plays a vital role in producing the new growth and beautiful colors we look forward to each spring.
The February meeting focused on nature’s underground feats: tiny dormant seeds awaken and grow into useful and beautiful flora and fauna. Members enjoyed a handson afternoon decoupaging gourds native to our region, some of which were salvaged from community clean-ups along the highway and in Mill Pond Park. By the end of the workshop, gourds of all shapes and sizes had become artistic accents for home and garden. President Debbie Shahan provided materials and instruction for the workshop. Many of the gourds were grown and generously donated by Aileen Roberts and Sarah Lott.
February hostesses Mona Mc-Mahan (chair), Janice Bates, and Barbara Bell set a festive mood with Valentine themed decorations that complemented a buffet befitting the holiday. The menu included chicken salad with crackers, strawberries with fruit dip, Valentine-decorated cake balls, goat cheese truffles, chocolatedipped pretzels, and chocolate & pecan snack mix. Beverages were coffee and punch.
For the March meeting, the Club turned its attention from seeds in the ground to the historically dazzling night skies of Central Texas. Prior to an informative and timely presentation on the infringing negative effects of light pollution in general and in the hill country in particular, members and guests enjoyed a St. Patrick’s Day buffet of cucumber tea sandwiches, dressed grapes, cheese ball pops, Shamrock sugar cookies, Shamrock punch, and coffee. Hostesses were Jacqueline Carlson (chair), Janis Murray, Abby Snyder, and Debbie Shahan. Presenter for the March program was Beth Griess, whose Central Texas heritage originates with German settlers in 1879. Although Griess spent her childhood and much of her adulthood in Lubbock and Austin, she frequently visited relatives in this area. In her almost 70-year relationship with Lampasas and San Saba Counties, she has noticed the disappearing night sky from Central Texas. Her awareness led her to join other concerned citizens in forming Lampasas Friends of the Night Sky, an organization dedicated to promoting apprehension of the problem and action to combat it. One of the group’s commitments includes education of fellow Texans. Griess used a slide presentation and her considerable expertise to enlighten Garden Club members about the far-reaching effects of light pollution—from the pragmatic consideration of real estate values to the global importance of nurturing species that depend on nature’s night cycle to reproduce, to migrate, and to graze.