Our meeting last month was pretty well attended -- unfortunately, I was not able to make it because of work. I have used too many vacation days for meetings now and I figured that was one I could miss. Sorry, but it couldn't be helped.


Well, our meeting for this coming month is going to be a little different. We will tour another garden but then have a program at the garden. The garden chosen for this month is member Diane Wilson's. Her garden was on our water garden tour in 1999 and she is an experienced ponderer. She has received lots of advice from her neighbors that are none other than Tom and Marilyn Kenney of Skycrest Gardens. I heard the other day she has a fantastic hardy water lily blooming called Peaches and Cream. I saw this lily at the International Water Lily Symposium last summer in Chicago. It is an outstanding lily and very unique. Unfortunately, by the time our tour starts the lily blooms will be closed but at least you know it's there.


So, our meeting will start at 6:30 PM on July 9 at Diane's place. That address is 333 Judy Dr., Ames. If you know where Tom and Marilyn's place is then you can find Diane's -- she is directly east of them. For those of you that do not know where Skycrest Gardens is then follow the directions elsewhere in this newsletter.


This is also a good time to visit Tom and Marilyn's -- so, if your making a trip, you can pick up some stuff at the same time.


Bring lawn chairs and we will have a program after we tour Diane's garden. I will be talking about the Patina of Life in Your Pond. This is a very important topic that is not mentioned in the books and something I am really trying to educate ponderers on. When this Patina is understood then "life will be simple". Also, bring your questions about what is happening in your pond.


The Central Iowa Tour of Water Gardens on July 14 and 15 is close to becoming reality. The gardens are lined up, tickets printed and publicity is now a big part of the committee's job. We are looking for more volunteers to help with the host during the day of the tour. You only need to work a half-day and you will get free tickets to see the Ames gardens as well as the Des Moines Tour. You may not have enough time to see all the Ames Gardens so we organize a separate tour the next Sat. for all the volunteers and the garden hosts. You will get to see the gardens free. Please remember this is a way for our organization to raise dollars for many different projects -- we have to have your help to pull this off. Call Cheryl Saylor in Story City (733-4072) or Doug Rieck in Des Moines (244-2862) to volunteer.


Jamie, The Big Toad