MWGC Gala Center Piece

On January 25th, our Martha Washington Garden Club ( MWGC) held an annual Gala Lunch and Presentation. This was our club's major fund raising event. The theme was "Flowers for All Seasons". I was asked to make a big center piece in the hall way. There were more than 140 people attending (double our members' number). We had 17 round tables, so 17 members were asked to volunteer to design the center piece of each table with a different theme of their own idea.

My arrangement, Tulip, Dendrobium, pine and others / ceramic containers

Floral Designer Deborah Moyer, She is our club member.

One of her demo piece ( not complete )

Plenty vegetables and flowers arrangement (big harvest)

Member's table design, July 4th theme

Thanksgiving or Fall design

Spring color

Mardi Gras

April Shower

September school start

Winter

 Summer start

June

Manipulating Leaves Arrangement

After we watched Hata Sensei's demonstration for manipulating leaves, we then had our opportunity to try our hand at them. We brought our container and any tools like scissors, wire cutter, staple and scotch tape for manipulating the leaves. A class member has ordered variegated hala and ti leaves as well as anthurium for everyone in the class. We practiced the techniques that we have just learned and arranged them. (1/15/2018 Hata Sensei's class)
The first picture is my arrangement. The other three are classmates' arrangement.

    

Lesson 3: Variation #4 Upright style Nageire

Winter Orchids

Today is the last day of 2017. The coldest New Year's Eve in this half century! The temperature has been around 10-20 degrees F for a week.  It's going to be a frigid, brutal, cold and single digit New Year's Eve. I am worried about the people gathering in Times Square in NYC, waiting for the crystal ball to drop, and singing Auld Lang Syne, saying good bye to 2017 and cheering for 2018. They might freeze in this kind of cold!
Well, these orchids will help to warm our hearts and lift up our spirits in these cold days. They are still blooming. The purple and white cattleyas (first and second pictures below) are producing a nice fragrance in the air.  So pleasant!
 

Cattleya,  "Rome Holiday"  picture taken from October

I didn't expect this miniature dendrobium bloom again

Sidney, the Dog

My husband and I have been taking care of my daughter Melanie's dog for three weeks because she and her husband flew to Sri Lanka to attend her good friend's wedding. The dog Sidney, a Havanese, is small, friendly and very cute. He does not like cold weather and likes to chase squirrels.

Over the holidays, my grandchildren visited. They love playing with Sidney and tried to help take care of  him. On the day before Christmas, my two grandchildren took Sidney for a walk, and soon after they reached the street out front, they rushed home, terrified and crying, saying a big dog was attacking Sidney and that he's dying!! I stormed out with my pajamas on, picked up a stick on the ground, and tried to scare the big dog away. The dog had Sidney in his jaws and Sidney was so still, we did think he was dead. But with me waving the stick at the dog, he finally let go and Sidney sprang to his feet. My daughter, Vivian, who also ran after me to help, scooped up Sidney from the ground then carried him home.

Sidney was so frightened, and he seemed hurt. My husband and son-in-law brought Sidney to the Animal Hospital to get evaluated. For the most part, everything was all right. Sidney had a puncture wound under his jaw and some superficial wounds on his ear and body. He was wearing a vest for warmth, and that might have saved him. For two days, he just wanted someone to hold him all the time. I think he was in traumatic shock!

For the next few days, Sidney limped with his front leg. My husband fed him antibiotics and pain killers. It took about a week, but Sidney is back to normal and jumping around.  He seems totally fine. We told Melanie the whole story when they arrived back from Sri Lanka because we didn't want to worry them during their vacation.

When Melanie and Peter came home to bring Sidney back to NYC, the three of them were so excited and happy! Especially Sidney. I just wonder...does he remember what happened during this episode!?