Small Town News

Plenty of personal changes on the way, but stay tuned to this space

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MOVING MASON FORWARD

It's interesting how life throws curve balls right at you when you think you're about to smack a home run right out of the park. But that is exactly what's happened to me this week. I tried to come up with a football analogy since our family is involved with high school football, but it's just too late and it is after all, baseball season.

Back to my breaking news Effective June 30, 1 will be stepping away from the WSU Master Gardener program to focus fully on Moving Mason Forward, the campaign to create a culture of health in Mason County. The goal is to greatly improve physical health as well as environmental and economic health for residents living in the county. We are so fortunate to live, in an area that is so near the ocean, mountains and national forests. I think we sometimes take for granted the bounty of recreational choices that we have literally at our feet.

I will continue to garden and share garden tips and tricks with you, the readers of this publication, but I will also begin to connect the seven priority areas in the CHIP, or Community Health Improvement Plan, to your lives. My hope is to show everyone how interconnected we all are, while still enjoying our personal interests.

It is a bittersweet journey I'll be taking over the next couple of weeks, cleaning out my files and leaving an organized filing cabinet and computer filing system for whoever steps in to coordinate the Master Gardener program.

I've worked for WSU Extension for 17 years, and if you had asked me in December where I would be on July 1, I would have never in a million years thought I wouldn't be at the Extension office. But, that curve ball came along and my path, just like the ball, has taken a sharp curve. It isn't a bad thing, it's just an unexpected thing that will take some time to wrap my head around. But you can bet I will embrace this new journey, while trying to stay connected to many of the friends Fve enjoyed so much over the years.

As I was shopping yesterday in town, I saw five people that I have gotten to know through the program. Most of them as clients that came in for gardening advice One man said he hadn't seen me in a long time because "he hadn't had any problems." That is the best endorsement I could have ever gotten; he used the advice he was given and the result was his garden and fruit trees have prospered with no insect or disease problems. We held a fruit tree pruning workshop at his property about 10 years ago. I remember that he had been pruning them just about as opposite to recommendation that he could get. As I drive by on my way home, Fve noticed they look healthy and their shape is perfect. Well done, Mr. Brown.

I will be looking forward to sharing with you many new and exciting things happening around the county.

Jeanne Rehwaldt can be reached at 427-9670, ext. 543, or movingmasonforward@gmail.com.



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