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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | SEPTEMBER 2023 | 51 "You can bury any number of headaches in a garden." ~ Charles Barnard The speaker for our August meeting was Beth Kyre, a National Forest Service Entomologist, who provided information on the health and care of our local national forests. Her primary objective was to answer our questions about how the Penny Pines and Plant- a-Tree programs function. Did you know that the Forestry Service has its own nursery to start saplings? Some of the questions she addressed were what kind of trees and how many are planted per acre and how long does it take for a planted area to recover. It was an informative way to mark the 30-year anniversary of our participation in the Penny Pines Program donating more than $37,697 since 1993 which planted more than 542 acres of forest with saplings. Pat Pennington's Garden of Eat-em displayed beautifully in August (see photos inset) and what's more important, produced abundantly. Pat has indeed mastered vertical gardening. Given that in September we all start thinking of the last of summer harvest and clearing the garden for winter planting, Pat's tip of the month, "After pruning dip your pruners in a jar of alcohol to prevent spreading disease or fungus." Looking forward, the program for Sept. 13 will be Beckie Ruffing from the Living Desert in Palm Springs. The park is a beautifully displayed wildlife park within natural desert plant landscape. There is also an animal hospital for rescued, injured animals. She'll no doubt let us know what animals are currently in residence and how to make the most of a visit to the park. In October, Ron Duncan will return to inform us on the state of our local honey bees. For November, we are in the process of arranging a presentation from the Riverside National Cemetery and Memorial Park. Look for an update on this next month. Guests are always welcome to attend one of our meetings which are on the second Wednesday of every month at 10 am in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom (unless otherwise announced). Dates for the next few months are Sept. 13, Oct. 11, and Nov. 11. Dues are only $15 a year. For more information, contact President Beverly Agner at (951) 306-7379. For membership info, you can call Sherry Case at (951) 533-3584 or Linda Powers (951) 769-3101. To have your fruit trees picked for the Banning H.E.L.P. Center or Carol's Kitchen, call Joy Bailey at (909) 856-4111. Garden Club

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