Wilson County fce County-Wide Newsletter Spring 2016

“Earth laughs in

flowers!”

—Ralph Waldo Emer-

In This Issue

President’s Desk

Spring Activities

Green Cleaning Tip

Life Hacks

Alaskan Adventures

News from the “Field”

Fair Notes

Calling all Crafters

County-wide Schedule

Cultural Arts

Fashion Revue

Gardening Tips &

Resources

Last year at the Annual

luncheon, Michelle Chambers

from the Norene fce Club shared

with us a beautiful thought for

the day entitled “For the Garden

of tour Daily Living.” I have

saved this for the spring newslet-

ter all this time because I believe

its meaning should be shared

again.

Plant Three Rows of Peas:

1. Peace of Mind

2. Peace of Heart

3. Peace of Soul

Plant Four Rows of Squash:

1. Squash gossip.

2. Squash indifference.

3. Squash grumpiness.

4. Squash selfishness.

Plant Four Rows of Lettuce:

1. Lettuce be faithful.

2. Lettuce be kind.

3. Lettuce be patient.

4. Lettuce love one another.

No Garden is without Turnips.

1. Turnip for meetings on time.

2. Turnip for service on time.

3. Turnip to help one another on

time.

To Conclude our Garden we

must have Thyme.

1. Thyme for each other.

2. Thyme for family.

3. Thyme for friends.

Water freely with patience and

cultivate with love. There is

much fruit in your garden be-

cause you reap what you sow.

Please remember to make

desserts for the Wilson County

4-H Dessert Auction. Please

have them at the Extension

office or the East/West Building

by 4:30 pm on Thursday, April

13th. We thank you for your

support of all our Extension pro-

gramming! We look forward to

seeing you!

Shelly Barnes

FCS Extension Agent

Spring has Sprung!

Frances Baker

Wilson County fce

President

I hope everyone is enjoying our mild winter months. Spring is

just around the corner so invite someone to your club. We

have so many activities planned this year. Now is the

time to start working on fce and fair items.

Please also make plans to attend the annual luncheon

scheduled for April 28th. And please bring some toiletry

items to donate to the Wilson County Sherriff’s Senior Center

Awareness Network (SCAN) Program. Tickets to the

luncheon are on sale now and can be purchased at the

Extension office!

I hope everyone has an enjoyable Spring!

Spring Activities

Wilson County 4-H Dessert Auction

Please remember to make desserts for the Wilson County 4-H Dessert Auction. Cakes and Pies do sell the best. Please have them at the Extension office or the East/West Building by 4:30 pm on Thursday, April 13th. Money raised from this auction goes to fund 4-H scholarships for camps.

Wilson County fce Annual Luncheon

This year’s luncheon will take place on April 28th in the East/West Building. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Extension office. Clubs will be responsible for decorating their own tables the day before on April 27th. Each club should also bring a potted plant or flowers for a door prize. Leeville fce Club is hosting this year’s luncheon. The theme is “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” All members are encouraged to bring toiletries for our service project for SCAN. Doors will open 10:30AM and the program will begin at 11:00 AM.

Green Cleaning Tip from Penny West

Tuckers Crossroads fce Club member, Penny West has found a great way to make reusable cleaning wipes.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups hot water 3 tablespoons rubbing alcohol 1/2 tsp borax 1 tsp baking soda 5-10 drops essential oils

(optional-I like Lemon) Micro fiber cloths

Instructions:

1. Add the baking soda and borax to the hot water and stir until they dissolve. Next, add the alcohol and the essential oils.

2. Pour the cleaning solution over the reusable wipes while in their plastic container.

3. Wipe away, and just toss in the washer when you’re done.

Soap Saver

Adding a rubber

band to the neck of

a pump bottle will

save you money by

preventing wasted

soap. This is also

handy when little

family members

come to visit.

Supplies

Needed

Rubber Band

Pump Soap

Alaskan Adventures Suzanne Bell, Former Wilson County fce Member

Sometimes it is hard for us to find ways for our students here in

remote Alaska to have unique experiences. (As unique some of my ex-periences seem, they are normal for these kiddos.) So, we were thrilled to have a special guest last week! President Abraham Lincoln came to see us! Everyone from Kindergarten to high school was excited to see him. One of our first graders greeted him first thing in the morning with, “ Hey, aren’t you dead?” HA!

We have had a couple of polar bears poking around the village. One was on our runway when a plane was coming in! They made a low pass, scared it off and landed safely. Another was spotted at our dump. Taking out the trash can be a very dangerous chore! Arctic fox have al-so been hanging around the village. Many times they are rabid and we have school announcements almost weekly about keeping our kids in-doors until a fox moves on or gets shot.

I thought we were going to have a mild winter the way it started out, but the Arctic winds prevailed and it has turned out to be a cold one! High temperatures the last few days have been below zero with wind chills in the negative 40s! This morning I felt comfortable and it felt like negative 17 degrees!! While we have been cold, it hasn’t snowed much this winter until yesterday’s blizzard hit us. We have had a lot more clear days this year and Russia has been bold and beautiful 35 miles in the distance.

The biggest news, in my opinion since I’m the coach, since my last article is that our volleyball team won first place in our district and went on to place 6

th in State! We also won our district’s Sportsmanship

and All Academic Awards! Basically, we swept the whole thing. This was the first time in 32 years that Gambell has sent a sports team to State! As community members said, “(We) are legends now.”

There is rarely a dull moment around here, as usual, but the year is quickly coming to an end. Spring Break is just two weeks away then we have less than two months to go. Hopefully my next article will being news of a whale, which means lots of food for everyone!

Dear fce Friends,

Daffodils, narcissus or jonquils…. refers to the beautiful golden,

yellow flowers that break through the brown, gray, cold soil, to

bring us the first hint of spring and warmer weather. Narcissus is

the botanical name and daffodils and jonquils are the common

names for different varieties of Narcissus. They are found through-

out the United States according to the American Daffodil Society

(ADS).

Daffodils, bloom from six weeks to six months, depending on geo-

graphic location and the cultivars being grown. According to the

ADS, there are between 40 and 200 different daffodil species, and

over 25,000 registered cultivars. Care of daffodils is very easy.

They are probably the easiest and most dependable of all the fam-

ilies of flowers and are ideal for a beginner in gardening.

After blooming, the green leaves that remain are very important.

The bulbs make their next year’s bloom after flowering. The green

leaves purpose is to collect sunlight and build carbohydrate stores

in the bulbs hidden in the soil. It is recommended to leave the

leaves until they begin to yellow and droop. When the leaves

begin to yellow, then cut the leaves off but not before. Lower car-

bohydrate stores reduces quality and quantity of flowers the next

year.

Setting bulbs is best in mid-October or November. Planting your

daffodils after the soil has cooled will discourage loss to basal rot,

the most serious daffodil problem. You can plant anytime during

the winter months that the ground isn’t frozen, but late fall is bet-

ter. Holding bulbs out for too long causes them to dehydrate and

will drain their vitality for your first year of bloom.

When setting your daffodil bulbs in soil, set so that their top

(pointed end) is at least two times as deep as the bulb is high (top

of a 2″ bulb is 4″ deep). Exactness isn’t crucial; they’ll adjust.

Plant bulbs deeper in sandy soil than in clay.

Daffodils bulbs put out roots during the fall and winter and

need plenty of moisture but do not like “wet feet.” Ample water

is the main ingredient for robust blooms in the spring. This is

most important for doubles, which require more moisture for

good blooming. If it is a dry winter, it is recommended to water

your daffodils once a week during the winter. They should receive

about an inch of water per week.

Most daffodils in the South will tolerate some shade. They do re-

quire plenty of sunshine, but normally they have grown up and

bloomed before our deciduous trees and shrubs have put out all

their leaves. White, yellow and pink-cupped daffodils will develop

their best color faster in full sun, but red, orange and late-blooming

daffodils prefer shade from noon to sundown to prevent fading and

sunburn.

Fertilization recommendations are simple. Top-dress with 5-10-10

when the leaf-tips emerge. As they flower, top-dress with 0-10-10

or 0-0-50. High-nitrogen fertilizer should be avoided.

You may leave daffodils down in the ground for between 3 to 5

years. If blooming does not happen one season, it would be best

to move them to a new location.

The best time to dig bulbs is after the tops have browned and

been removed. To keep the bulbs until fall planting it is recom-

mended to wash the bulbs thoroughly and let them dry completely

(at least a week). Put them in onion sacks or panty hose and hang

them in the coolest place you can find until ready to plant. Good

air circulation will keep storage rot at a minimum.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and

hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the

breeze.”― William Wordsworth, I Wander'd Lonely as a Cloud

Best regards,

Ruth

News from the “Field” Ruth Correll, Ag Extension Agent & County Director

Easy Jar

Gripper

Keep a wide

rubber band in

your kitchen

drawer. This

simple item can

be added to a

stubborn jar for

added grip to

open jar.

Supplies Needed

Wide Rubber

Band

Stubborn Jar

Wilson County Fair Notes Please make plans to enter items in both the

Fashion Revue and the Cultural Arts

contests at the fair. These are the only two

fce sponsored contests for fce

members only. If you have any questions

please contact Robbie Rodgers for the Fash-

ion Revue at 615-444-9526 at Wanda Brid-

delle for Cultural Arts at 615-754-8942.

Please see fair catalog or website for complete rules of contests.

Calling All Crafters!!!

Plans are underway for the 3rd

Annual Craft day for Wilson

County fce. We are hoping to

have several options of simple and

fun crafts for you and your friends.

Specific class information will be ready for pick

up on August 2nd at the Extension Office. Please use this as a

way to market your fce clubs. Please invite non fce members to

this event and let them learn what fce is all about! Teachers are

needed and need to be secured NOW! Please contact Penny

West at 615-476-3658. Please help us secure teachers NOW!

Craft Day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 3rd.

We need the following

information from teachers:

Name of Class

Cost of Class

Length of Class

Materials not provided

Photo of finished product

Craft Day

Information

Date Time Activity Location/Due to

March 1 Best of the Best Delane Kolbe

March 1 Meet @ Office

@ 9:00 AM

Oaklands Mansion Tour in

Murfreesboro, TN (Mansion and

Wedding Dress Special

Exhibit)

$14 per person (We will carpool)

Call Shelly for more info. Money

reserves spot. Due no later than

Feb 1st.

March 15 Leadership Retreat Registration Lawana Walker

March 15 Mildred Clarke Scholarship App. Lawana Walker

April 3 State Scholarship Application State VP of Programs

April 4 9:00 AM Board Members Meeting Extension Office

April 5 9:00 AM County Council Meeting Gentry Building

April 8 Walk Across Tennessee Ends

April 13 6:00 PM 4-H Dessert Auction East/West Building Note: Bring

Desserts to Extension office

between 8am and 12:30 pm and

East/West beginning at 1pm

April 14 Good Friday: Extension Office

CLOSED

April 21 Newsletter Information Due Shelly Barnes

April 27 1:00pm to

4:00pm

Annual Luncheon Set-Up East/West Building

April 28 10:30 am Annual Luncheon East/West Building

May 1 Creative Writing Entries Due Genna Kilga

May 1 CVU’s Due Genna Kilga

May 19 10:00 am Special Interest Workshop

Carroll fce Clubhouse

John Swendiman, 615-330-5628

Gourd Knot Less Netting Style

Dream Catcher

May 29 Memorial Day, Extension office

CLOSED

May 29-

June 1

Central Region TAFCE Retreat

June 5 50 Year Member Application Frances Baker

June 23 10:00 am Special Interest Workshop

Carroll fce Clubhouse

Wanda Briddelle, 615-754-8942

Jewelry Making: Bracelet

** THESE ENTRIES ARE COUNTY ENTRIES ONLY Effective January 2016

# Category Description Comments

1 Basketry Any material

2 Beadwork Jewelry, clothing, any other

3 Ceramics

4 Chairs & Stools Woven or Caned

5 Crochet

6 Cross-Stitch: Counted NOT machine cross-stitch (see Cat. #11)

7 Cross-Stitch: Other NOT machine cross-stitch (see Cat. #11)

8 Decorative Painting Tole, china painting, textile painting, stenciling, any other

9 Dolls Any type (NO KITS)

10 Embroidery: Hand All types including Brazilian, ribbon, crewel (ALL HAND WORK)

11 Embroidery: Machine All, including machine cross-stitch

12 Fine Art Painting: Acrylics

13 Fine Art Painting: Charcoal & Drawings

14 Fine Art Painting: Pastels

15 Fine Art Painting: Oil

16 Fine Art Painting: Watercolor

17 Handcrafted Toy Any material

18 Hand Stitching Other: hardanger, cutwork, smocking, applique

19 Holiday Decoration Any season

20 Knitting: Hand

21 Knitting: Machine

22 Needlepoint Any type canvas

23 Photography: Black & White

24 Photography: Color

25 Pottery

26 Quilt: Applique & Cathedral Window All work of member

27 Quilt: Baby & Lap All work of member

28 Quilt: Embroidered-Hand All work of member

29 Quilt: Embroidered-Machine All work of member

30 Quilt: Hand-pieced & Hand-quilted All work of member

31 Quilt: Machine-pieced & Hand-quilted All work of member

32 Quilt: Hand-pieced & Machine-quilted All work of member

33 Quilt: Machine-pieced & Machine-quilted All work of member

34 Quilt: Hand or Machine-pieced & Professionally Quilted

All work of member EXCEPT quilting may be done by another FCE member or non-member; paid or free.

35 Quilt: Pillows All work of member

36 Quilt: Wall Hanging All work of member

37 Quilt: All other All work of member; includes clothing, pot holders, placemats, and rag-time quilts.

38 Rug Making Any type

39 Sculpture Any medium

40 Stained Glass

41 Tatting

42 Weaving: Hand

43 Weaving: Loom

44 Wood Carving

45 Wreaths**

46 Paper Crafting**

47 Home Décor** Placemats, tablecloths, pot holders, dish towels

48 Pillow (not quilted)**

49 Decorated Gourd**

TAFCE Cultural Arts Exhibit Categories

TAFCE FASHION REVUE

CATEGORIES

Constructed Items

1. Suit, dressy ensemble, or better dress

2. Jacket, blazer or coat

3. Casual and active wear

4. Children’s casual and better wear (ages 12 or under)

5. Teen’s casual and better wear (ages 13 - 18)

6. Sewing for an adult (over 18)

7. Recycled garment (utilizing used materials)

8. Wardrobe accessory (belt; tote bag; handbag; scarf; vest; hat; etc.)

9. Decorative Sweat wear (sweatshirt; sweatshirt jacket, etc.)

Purchased Items

10.My Best Fashion Purchase: Casual Wear

11.My Best Fashion Purchase: Better Dress

Gardening Early

Have fun

Soil test

Try new things

Fertilize

Mulch

Enjoy yourself

A Few things we can plant

Snow peas

Cabbage

Onions

Broccoli

Asparagus

Potatoes

Gardening Tips from Penny West

Wilson County Master Gardener Help-Line Beginning in March, Certified Master Gardeners will be at the Extension office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 11am. They may also be reached by calling 615-444-9584 and asking for the Master Gardener Help-Line or via email at wcmghelpline@gmail.com. This is a great resource for you! They can help with all your gardening questions!