They arrived in ones, two’s and threes. Twenty women all dressed up in their finery. They’ve been meeting like this for decades, once a month during the school year. During the school year because during the summer the kids are out of school, and meetings are difficult to plan around children and their summer activities. Except most are now grandmothers, and planning around their kids is no longer needed, but it’s the way they’ve always done it. It’s the Lazy Daisy Garden Club, and I attended their meeting this month for the first time.
Why? Well, it was my mother’s turn to hostess the meeting, and well… I didn’t have anything else to do. I’ve known most of these ladies my entire life. I went to school and church with their kids. Well, I went to church with some of their kids. The others went to the Baptist church. I was Methodist. I heard one lady say she’d give up these monthly meetings, but then she’d never see the Methodists.
There was chatter about how it’s time to plant phlox, trim your crepe myrtles (I made a mental note of that one), and cut back your roses. The meeting was then called to order by the president who called for the monthly devotion. A nice nondenominational devotion was read with a prayer to follow. Then old business was discussed. I am sitting there surprised that there was anything business-like to talk about.
The treasurer stood, and offered a report on their money. They have six hundred and some odd dollars in the kitty. It is from this meager amount that they go about doing the business of beautifying their community.
A lady stood and read several thank you notes sent to the club for their monetary donations to the town’s school libraries. Each school had received fifty dollars, and all had written flowery thank you letters. The ladies seemed pleased that their gifts were so well received.
Then the dollars were collected. Everyone handed over a dollar bill to the treasurer. Well, if they wanted to. Most did. It got their name in the drawing for the door prize brought by the member who had won it last month. They hauled in a whopping fifteen dollars. What passes for a door prize at a garden club meeting? Well, a watering can, of course.
Then the president called for the program. A lady stood, and talked to the group about recycling. Apparently if you recycle one ton of newspaper it saves seven trees and a gazillion gallons of water. We were all duly impressed. We learned that bags and fashionable purses were now being made from plastic bottles. Amazing. I’ll take two.
After the program concluded, it was time for lunch. On the menu: Chicken casserole, strawberry pretzel salad, green salad, and red velvet cake for dessert… and sweet tea. This is the south, after all! White tablecloths, pretty dishes, vases with cut flowers (Yep…daisies), and small favors on the tables.
There was a lot of chatter about kids and grandkids, who was ailing, and who was better. Complaints about how big the cake slices were, and compliments to the hostess for a great meeting.
Then in a span of a few minutes, with doggy bags in hand, they were all gone. I was left in the kitchen with my mom. We both heaved a sigh of relief. The dishes were washed, and we plopped down in the closest chairs. My mom said she might not hostess another meeting… But I know she will.
She’ll do it again for the same reason they don’t meet during summer. It’s just what they’ve done together for so long. They’ve walked each other through childrearing, empty nesting, loss of spouses, and having grandchildren. They know the good, bad, and the ugly about each other. They don’t talk about the bad or the ugly of course, but they all know about it.
Service to the community has been one of the Lazy Daisy Garden Club’s driving forces. From providing flowers to local shut-ins and planting flowers at local churches, to their support of the Turkey Creek Nature Center, they continue to leave their green-thumb prints all over town. Since its inception in 1952 right through today, they continue to take pride in this community.
They may differ on political or religious views, but they can all come together around friendship and flowers. I envy these ladies in a way. Their commitment has lasted for decades. How many of us can say that about our commitment to anything?
In a society where everything is disposable, they have managed to recycle this group over and over again into something that meets their needs and the needs of their community. May the Lazy Daisies long continue to impact each other and this city.