The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club met Tuesday, October 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Mildred Mishue. The meeting was called to order by President Mildred Mishue. Fourteen members were present. Ms. Earline Moody opened with a devotion and prayer for our meal. President Mildred Mishue provided a delicious meal of homemade potato soup, ooey gooey pie and a chocolate dessert. She also provided a stunning autumn arrangement for the centerpiece of the table.

After the meal, Secretary Judy Powell called the roll with each member answering with a way to conserve water. She also read the minutes from our previous meeting. They were voted and approved.  Treasurer Cathy McDaniel read the Treasurer’s report and our budget. Membership Chairman Earline Moody mentioned asking new members to join. The next order of business was Frances Tyler, Projects and Litter Chairman, set a work day for the club to replace the straw and plants at the J.P. Camp Roadside Park on Wednesday, October 19, at 8:30 a.m. President Mildred Mishue had two birdhouses made to replace the worn ones at the park. Judy Powell, Ways and Means Chairman, encouraged the attendance of Holiday Goodness on November 21, 9:00 am-4:00 p.m. at the City of Dillon Wellness Center. Our club is the “Santa’s Kitchen” booth this year. The club has decided the members each take a shift. We have also signed up for the dishes we are asked to bring for sell. We are to label each dish and ingredients in the dish we bring. We are to be there at 9:00 a.m. to prepare the tables for the event. We are also gathering three gifts each for the Coastal District meeting in March. Dillon is the host for this event. We are truly excited and preparing each week for this huge event. Melissa Moody, Publicity Chairman, told the club that our meetings and pictures are in The Dillon Herald each month. They are also on The Dillon Herald website and our page on Facebook®. She encouraged each of our members to visit these pages and share with friends.
Mrs. Dianne Pittman, gave her bird report on the Bluebird. Bluebirds are a beautiful bleu color with a rust colored throat and breast. The male and female bluebird are the same colors ; however, the male bluebird’s color is much brighter. These birds live in gardens, open woods and fields. They like to build their nests in tree cavities and bird boxes. Their nests are built with weeds and grasses. These beautiful birds mate in early Spring and lay anywhere from 2 – 6 pale blue eggs. These eggs stay in the nest for about twelve days. When the birds hatch, their parents will feed them for two – three weeks before they leave the nest. Bluebirds love to eat fruit and insects such as crickets, spiders and grasshoppers. Blueberries, sumac, dogwood and elderberries are also great snacks for the bluebird. Dianne ended her report by displaying a birdhouse that her brother had made from tobacco sticks. She plans to put it out for her bluebirds in the Spring.
The next order of business was our Chaplain, Ms. Helen Prevatte. She is very faithful in calling the members each month and reminding the club about the meetings and upcoming events.
Our program was on “50 Ways to Save and Protect Our Water,” a program written by Karen Prewitt, GCSC Chairman of Environmental Education. Melissa Moody (Officer Savewater) presented the program as a water policeman dressed in uniform. Any club member that did not conserve water would be punished. Pamphlets were given to the members to take home. There are thousands of ways to conserve water. Water is a very valuable resource. Water was created by God for us to use and enjoy but not to waste. Water is wasted each and every day. Brushing our teeth while the water is running, bathing and flushing the toilet constantly are huge culprits of water waste. There are many ways to save our water as well. The first rule is simple – if you are not using water, turn it off. We have to pay for the water we use, so why waste money! To begin the conservation process, please check your pipes to make sure there are no leaks. Leaky pipes can waste millions of gallons of water over a period of time. In rural areas, wells are used to bring groundwater to homes. The water that is used is called wastewater. This water is water that has been cleaned and now available to use again. We are encouraged not to flush any medicines and chemicals because of the water being recycled for us to reuse. All people can become active in conserving water! Gardeners can become great water conservationists by using rain barrels to catch water. It is also a good idea to put containers beside your gutters to catch rain. Other ways to conserve water is taking a 5 minute shower instead of a bath, wash full loads of laundry, wash your car over the grass and plant drought tolerant native plants and grasses. Did you know water use has tripled in the last 40 years?
Did you know the average person uses 123 gallons of water a day? Did you know it took 2,900 gallons of water to make one pair of blue jeans? These were some cool water facts, along with many others, that were shared. The club also took a quiz on the program. A majority of the club scored 100%. After Melissa Moody (Officer Savewater) shared the program, a name was drawn for a door prize. Dianne Pittman won the door prize which consisted of yard tools to help beautify her yard. The meeting was then adjourned.
The next meeting will be November 3, 2015 at 6:30 pm at the home of Judy Powell. The program presented will be “Native Trees” by Mr. Earl Dutton.
The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club is a member of The National Garden Clubs, Inc., South Atlantic Region of National Council, The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., and Coastal District of the Garden Club of South Carolina.