Wisconsin and Bloom . . .

What do Wisconsin and bloom have in common? I'm fixin' to tell you! Friday I boarded a plane to fly to Madison, WI to speak to the Wisconsin Daylily Society on Saturday. I left Chattanooga at 7:20 am and arrived in Memphis one hour later at 7:20 am. Yes, I crossed a time zone, I was now on central time. Left Memphis at 9:15 am and landed in Madison at 11:00 am.

Upon arrival I was to look for a man, a little on the portly side, (aren't we all) wearing a black coat and a red scarf. That description fit my host for the weekend, John Sheehan, and what a fine host he was. Here is a picture of John. BD (before digital), you could identify a speaker by the slide trays he/she was carrying. But that is a thing of the past. John must have visited our website to view my picture because he recognized me right away. A good host will always provide food for a speaker, and John was no exception. We went directly to lunch. After lunch, I was given the option of going to my hotel to take a nap, which those of you who know me, know that I do right after lunch every day. Since I had gotten up at 5:30 am eastern time, a nap was welcome. John told me that he would pick me up for dinner at 5:30 (again, food). We ate at a steak house that was really "top drawers." I have been trying to figure how to use that expression.

I was picked up Saturday and we headed for the meeting site about 10 minutes away. Upon arrival, I asked someone to take a picture of John and me. Now, can you guess who is the Wisconsinite and who is the southerner? The snow must have been piled 40 feet high behind me.

Members of the club kept filing into the meeting room and I thought they would never stop. I estimated there ended up being about 75 people in the audience. The room was packed. Snacks were available throughout the meeting.

A short business meeting was held by Francis Kleckner, vice president, then it was my turn. I don't believe I have spoken to a more attentive and interested group than the Wisconsin Daylily Society. I could tell they were paying attention because they laughed and oohed and ahhed right on cue. At the end there were many excellent questions. If you ever get the opportunity to speak to this august group, do not hesitate, go directly to go!

Conrad Wrzesinski had all of the audio visual equipment organized. We had dropped off my thumb drive the night before, and he had the program all loaded and ready to go. Thanks Conrad for being so organized.

Kathi Dwelle took this picture of me while I was speaking to the group. After the presentation, a lively plant auction was held of plants that I furnished. Thanks, Wisconsin Daylily Society for memories that will last for a long time.

Now to the bloom part . . . oh, that is the next episode!