August 25, 2006
Fall is nearly upon us! Tuck
your
garden in for the winter with a healthy heaping of Nature’s Need’s
Organic Humus! Not only will you be giving your
plants that extra boost
to increase their rootmass for spring growth, but you’ll also be
supporting One Small Garden and Project Elanor. If
One
Small Garden sends fifteen customers to Nature’s Needs, they
will
generously donate all the compost for the Spring clean-up! You
can
purchase any amount, large or small. We can testify first hand it’s a
truly remarkable product!
April 8, 2006: Spring Clean-Up
Our annual big
Spring Clean-up
was a great success; many thanks to
all of the volunteers who came to help! We started at 9 a.m. and worked
until the sun was setting, but we managed to (barely) finish the task
set before us. Plants were trimmed, weeds were yanked, the new plants
were planted and the organic humus spread
(Thank you,
Nature's Needs!). A
potluck was held on
the deck for luncheon
(Thank you
everyone, especially John!) and the beautiful new stepping
stones were in place
(Thank you,
Jeanine!) Though we were sprinkled on in the morning, the
weather was blessedly springlike, with only one major downpour that
caused a mass fleeing for the canopy except for two stalwarts who kept
weeding in the rain hollering at the rest of us for being
cowards. Special thanks also to Patty and Jamie who hauled so
much humus in the truck, and to
HI
Hearth & Leisure for the generous donation that helped us
purchase the new plants. An informal dinner followed afterwards for
anyone with any energy left, and additional mud-removal on the deck was
carried out the following day.
We have two new
beautiful
benches that were handmade
by Bill, a very talented volunteer
woodworker
to replace the old ones. They are in the process of covered with a
polycoat to make them weather-resistant and will be placed in the
garden as soon as they are ready.
March 4, 2006
This sunny Saturday a group of OSG volunteers gathered to work on
sanding and sealing the newly donated
wooden benches for the Garden. They are being kept at Primula's
house which is near the Garden site, and she has offered her garage
space for the work. At this time we were able to get both benches
sanded and stained, and over the following month two coats of lacquer
were applied. Once they are coated sufficiently to withstand being out
in the elements, they will be installed in the garden. Pictures from
this event are
here and will be
added to as the work is completed.
October, 2005
It was a sad day for the Garden, but the magnificent large birch
tree that had been one of the focal points of Elanor and the summer
shade for the deck was dying and finally had to be taken down. Many
people offered their regrets, and one person even left a poem tacked to
one of the large fallen logs that remained for a time. It will be
missed! Plans are in motion to select a sapling to be planted in
its place. Fall winterizing for the garden is being carried out.
September 10, 2005: Memorial for Ken and Myrna at the Elanor
Garden
Saturday, September 10 at 4:00 p.m.. we held a memorial for
Myrna McCulloch, formerly the director of the Riggs Institute, and her
beloved
husband Ken who was also recently lost to cancer. A Snowbell tree
was planted in the garden in their honor and
improvements to the deck that Myrna desired are being brought to
pass.
Donations toward the costs of the deck, memorial plaque and replacement
benches are encouraged and welcomed.
Start time was 9:00 a.m. at the garden in preparation, with weeding and
general
clean-up preceding the memorial and was attended by several of our
wonderful volunteers.
Special thanks to the good folks of the Blessings from Heaven bookstore
who provided us with lunch and also were much help in the planning of
the memorial. Musicians were present to perform for the memorial
service, memories were shared and cookies passed around in honor of
Ken's penchant for sharing his baked goods with others. Tulip bulbs
were given to the attendees to plant in their yards in memory of the
McCullochs. Photos and video tape were taken to share with Mr.
Astin and Carolyn, Myrna's daughter, and a card was signed to send on
to the family of Myrna and Ken.
Carolyn could not attend but expressed gratitude for this effort on
behalf
of her parents. It was the only memorial planned for them here in the
Northwest.
June 6, 2005: Sean Astin Visits Elanor
On June 4, Sean Astin visited the Elanor Garden in Beaverton for a
brief meeting
with some of the Directors of One Small Garden. Sean mentioned
discussing
the garden with some VIPs in Portland and Beaverton, in the hopes that
a way can be found
to make the garden a permanent landmark, since it was built on private
land and is therefore ultimately under the control of the land
owner. We greatly appreciate the interest and time he has given
towards this goal!
June 12, 2005: Stepping Stones
Since April, OSG has been working on replacing the old stepping stones
on the Elanor
Garden pathway.
Read More...
June 17, 2005: New OSG Banners
Show your support for OSG by adding a banner to your site! There are
several to choose
from on the
Sponsor page.
June 19, 2005: Non-Profit Exemption Finally Arrives
It is with great pleasure, and lots of jumping up and down, that the
Board of OSG is able to announce the arrival of the IRS Federal Exempt
papers today. We are a true charity in the eyes of the law, with a
501(c)(3) classification. Check back in the next few weeks for
information about our first fundraisers!
June 22, 2005: OSG Merchandise Available
Support OSG by shopping at
our CafePress store! Along with the ordinary goodies like
magnets,
mugs
and
mousepads, our store features
a
beautiful calendar full of photos from the Elanor Garden! All of
the proceeds from this shop will be used to support OSG and the gardens
we build.
June 24, 2005: Welcome, New Visitors!
Some of you may have learned about our site from the TV show
"AM
Northwest." Sean Astin appeared live (via satellite feed) on the
show
to talk about his appearance on "Into the West" tonight. During his
short take, he gave OSG the greatest honor by mentioning our
organization. We've taken a deep breath and gave ourselves a moment to
let it sink in that after years of labor and gathering steam for the
OSG train, it is REALLY and TRULY on the move now. Watch out world!
Here we come!
July 2, 2005: Managing Problem Areas In Your Garden...
Elanor's front corner, right by the main entrance and parking, has
proven one of the toughest spots to maintain. Between thin soil and
ornery weeds, not even the ground
cover could take hold and stay pretty. Rebekah's solution: Stun the
weeds with the rotary
tiller and smother with local wildflower mix before they have a chance
to recover. The result? See the photos for yourself!
July 8, 2005: Stepping Stones Travel to Orlando
You thought gnomes were the only garden ornaments to go on vacation?
One of the
Elanor Garden's stepping stones
is traveling to the
ELF convention in Orlando, to be auctioned off
during a fundraiser for the Scottish Youth Theater. Billy Boyd, a
supporter of the Scottish Youth Theater and potential special guest at
the charity auction, has given us his favorite quote for this special
stone: "The Road Goes Ever On and On". The auction winner will
co-sponsor this stone with Billy, and have his or her name "set in
stone" with Billy's right in the Elanor Garden. We're thrilled to be
able to participate in raising funds for the Scottish Youth Theater!
