Having just enjoyed their luncheon and playing a game at Oak Knoll Country Club the members of HGC take a picture in front of the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. L to R seated: Linda Ryan, Brenda Daussat, Karen Nelson, Jennifer Allen, Phyllis diBenedetto, Johanna Dagro. And standing L to R Juanita Pearson, McCayla Helms, Joan Davis, Carolyn Watkins, (Guest), Dona Calcote, Sue Parrill, Linda Broussard, Carolyn Todd, Kathleen Bohlinger, Deborah Garafola, Melanie Helm, Shirley Pellichino, Pat Graves, Marta Lichtl, Kelly Koziol and Mona Crapanzano.
ANGELS HELPED HGC DECORATE THE COMMUNITY
Well dear Christmas visitors to the wonderful state and city of Hammond, Louisiana! How do you like our weather? It’s been told to many “If you don’t like our weather…stay around a few hours and it will change”! We sure have had the epitome of that statement this month! Should I wear my heavy overcoat this morning because this afternoon I’ll need a short sleeved dress! I hope none of you had too much damage from the last few days freezes and not too long to cause problems without electricity for quite a few hours! I will be so glad when Summer is here once again and especially daylight savings time so I don’t think it’s time to go to bed at 7:00 because it’s dark!!!
Enough about the weather, I’d rather tell you about what fun members of the Hammond Garden Club has had doing lots of community projects to help beautify our city during this wonderful Christmas season!
I should begin with decorating the gazebo in Cate Square Park, getting it ready before the big Christmas parade rolls around. After our December meeting Linda Ryan had brought some huge contraptions to Oak Knoll Country Club where the meeting was held. They were three foot tall stars configured from plastic hangers and wrapped in silver tinseled garland and white lights. You may think from my description that would be gross to hang in the gazebo but lit up at night as you ride by it’s absolutely beautiful and it’s the main thing that led the 3 Kings and Shepherd to that miraculous birth .
I must say our Christmas miracle happened the day we “traversed afar” to hang those stars not thinking none of us are over 5’8” tall and at best we had a step stool of a ladder thinking that would be enough to reach a height of about 10’! But the miracle that was there was a small group of Parks and Grounds Hammond City Employees just finishing their decorating in the park. “Lo and Behold” Glenda Nelson saw a large ladder by them and she ventured over to ask if we could borrow it for a “few minutes” to hang our stars! (Maybe she thought Wonder Woman was going to help)! Luckily the ladder came with the marvelous Angel City Worker Dorian Tobias attached who thought there was “ONE” to hang and he had a few minutes!
God and that Angel Dorian was with us short “5 Foot Something” ladies that he felt sorry for and ended up hanging all but a few that Sue Parrill’s son Steve helped hang also. Bless the both of these over 6’ men (Angels or the Kings minus one) that came to our rescue with decent ladders…..we hope Santa took care of you on Christmas Morning.
Let’s go now to a few more days later when we took the job on to decorate the trees in both the North Oaks Rehab building and the North Oaks Out Patient Rehab building. Many of the members showed up to help (it’s always so much fun)! One tree was all decked out in gold and the other in silver (this is covering our gold, frankincense and myrrh part of our story since in antiquity the F and M was worth its weight in gold I’m told)!
And the last of our community projects are the canned goods and non-perishable items as well as monetary donations collected to give to the poor for Christmas. It was dropped off to the Hammond Kiwanis Club by member Juanita Pearson (Bless her heart). (I guess this could fit in with the song “The Little Drummer Boy” who had nothing to bring to the Baby Jesus; we were trying to do just that by our donations).
Now on to our Christmas Party/Meeting held at Oak Knoll Country Club. We had already had the opening prayer by Juanita Pearson in Chaplain Mary Thornhill’s absence and all recited the Pledge of Allegiance before anything started. As usual Mary Monteleone had the hall decorated so beautifully in gold everything! The tables with white linen to the floor cloths with golden toppers, lighted candles with pine branches and bells, a huge tree in the left corner of the room just gorgeous and dripping with golden ornaments and dazzling gold ribbons entwined between the branches; a sight to behold, fitting for the newborn King to be laid beneath.
Lunch was delicious and that too was fit for a King. Roasted Pork Roast ladled with velvety smooth light brown gravy, Sweet Potato casserole covered with pecans and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, tender Green Beans, perfectly seasoned, mixed green salad, pillow soft dinner rolls, tea and coffee and some of the most scrumptious bread pudding you’ve ever eaten for dessert.
Our President Jennifer Allen called for excusing most of everything that would make this a meeting except the announcement of the Link Award that was given to Lit Pizza at 1735 Railroad Avenue and member Dona Calcote introduced her guest Carolyn Watkins who is applying to become a new member and Joan Davis (who needs no introduction) is now our newest member.
We then played a game, all sat in a circle, each had brought an ornament. As I read the story of “The Right Family Christmas” (every time I said “right” in the story you passed your ornament to the right. If I said “Left” you passed your ornament to the left). As I read and got a little faster we all began wondering if we ever knew our right from our left!!! At the end, whatever ornament you had in your hand it was yours to keep! Loads of laughs, lots of fun with friends!
Last but certainly not least I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2023 and hope that your Christmas was a blessed one and you remembered the “Reason for the Season”! Happy Birthday Jesus!
The Hammond Garden Club is a proud member of the District VI, Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. and the Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. doing our best to unify and beautify our homes, gardens, our city and our nation every day to the best of our ability. God Bless America and God Bless the City of Hammond.
by Linda Broussard
she is a member of the Hammond Garden Club
Well dear Christmas visitors to the wonderful state and city of Hammond, Louisiana! How do you like our weather? It’s been told to many “If you don’t like our weather…stay around a few hours and it will change”! We sure have had the epitome of that statement this month! Should I wear my heavy overcoat this morning because this afternoon I’ll need a short sleeved dress! I hope none of you had too much damage from the last few days freezes and not too long to cause problems without electricity for quite a few hours! I will be so glad when Summer is here once again and especially daylight savings time so I don’t think it’s time to go to bed at 7:00 because it’s dark!!!
Enough about the weather, I’d rather tell you about what fun members of the Hammond Garden Club has had doing lots of community projects to help beautify our city during this wonderful Christmas season!
I should begin with decorating the gazebo in Cate Square Park, getting it ready before the big Christmas parade rolls around. After our December meeting Linda Ryan had brought some huge contraptions to Oak Knoll Country Club where the meeting was held. They were three foot tall stars configured from plastic hangers and wrapped in silver tinseled garland and white lights. You may think from my description that would be gross to hang in the gazebo but lit up at night as you ride by it’s absolutely beautiful and it’s the main thing that led the 3 Kings and Shepherd to that miraculous birth .
I must say our Christmas miracle happened the day we “traversed afar” to hang those stars not thinking none of us are over 5’8” tall and at best we had a step stool of a ladder thinking that would be enough to reach a height of about 10’! But the miracle that was there was a small group of Parks and Grounds Hammond City Employees just finishing their decorating in the park. “Lo and Behold” Glenda Nelson saw a large ladder by them and she ventured over to ask if we could borrow it for a “few minutes” to hang our stars! (Maybe she thought Wonder Woman was going to help)! Luckily the ladder came with the marvelous Angel City Worker Dorian Tobias attached who thought there was “ONE” to hang and he had a few minutes!
God and that Angel Dorian was with us short “5 Foot Something” ladies that he felt sorry for and ended up hanging all but a few that Sue Parrill’s son Steve helped hang also. Bless the both of these over 6’ men (Angels or the Kings minus one) that came to our rescue with decent ladders…..we hope Santa took care of you on Christmas Morning.
Let’s go now to a few more days later when we took the job on to decorate the trees in both the North Oaks Rehab building and the North Oaks Out Patient Rehab building. Many of the members showed up to help (it’s always so much fun)! One tree was all decked out in gold and the other in silver (this is covering our gold, frankincense and myrrh part of our story since in antiquity the F and M was worth its weight in gold I’m told)!
And the last of our community projects are the canned goods and non-perishable items as well as monetary donations collected to give to the poor for Christmas. It was dropped off to the Hammond Kiwanis Club by member Juanita Pearson (Bless her heart). (I guess this could fit in with the song “The Little Drummer Boy” who had nothing to bring to the Baby Jesus; we were trying to do just that by our donations).
Now on to our Christmas Party/Meeting held at Oak Knoll Country Club. We had already had the opening prayer by Juanita Pearson in Chaplain Mary Thornhill’s absence and all recited the Pledge of Allegiance before anything started. As usual Mary Monteleone had the hall decorated so beautifully in gold everything! The tables with white linen to the floor cloths with golden toppers, lighted candles with pine branches and bells, a huge tree in the left corner of the room just gorgeous and dripping with golden ornaments and dazzling gold ribbons entwined between the branches; a sight to behold, fitting for the newborn King to be laid beneath.
Lunch was delicious and that too was fit for a King. Roasted Pork Roast ladled with velvety smooth light brown gravy, Sweet Potato casserole covered with pecans and sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg, tender Green Beans, perfectly seasoned, mixed green salad, pillow soft dinner rolls, tea and coffee and some of the most scrumptious bread pudding you’ve ever eaten for dessert.
Our President Jennifer Allen called for excusing most of everything that would make this a meeting except the announcement of the Link Award that was given to Lit Pizza at 1735 Railroad Avenue and member Dona Calcote introduced her guest Carolyn Watkins who is applying to become a new member and Joan Davis (who needs no introduction) is now our newest member.
We then played a game, all sat in a circle, each had brought an ornament. As I read the story of “The Right Family Christmas” (every time I said “right” in the story you passed your ornament to the right. If I said “Left” you passed your ornament to the left). As I read and got a little faster we all began wondering if we ever knew our right from our left!!! At the end, whatever ornament you had in your hand it was yours to keep! Loads of laughs, lots of fun with friends!
Last but certainly not least I want to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year in 2023 and hope that your Christmas was a blessed one and you remembered the “Reason for the Season”! Happy Birthday Jesus!
The Hammond Garden Club is a proud member of the District VI, Louisiana Garden Club Federation, Inc. and the Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc. doing our best to unify and beautify our homes, gardens, our city and our nation every day to the best of our ability. God Bless America and God Bless the City of Hammond.
by Linda Broussard
she is a member of the Hammond Garden Club
Trimming the Christmas tree at North Oaks Rehab are members of the Hammond Garden Club kneeling L to R: Sylvia Dileo, Karen Granier, Jennifer Allen, Glenda Nelson and standing L to R are: Joan Davis, Phyllis Mire, Juanita Pearson, Kathleen Bohlinger, Johanna Dagro, Marta Lichtl, Dona Calcote and Sue Parrill.