​Time for the Fall meeting. This will be a good one at Bishock's and Presley's farm gardens. These are large country garden settings. Not to be missed. See everyone there.

SAVE THE DATE – NEXT CENTRAL FLORIDA PALM & CYCAD SOCIETY

GARDEN TOURS AND CARIBBEAN BARBECUE COMING UP SEPT. 14TH

CFPACS will meet again on September 14^th, starting first at Faith Bishock’s place (IPS Director) in Hidden River east of Sarasota, then at Catherine and Joe Presley’s farm about 10 minutes away. Faith grows many rare and unusual palms. Conversely, at five years old, the Presley place is a work in progress. Along with palms – particularly variegated raphis -- they raise Zebus, the small version of India's hump backed sacred cows – standing only 40” at the shoulder and considered the world’s oldest domesticated cattle. Catherine says Zebus are especially well suited to hot climates, eat much less than western cattle and are perfect lawn mowers for their little farm. Only Acrocomia grows in the Presley pasture because Zebus will eat palms and bamboo given the chance.

Also on the agenda during the lunch hour: A discussion of ground covers and

companion plants for palms by Laurie Schiller, owner of Florida Native Plants Nursery.

FAITH BISHOCK – 4631 Hidden River Road, Sarasota FL

JOE AND CATHERINE PRESLEY – 16409 Windburn Place, Sarasota FL

10-11 o’clock – board of directors meeting @ Faith's

11 – noon – tour of the Bishock grounds

12:15 – 2:20-3 o’clock tour Presley farm

12:30 – 1:30 – Caribbean barbecue

1:00 - "Ground Covers and Other Companion Plants for Palms”-- Laurie Schiller, Florida Native Plants Nursery. Discussion, questions/answers from Laurie

2:00 – Plant auction – Phil Stager and Rick Nale, auctioneers

2:30 – Vendor plant sales

Find directions and more information on the meeting here:http://www.cfpacs.org/palmateer/ (see page 3)

Bumping to the top, and hoping it's okay to make a cross-reference post to another thread where Ken is asking if anyone wants palms for this coming Saturday's west side CFPACS meet up. Ooh how I hope we can go....and by "we," I mean Mike and me, so out girls, now! Nope. You can't go.

It's very very very difficult to leave all this pointy eared earnestness behind.

Just only three big reasons why we missed the last two meetings.

ThreepointtwoWhites bring the girls along!! They need to look at palms, too! We haven't seen you since the FIT sale last March. My little Schnauzer puppy is still uncivilized but I might be encouraged to include her in the trip next Saturday if your ladies will be on hand to teach her some manners.

Lucinda

I hope you can all make it out this Saturday! We'll have good food, a speaker, and the weather will be perfect. (I just know it!)

Trin, the young one in the middle (above), is getting spayed Thursday, which was a re-schedule from two weeks ago because of a terrible reaction to a drug called Propoflo (I think that's what its name is)---Trinity went into convulsions on the operation table. And then yesterday, Cris, the oldest one on the right (see photo above), popped a whole toenail clean off her hind foot, probably while playing in the pool. I've included a photo (taken a little over a year ago) to show how Cris turns into a rocket off the poolside:

lol Fly Super Cris Fly!

Michael said it's okay for me to go, but I know he really really wants to go too. And so do I. Neither of us wants to miss the natives talk. But neither of us will go if Trin gets seizures again. So, if everything turns out good, and we do go, maybe we'll bring Keek. She's super-duper excellent with all dogs, cats, kids, you-name-it-etc., she'll even go find them for you if they get lost, (actually, we haven't practiced that in a while). Usually, all our dogs (including the little chihuahua) are out and about practicing, training, trying new stuff together, and we crazy love it....but having at least a little bit of Siberian husky running thru her veins, Keek is the easiest susceptible to heat exhaustion. It's the peak of incredibly hot and humid, maybe it's not a good idea to bring her. I dunno. We'll see what happens.

A close-up of Keek's Siberian ice-blue eye:

Wait a minute, I have an aside. That photo of Cris flying thru the air was taken a lot more than a year ago...maybe it more than two years? I can't remember! Good grief, how Time flies...a lot like Cris does. lol.

Can't wait to finally get to see Faith's place and to get back out to Catherine & Joe's. Counting down the hours!!!

Note to everyone who is coming: Bring a chair.

Lucinda

Well, I couldn't leave Trin. I really thought I could, but then all she had to do was whimper for me and my plans to go were blown to smitherings! She is fine now, just like the vet said.

But I missed another gathering! Hope everybody had fun and that pictures are posted. Next meet up, we should be able to go--- 'cuz we don't have anymore dogs or cats to spay. lol.

Have pictures from this meeting been posted anywhere yet?