By Karen Hendrix | For The Tribune
Kum Join Us Extension Homemakers met at St. Paul Lutheran Church Borchers on Aug. 6. I hosted the meeting and served Bertha Otte’s famous zucchini cake. Carrie Morrison graciously shared her recipe. Ruta Maya assisted me with snacks and brought her delicious cranberry salad.
I read the secretary’s report from our July Jackson County Fair lunch meeting. Olga Otte was the main attraction of the July article celebrating her 75th birthday. I hope you had a chance to read last month’s article. I think she thoroughly enjoyed her birthday week. Michelle Wood reported on our treasury funds.
Plans were discussed for the upcoming district meeting our Jackson County clubs will be hosting. The meeting will be held Oct. 3 at the Odd Fellows Hall in Brownstown and the theme will be “Octoberfest.”
This year’s Fall Fling will be hosted by our club. A location is still being discussed.
Ruth Ann Hendrix, our district representative, recently attended a conference in Asheville, North Carolina — the NVON or the National Volunteer Outreach Network. There were workshops she attended and she showed us some beautiful stuffed pumpkins she made from vintage looking homespun fabric. The new special project for the upcoming year will be a placemat. This would be a great addition to all those that made the table runner this past year.
Olga Otte distributed our new booklets and quarterly newsletters. Both had a beautiful Kelly green cover. I think that’s becoming my new favorite color. Cudos to Sheryl Ault. She did an excellent job collecting all the recipes, jokes and other info inside our booklets.
The cover of the booklet read, “Where there is No Vision in Home Extension Clubs, They will Perish.”
This is so true. Jackson County now has only three clubs. This is down from seven when I joined in 2019. Although it was exciting looking at all the recipes and jokes, it was sad that we now have such few clubs. I think it’s very important to keep Homemakers alive. I know we are all busy but we should never be too busy to better ourselves for our families.
Our roll call questions generally pertain to that month and August was no different. Olga asked each of us who our favorite teacher was and why. I didn’t have a favorite teacher, it was our librarian at the Jackson County Library. Mrs. Graves would come to my first grade class monthly and read to us. It was such a treat. It wasn’t lost in the fact her daughter was in my class but what a difference she made in my life. She put such emphasis on those Dick and Jane stories and all the books she brought along with her. We couldn’t wait to see what she pulled out of her magical book bag next as we all sat cross legged in front of her on the floor. She made reading exciting and I passed my love of reading on to my girls.
Ruth Ann said her favorite teacher connected with everyone. She found out later she had a special needs daughter and that was probably why she took extra time in her teaching process. There were funny stories told about a chair being broken and letting someone sit down on it, some teachers with dry humor, Mr. McGrew was mentioned more than once but all agreed that these special, caring teachers all lit a spark for learning. Who was your favorite teacher?
Olga Otte read an article from her June 2024 Reader’s Digest about breathing to help with your blood pressure. A study from Florida State University on individuals with slightly elevated blood pressure were asked to breathe through only their nose for five minutes and then through only their mouth for five minutes. It was found their blood pressure measurements were lower when they inhaled and exhaled through their nose only. Have you ever noticed how you breathe?
She always reads a funny for us from her digest and this month was no different. Apparently a telephone scammer trying to take advantage of an elderly woman claimed he had all her passwords. She said, “hang on a minute, let me grab a pen and paper!” I hope you found that funny too.
The Reader’s Digest is full of little tidbits. What do you think about these city names? Big Bottom, Washington, Hopeulikit, Georgia, Dull, Ohio, Whynot, North Carolina, and Handsome Eddy, New York.
I wonder what the stories are behind these unique names.
I read our devotion from a book by Donna K Maltese titled “Worry Less, Pray More.” Proverbs 31:25 says, She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future …. Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the glowing attributes of God’s ideal woman, giving female followers something to aim for. She’s trustworthy, works hard and willingly, takes care of her household and family, considers investments, gives to the poor, and is kind and wise. But the most striking is that “she laughs without fear of the future”! Perhaps you’re wondering, How can I get to where she is?
It’s simple. Fear God. Know Him. Worship Him by obeying and loving Him with all your heart, mind, body, spirit, and soul. This will give you success in every area of your life! Once you truly know and obey God, you will realize that you really have nothing at all to worry about.
Come and discover the magic of IEHA. We always welcome visitors. If you’d like to attend, we meet the first Tuesday of each month at St Paul Lutheran Church Borchers at 6:30 pm. We hope to see you next month and be sure to bring a friend.