Greetings from the New Haven train station, where I missed the Metro-North train to Grand Central by less than a minute. I'm headed to New York for a day of meetings, after spending the last day and a half at the very first Murder 203 conference, a great time and a smashing success. I spent quality time with Karen Olson, Alison Gaylin and Reed Coleman, among others, and came away with even more books to read.
My Internet access has been spotty for the last several days and will be spotty until Tuesday night, but I wanted to check in briefly because I've had a few messages asking whether I was okay. This is not only flattering but also a great relief, as it reassures me that if I ever do suffer a serious accident when I'm home alone, Dizzy won't have time to eat me before someone notices I'm missing.
Anyway, master gardeners. Spring is in full bloom here in southern Connecticut, and I've heard the term "master gardener" used several times over the weekend. Is this just a description, or a term of art? Does a master gardener have slave gardeners working for him/her?
I'll go look this up now, but as with so many things, I expect the reality will be less exciting than what I imagine.
3 comments:
ODU offers a course that gives a cetificate upon "successful completion". The graduates range from professional landscape contractors to some of my neighbors who are gardening nut cases. Otherwise, I think the title may be self awarded in many cases.
LOL, Dad
I think it's mostly awarded by county extension agencies. But I don't know what county extension agencies are an extension of.
A bit late here but maybe I can help. The Master Gardener Program comes from a State University and County Extension Office that offers a certificate upon completion of several areas: composting, flower and vegetable care, insects, lawn, trees, plants, water and soil. Here in Minnesota we complete 48 hours of classroom lecture, tests AND 50 hours of volunteering with an emphasize on community outreach. That's just the 1st year! After that, 20 hours of volunteering in any of the areas are needed. I'm. starting my 3rd year and am enjoying it as much as the first year. Hope this has helped!
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