Members:

Here is the newsletter for December. The year is almost gone and another to begin again. They get shorter and shorter. Hope all of you are in good health and best wishes for the holidays and new year.

Pete Addeo, Webmaster
Missoula Iris Society
http://www.missoulairis.com

MIS CHRISTMAS PARTY
DATE & TIME: SATURDAY, December 12, 2009. Party begins at 4 p.m. Turkey dinner/potluck will be served.
PLACE: Home of Billie Gray, 1558 S. 6th West. Call 543-3480.

PROGRAM: Christmas gift exchange, so bring a gift..

"FYI" NEWS

Don't forget to start shopping for the perfect garden related Christmas gift. For new members, following is the criteria for the gift exchange. It's a lot of fun

CHRISTMAS PARTY GIFT EXCHANGE:
Everyone brings a wrapped gift (up to $12.00 value) and we put all the gifts in the center of the room and then pick numbers to see who goes first. The #1 person gets to pick any gift from the pile. The gift is opened for all to see. Then the #2 person in line can pick the gift that #1 picked or pick from the stack and the same goes for each one thereafter. If you pick one of the opened gifts, then that person now can pick someone else’s gift or from the stack. The limit is 3 times for any one gift to own. There is a lot of heavy duty trading between everyone and the laughs just keep coming. It is a great end to a wonderful year with our friends and members

It's Their Birthday!!....Let's Give 'Em a Cheer!!!

Happy day to Ron Dowell - December 11^th, and Swede Gustafson – December 26th. Happy Birthday to each of you.

NOVEMBER 2009 TREASURERS REPORT as of December 1, 2009

CHECKING ACCOUNT:  The October reported balance was $3,590.03.  I transferred $865.47 into this account from the Savings Account so as to close out the Building Fund section of the Savings.  I paid Paul Ronaldo Sprinklers $110 for repairs to the sprinkler system controller clock and to winterize the Fort Iris Garden watering lines.  I also paid Alvertaa Symes $37.94 for card file supplies.  The above actions leaves a Dec 1 balance of $4307.56 in this account.

SAVINGS ACCOUNT:  The October reported balance was $5,608.94.  With the transfer amount reported in the checking  statement the Dec 1 balance is $$4743.47. These are the final reported figures for 2009 as I have closed the books until the review of the Treasurers documents has been completed.  Any dues collected will be deposited in the checking account as usual. I will be at the December meeting to receive 2010 dues.

2010 budget as I have calculated it from 2009 budget figures.

Minutes:  November 7, 2009

The meeting was called to order by Vice President, Gary Clark.  It was moved by Donna Dowell and seconded by Alverta Symes that the minutes be accepted as printed in the Falls and Standards.  The motion carried.  Ed Verplancke moved that the treasurer’s report be accepted as printed in the Falls and Standards.  Cindy Davis seconded the motioned.  The motion carried.

Old Business

Zona Lindemann reported that individual thank you notes have been sent to each of the youth who had helped in the Fort Gardens.

Card Party:  Ron and Donna Dowell, Honk Meyer, Swede and Betty Ann Gustafson, Alverta and Bob Symes, and Ed Verplancke and Anita Cervenak showed up for the last card party held in Gary Clark’s home.  Four hundred cards were processed. The next card party will be held at Gary Clark’s home Wednesday, November 11, 2009, at 6:30 p.m.  There are another 500 cards to do.

Median Show:  Gary Clark reported that the silver and bronze medals had not been given out yet because they couldn’t be found.  They were not in the shed.  He had tried to order them but got no response.  In the meanwhile Cindy Davis had ordered medals.  Since that time, the medals have been found.  It was decided by consensus that the found medals would be awarded to those who had won them at the last Median show, and those that had been ordered would be kept and stored for a future show.

Iris Sale:  The canopies have been ordered from Sportsman’s Surplus.

Fort Gardens:  Chair Billie Gray said that no fall work party will be set up.  She requested that members who had signed up to take care of a specific bed or portion of a bed do a fall cleanup in their own areas as their schedules allowed.

Nominating Committee:  The committee presented the following slate of officers:

            President:           Ed Verplancke

            Vice President:    Betty Ann Gustafson

            Treasurer:            Swede Gustafson

            Secretary:           Jim Sadler

There were no nominations from the floor.  The election will be held at the January meeting.

December Meeting:  The December meeting is the annual Christmas party.  It is at the home of Billie Gray, 1558 So. 6^th St. W. at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 12^th.  Bring a gift of $12.00 or less for the madcap gift exchange.  The gift should be something connected with iris or gardening.  If there are any questions about the gift or the gift exchange or about directions to Billie’s, call her at 543-3480.

New Business

Audit Committee:  An audit committee composed of Alverta and Bob Symes and Honk Meyer was established.  They will make arrangements with Swede Gustafson for a time when they can audit the books.

2010 Garden Tour:  2010 is a garden tour year.  This means a Tour Committee needs to be formed and gardens need to be lined up.  No committee was formed.  Leona Wyckoff’s garden was suggested as one possibility.  One feature of her gardens is raised beds which some of the Society felt might be of interest to the public.  It was noted that no money was budgeted for the Tour. At this point the meeting was suspended until Swede Gustafson could get to the meeting with the budget proposal for the coming year.  A question and answer and information sharing session about the logistics of putting on a tour followed until Swede arrived. Swede arrived and the meeting was reconvened.

2010 Proposed Budget:  Swede Gustafson handed out the 2010 proposed budget.  Perusal of the proposed budget showed that no line item was included for the Garden Tour.  It was also pointed out that there was no Median Show in those years that had a garden tour.  Swede suggested that the money allotted to the Median Show be assigned to the Garden Tour.  No action was taken.  Because it was getting late, the budget discussion was cut short.  Pete Addeo proposed that the budget be printed in the December Falls and Standards so the membership can study it before the January meeting.  The vote to accept or not accept the budget will be taken at the January meeting.

Presidential Rhizome:  The presidential rhizome for November was won by Honk Meyer.

Bob Symes moved that the meeting be adjourned.  Fred Frey seconded the motion.  The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Zona Lindemann, Secretary

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