Geneva Area Pond Club's free meeting on December 16

Pond club leaders Suzanne and Peter invite club members and non-members alike to this final meeting of 2007. We'll discuss both significant and trivial changes that occurred in everyone's ponds this year, and changes in everyone's lives as well. We'll then segue into the changes we expect to make in the coming year, both in our ponds and in our lives.

As we turn our calendar pages, we should make plans in advance for the changes nature imposes on our ponds with every new season. The detailed discussions during autumn's meetings gave all attendees specific advice on how to prepare our ponds for the freezing weather of winter. At this meeting we'll discuss the changes to expect and the work to accomplish as the weather warms up in spring.

Spring is also the time that many beginners install their first pond in their garden. They should be well informed to avoid any major problems, whether the work will be done by professionals or by the home-owners themselves. At the December 16 meeting we'll talk about the ideal location for a pond on your property, the most reliable construction materials and methods, the best designs to discourage small children and hungry herons from entering the pond, and many other options for ponders to ponder.

As usual, many subjects totally unrelated to ponds are bound to crop up during the snack-and-chat part of the meeting. These lively off-topic conversations are evidence that this club is also for socializing among friends, not just for learning about water gardening. Feel free to bring along any interested neighbors and friends to our meetings. Several of these guests over the last three years became so enthused at our events that they've now installed ponds of their own.

If you can't attend the December 16 meeting, read about our future free meetings on the Geneva Area Pond Club's informative web site at http://ponds.meetup.c.... Log on to the site's Calendar section at http://ponds.meetup.c... to see the upcoming schedule. Click on the title of each event to read its location and full details, then click Yes, Maybe, or No to indicate if you can attend.

If you're not free to attend an event on any of those dates, we can schedule a future meeting to be held in your own home on the date of your choosing. The club meets on the first and third Sundays of every month in the homes and gardens of club members around Geneva, Vaud, and nearby France. To reserve an ideal date to host your own meeting, write to club leaders Suzanne and Peter at PeterSuzanne2@hotmail.com.

Until then, we hope to see a good number of members and visitors at our next meeting on December 16. Everyone's welcome.