It never occurred to me to become a MGV until I was nearing retirement from teaching at Oneida BOCES in 2004.  A friend of mine at BOCES had Holly’s position once upon a time, and worked with Tony Salerno as he became the first Master Gardener in Oneida County.  As that door closed, I was looking for another to open that would allow me to continue learning and meeting new people.  Hence, my journey with the Master Gardener program to 2021. 

I have put a lot of hours in working in the gardens, sharing successes and challenges, and meeting amazing gardeners along the way.  I’ve had several partners as a Zone Coordinator, and one of my biggest successes was my first year working in the butterfly house with Joyce.  As you can see from the picture, the butterflies enjoyed everything CCE had to offer; and then the spined soldier bug found them—but that’s a story for another day.