by David DeJohn, NHCLP
September 2022

It’s like living on the Sun! Okay, the person who really said that was exaggerating a bit, but August has been pretty hot and we’ve just gone through an extended period of 90 and above temperatures. It’s cooling down now though, and the humidity has started to fall. Of course we have these two or three weeks of hot and humid weather every year and that’s to be expected. But these periods are getting a little longer and a bit more frequent, also to be expected with the climate changing such as it is. It’s all taking a greater toll on work crews.

This time of the year is always a little tough. You’ve been running full speed since April and everyone is hot and tired, motivation is waning. You’re behind schedule, running too many jobs at once, can’t get materials, can’t get help and DOS just pulled you over for inspection for the third time this season. You just heard Molly Hatchet’s song “Flirtin’ with Disaster,” and it seems like a fitting theme song for your business at the moment, making you wonder why you thought this was a good career choice. These moments don’t last all that long though; you’ve probably had that thought at least once every year for the last 5 years or 35 years and yet here you still are because you really do love it.

So you take a deep breath, step back and take a look at what you and your crew have created: the patio with a fire pit, the work of art wall you just built (shout out to Bob Follansbee at Eastern Valley Landscaping – amazing stone work!), the gardens and outdoor spaces you’ve created and maintained, and you remember why you do this and why you love it.

August 2 was a welcome break from the crazy routine as we met at Candia Woods for our 9th annual Golf Tournament. This year’s tournament sold out fast and was our biggest one yet with 136 players. This is our biggest fund raiser and it helps to pay for our website updates, upgrades and fixes, the educational opportunities we provide, and other NHLA business expenses.

A huge thank you to Pam and Jim Moreau and the Golf Tournament Committee for making this such a great day and great annual event. Very big thanks to Millican Nurseries, The Yard at Pleasant View, Pierson Nursery, Read Custom Soils and Milton Cat for your sponsorships and support for this event and for your on-going support for NHLA. Of course it wouldn’t be the day that it was without all our NHLA members that took the day off from very busy schedules to play a round of golf and tried your hand at the putting contest and the air cannon. Thank you to Scott, Isiah, and Greg from Make a Difference for letting me play along with them, giving me pointers, and not giving me too much grief every time I barely got the ball off the tee.

Really looking forward to the upcoming Twilight Meeting to be hosted by Miracle Farms up in Tuftonboro. They’ve been working on this project on Lake Winnipesaukee for over a year, and it sounds pretty amazing and worth taking some time to come and see.

We are also closing in on the final details for our Field Day to be held at Shaker Village on September 14. This will be a full day of talks and demonstrations, food trucks and vendors showing their equipment and products. You can meet representatives from Greenius and NARFA and hear talks on soil testing, first aid on the Job, proper paver installation techniques, tips on irrigation, chain saw safety and small engine repair. Graham Pellettieri will be giving a Drone demonstration, Abby Zuidema will be on hand to discuss the benefits of becoming a NHCLP, and Andrew Mauch from Millican Nurseries will be discussing fall plants and planting. Quite a well rounded list of topics and speakers, so there’s something for everybody.

Registration for vendors starts at 7:30 and registration for attendees starts at 8:30. By now you have seen several emails containing proposed changes to our NHLA By-Laws and we will be voting on these changes the morning of the Field Day. It’s important that you read and understand the proposed changes and it’s very important that you vote. I believe we are voting at 9:00 am in the Garden Barn so please make it a point to attend that brief meeting.

We are also looking for volunteers to help throughout the day, so if you are a NHCLP looking for additional credits or you would just like to help out then please contact me, Pam Moreau, or Abby Zuidema.

Hope to see you there!