The original schedule had the final class set for March 27th, but the MG coordinator did some shuffling with the agenda and managed to squeeze everything in to one long day, instead of bringing us back for two more shorter-duration Saturdays. Woo hoo! I'm so ready to get my Saturdays back!
We spent the first part of the morning reviewing the results of the "stump the diagnostician" exercise from a few weeks ago. As you may remember, we had to bring in a sample of some plant problem from our own gardens and let the seasoned diagnosticians go at it. There was one sample that stumped them, so more research required, but for the most part they were able to come up with answers to our gardening woes.
The sample I submitted came back with a diagnosis of transplant shock..... I guess that's better than the alternative - some nasty whatever infecting my garden. My problem plant is a Hinoki Cypress (chamaecyparis obtusa).... here's what a healthy one should look like....
Mine's been dying back from the base upwards..... steadily dying....
My initial reaction was "nah.... they've got it wrong".... but thinking back on it, it may make sense after all. I probably haven't been diligent in my watering efforts and that's a critical task to ensure new plantings settle in. Regular, consistent watering during the first few years is critical for a new shrub to get established, and evergreens are especially sensitive to this period. Being evergreen they're processing large amounts of water all year long, and while the winter rains were good, they aren't enough to penetrate the subsoil effectively and give a newbie what it needs. Lesson learned.
We spent the second half of the morning providing "good/bad" feedback about the program. Flip chart exercise with all of us firing off comments to be captured. There'll be a follow up email coming soon where we can provide more information/details if desired. This was a big transition year for the program what with moving everything to the online format. Looking back, I have to say that overall they did a commendable job. I've had my share of gripes over the past three months, but considering what they had to take on, they did a bang up job. Well done!
Then came some administrative training..... reviewing how MGs report their hours. Knowing the difference between public contact hours and support hours and how to complete the quarterly report properly. Bit fiddly, but all makes sense once you get the hang of it.
Then came lunch......
The BIG pot luck lunch. About 100 people bringing in a pot luck item.....oh my.... we out-did ourselves. Lots of healthy choices and indulgences too.... something there for everyone.
We spent the afternoon diving deep into the clinics. Big Q and A session to get all our questions answered..... some Qs were very good and worthwhile hearing.... others were totally ridiculous and absolutely unnecessary...... "what if my clinic leader shows up drunk?" Jeepers!
A couple of the mentors then got up and went through some skits to show us how various scenarios may get played out. They pretty much exaggerated the what-not-to-do stuff, but it got the point home...... and it was pretty entertaining!
Finally, the culmination of all of our efforts - getting our badges. One of the beauties of the online system is work gets graded in an instant so things can be made official at the final class - no waiting for badges in the mail. First, all the team-table mentors were asked to get up and be recognized for their contributions. Big round of applause.
Then each of us was called up to receive our official intern badge and an MG mug (looks like a flower pot, how cute!).
To finish things off, we all stood up to give Elaine, the MG coordinator (that's her giving me my badge and flower pot mug), a standing ovation..... well deserved. Thank you Elaine! That's no easy job you've got there.
Now we move on to the next phase of our training...... internship.
Stay tuned!
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