President’s Message
March 2021
With the weather starting to approach in the 70’s this month and above, spring is certainly in the air for us bonsai enthusiasts who look forward to seeing new growth taking place with our trees. My favorite time of year — a renewal and new season for our plants coming back to life, putting on their new growth and vibrant new green leaves.
Yes, we need additional rainfall here in the Bay Area before winter is over, but Mother Nature is in control of that so we need to be patient and hope for the best. My wife mentioned to me after reading an article in the paper yesterday stating that the San Jose Water Department is requesting an additional 30% increase in water rates this year. This is outrageous and unprecedented. We are already paying the highest rate for water in the nation, so how can this increase be justified?
Photo by Jack Christiansen
A More Personal Matter
On a more personal matter, after much consideration and heartfelt concern with living here in the San Jose area in our home that we have lived in for the past 38 years, we have decided that it’s time to make a move to another area: the East Bay. As we grow older and realize that we will need a single level home from the large two story we have at present and wanting to be closer to our kids families and grandkids, we feel that it’s time to make that difficult move. I’m still trying to come to grips with this difficult decision we feel will be best for our needs down the road of senior living. Brentwood will be our new residence, a senior living community called The Trilogy up in the Antioch Delta area.
Both my wife and I have loved San Jose where we have raised our family and enjoyed the many friends with the bonsai club over the years that makes this move so difficult. I still plan to be your club’s President for the remaining part of this year and still be active with the workshops I presently share with club members for years to come. I know that we’ll need to be driving far more in order to do this, but my wife and I still will need to be active with our friends we have made in the San Jose area. So we’ll still be around and active with whatever club activities allowed with the COVID situation at our door. A big decision with regards to finding a new home will be a good area that will accommodate my large bonsai collection!
After working with my collection of bonsai trees now for the past 11 years, caring and watering, wiring and fertilizing, and repotting, I am starting to see real progress with the help of my bonsai teacher. My trees are showing real progress that I’m really proud of. Friends, if you stay with everything that we are being taught at our meetings and keep working your trees progressively, you will certainly have the same great results and have trees you will be proud of to share at our bonsai shows in the coming years. But very importantly, make good decisions with the trees you take on for your collection, maybe spend that extra amount of money for a tree that will have a good future for the time you will spending growing it to a mature beautiful bonsai tree. Keep in mind that JT is available for questions you may have with your trees and he also supplies many of us with bonsai materials such as wire and other bonsai supplies since we’re not having shows at this time.
Our Zoom Meetings
Please club members, take advantage of our online Zoom meetings available twice a month first and third Thursday at 7:00pm. Juan Cruz has made a special attempt to keep us all active together and sharing our personal comments and questions we may have bonsai related. We need each other’s interactions and associations in order to maintain our love of bonsai together that will enable us to transition back to our normal club meetings. So reach out for this opportunity twice a month! Juan can get you started with the online technology if you're not familiar with Zoom.
Have a great time doing bonsai this month everyone! 🌳