Master Gardener offers gardening tips to Sunrise Rotary Club
Brianne Spaeth
Lyle Larson, a Certified Master Gardener, spoke this week at the SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary Club. He moved to SaddleBrooke after living many years in Vancouver, Washington and the upper Northwest. After working for many years with the landscape of the Northwest, he was in shock at how to care for our desert landscape. In order to increase his horticultural knowledge and assist the community, he went through the rigorous program to become a Master Gardener.
As a Master Gardener, he helps the community on a regular basis. Lyle goes on house calls to identify plants for the owners and help them learn how to care for them. He helps with monthly meetings about various horticultural topics and is helping compile a “recommended plant” list for the SaddleBrooke area.
Lyle said that the most common problem that owners have caring for our desert landscape is water. This means both under and overwatering the plants. One way that he recommended solving this dilemma is by having separate zones for irrigation: pots, trees, shrubs and perennials. This is the easiest way to make sure that each section is watered appropriately. The length of each watering cycle should remain constant and only the frequency should be adjusted for the season. For example, trees should be watered for about two hours on irrigation two- to three-times per week during the summer, and maybe just once weekly or not at all during the winter and monsoonsseason.
Lyle also recommended getting a soil probe to help show that each plant is receiving a good soak. The soil probe is just a long rod that is inserted into the ground near the plants and can measure the depths that the water is reaching the roots. It should be able to enter the soil without a large force. A reasonable depth for fruit trees is two feet.
Another problem that comes with water are pests. The main pest is the packrat. They can create many problems with the structural integrity of your home and can spread diseases and attract other unwanted visitors: rattlesnakes. The easiest way to eliminate the number of packrats and other rodents is by landscaping your shrubs and cactus up off of the ground. Also remember to cut away any vines, high shrubs and tree branches that are close to your home and may serve as a pathway for the packrat into your attic. Lastly, packrats all come from somewhere so make sure to help out your neighbor with these landscaping ideas so that they aren’t accidentally providing these rodents an oasis. Any further questions about Master Gardening visit SaddleBrookeMasterGardeners.org.
Left to right: Recent University of Arizona Engineering graduates Olivia Talarico and Genevieve Wahlert with the President of The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke, Doug May.
Students speak to the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke
Doug May
Two engineering students from the University of Arizona spoke to The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke. They have completed an Engineering Design course as seniors. Each is graduating and moving on to further studies. Olivia Talarico and Genevieve Wahlert were members of a five-person interdisciplinary design team. This team designed and constructed a medical support system that simulates human foot motion. It will aid a surgeon in comparing a model foot with a normal gait to one that needs corrective surgery. Model adjustment lets surgeons make decisions and test corrective action before actual surgery. Mechanical actuators, electronic controls and connecting cords simulate muscles and tendons. Coordinated action gives an artificial or cadaver foot normal human movement.
Olivia and Genevieve described their design work and the experience they gained in the course. In addition to designing, each team applied project management methods. They needed to purchase parts and materials and complete fabrication processes while meeting schedule and budget constraints. A laboratory director who is also a medical doctor and surgeon sponsored this project. The team made significant progress for the laboratory and system refinements will continue.
Over one hundred different design projects were displayed on the UA campus on Design Day, April 29. Teams of engineering seniors designed prototypes for sponsors that met the sponsors’ engineering requirements. These projects gave students valuable experience with challenging, real-world problems. This Capstone course is the culmination of four years of undergraduate engineering study.
Rotary Club President Doug May works for UA as a lecturer and he mentored this team. Design Day is at the end of the spring semester each year and open to the public. For anyone interested in seeing a science-fair-on-steroids, these are great events.
This is just one of the many fascinating programs we enjoy weekly at the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke. We meet Thursdays for lunch at 11:30 a.m. at SaddleBrooke One. For more information, contact Wendy Guyton at 520-404-5712 or [email protected].
Bob Christadore, chair of the 2019 Fore For Kids Golf Tournament Fundraiser and recipient of the Paul Harris Award of Rotary International
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke grants many wishes
Barbara Barr
For the past 21 years, the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke has been in the business of granting many wishes while they serve the children of our local and global community. Each year the club hosts the Fore For Kids Golf Tournament Fundraiser to help grant those wishes. The Fore For Kids Golf Tournament Fundraiser provides grants and scholarships benefitting so many children.
This year’s charity golf tournament generated funding for a number of local and international children’s programs. This included children’s wishes for Make a Wish Foundation of Arizona, children’s eye glasses provided by Volunteer Optometric Services for Humanity (VOSH), badly needed equipment for Little Hooves Big Hearts, after school tutoring for Oracle School’s Connections in Learning, equipment for Teens Sew Cool, the robotics program of Catalina’s Math Plus and character education through children’s golf lessons for the First Tee of Tucson.
The golf tournament also provides scholarships for local area students. This not only includes college bound students, but also students on a vocational school route. The scholarships were presented to area students at their graduation program.
If making a difference in the lives of others is something of importance to you, come get to know us at the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke. The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is not only an award-winning organization devoted to making a difference locally and globally; it is also a club that enjoys coming together for life-long learning. We meet weekly for lunch with friends and an excellent program of learning. If this sounds like something of interest to you, come visit our friendly club and learn more about Rotary.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is open to anyone who is retired, living or working in SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch and all surrounding communities. Join us for lunch on any Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at the SaddleBrooke One Clubhouse and meet some of our members. For more information, contact Wendy Guyton at 520-404-5712 or [email protected].
Rotary learns about Medicare
Dick Kroese
Ken Kiker came to the SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary to discuss the five parts of Medicare and how each part works to the benefit of its beneficiaries. Members learned that original Medicare is made up of two parts; Part A is hospital coverage and Part B is doctor coverage, immunizations, nebulizer medications and diabetic supplies. There is an optional Part C also known as Medicare Advantage which combines both Part A and B and adds additional coverage options such as: prescription drugs, dental and vision. The group also heard about Part D which is prescription drug coverage and can be purchased as an addition to original Medicare Parts A and B or Part C Medicare Advantage plans. If a beneficiary does not have a Medicare Advantage plan and would like help paying for Medicare coverage gaps, a Medicare Supplement plan may be required to help fill those gaps. This is the fifth part of Medicare.
Plan options can change annually. It is very important to review your current coverage each year. If you’re unhappy with anything about your plan or have had a change in your health needs, make sure to take advantage of the open enrollment period to make any changes. Look at Medicare.gov online or see a Medicare specialist near you to answer any questions you may have.
Rotary lunch
Come for lunch and enjoy the fun. Join a group of Rotarians on Thursdays at the MountainView Bistro, East Room at 8:00 a.m. This is a wonderful way to meet new friends and listen to great speakers. Learn how you can give back to your community. Be a gift to the world! For more information please contact Ron Lenz at [email protected] or 262-358-0130.