Hyacinths are a welcome sign of Spring!
Welcome to our April issue of the IN Newsletter!
Spring is finally here! Spring brings renewal and new growth in nature. There are so many flowers coming into bloom, birds starting their nests and bunnies and squirrels chasing each other in our yards. Change is in the air and with new change, there is a need for reorganization.This is the time when we work on our Spring cleaning. In the past, when houses were heated by a fireplace or a wood or coal oven, after so many months staying indoors, Spring signaled the time to clean homes of all the soot and grime. Many Americans still continue a home cleaning and reorganizing tradition - this is the time to clean our coats and snow boots, and all our Winter wardrobe to be packed and stored. This is also the time to figure out what to do with all the stuff we have gathered throughout the past year. Do we really need that many coffee mugs? How many flower vases do we really need? Are we really going to use that picnic basket? That is why, starting in the Spring, you will see many garage, yard and estate sales. You can find out more about what garage sales are and how they came about by reading Phyllis’ article ”Garage Sales”.
My neighborhood, for example, organizes a neighborhood wide sale every year, when all residents are encouraged to do their garage sale on the same weekend. It is a great opportunity to meet neighbors and find affordable slightly used items for your home. That is why IN is organizing our own Garage Sale during this month’s IN Day, April 20th. There won’t be any garages involved in our event, nor will there be any “sales” either. For our event, you bring items that you don’t need or want anymore - books, kitchen and household items, children’s toys, etc. Everything will be displayed on tables and members can go through them and choose things they want or need and take them home. No money required!
If you like the idea of purchasing slightly used and affordable items for your home, here is an article from Current Magazine (a local news and events guide for Ann Arbor), which lists thrift stores in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
With the arrival of Spring, Gina has been volunteering with Natural Area Preservation (NAP) in Ann Arbor. She tells us how by helping preserve native local flora and fauna, she has enriched her life by learning about the environment and by meeting new and interesting people. Learn more how you can help too in “Volunteering at Ann Arbor Parks”.
Here at IN we are getting ready for upcoming changes - every year during our Annual Membership Meeting, in May, we vote for new members of the IN Board. This month, we would like to introduce you to our candidates for President, Vice-President, Ambassador Coordinator and Treasurer. Each candidate wrote a little introduction about themselves. Please read and get to know them in “Candidates 2023”.
Veronica, our candidate for IN President, and family
Save the date - May 25th, Thursday - for our very special Annual Membership Meeting. Plans are still being developed, but I can tell you there was mention of a nice, catered meal, a tribute to Founding Mothers and, of course, our annual voting. It is going to be a very festive, beautiful event and we hope all our members can participate in it.
Before that, I hope to see you on April 20th for our IN Garage Sale!