I counted. It was a lot, and they kept coming. Twenty-three new emails had arrived in my inbox overnight from the newly formed “Let’s Make Our Neighborhood Even More Beautiful” women’s group. Some emails were starred as important, and others blazed a distinctive “READ ME NOW” flag. I felt a little like Ron Weasley, of “Harry Potter” fame, when he received a “howler” in the morning mail from his mother.
The group’s main focus was to plan the annual community flower show. Deep snow covered our yards and the show was six months away; yet there was an urgency that we needed to start the planning pronto. Our neighbor Claire, largely considered to have THE most beautiful garden in the neighborhood, was unanimously elected the new group’s chairperson.
On Tuesday, promptly at 8:00 AM, before any of us had enjoyed our second cup of coffee, Claire gaveled our first meeting to order in the HOA boardroom. In her inaugural address to the members, her enthusiasm and zeal for a perfect show came through loud and clear.
“It is important that this flower show be the best in the county” she declared. “We have stiff competition this year and I want to beat the pants off the ladies from the neighboring town who won last year.” Everyone nodded in agreement. Fueled by caffeine and adrenalin, excitement was kicking in.
She continued. “And, to accomplish this, we’ll need to be super coordinated and organized.” With that she lifted up a four-inch-thick binder, which landed with a thud on the table in front of her. Inside were hundreds of pages of notes, plans, diagrams and charts, each neatly marked with different color tabs.
The binder also included a lengthy booklet Claire had created with rules and regulations covering every detail that needed to be unfailingly followed by all.
Sections in the pamphlet governed vital areas such as utilization of the proper potting soil and mulch, recommended pots and containers, landscape edging, garden borders, plant selection, floral design and more.
Detailed descriptions specified when certain arrangements needed to be in clay or porcelain pots; likewise, where curved or straight cement or wood borders should be utilized.
At Claire’s instructions, committees were quickly formed to address each of these areas. I was asked to chair the important color palette design committee, which included ensuring that all of the other committees adhered to the common color scheme we would develop.
Committee chairs were given stern instructions to immediately hold special meetings to review options and propose plans. Each committee head was to file a complete report at the next board meeting, scheduled for the following week.
Which brings me back to my overflowing inbox. Following this initial conclave, emails started flying faster than french fries in a school cafeteria food fight. There was the initial draft of the meeting minutes. Followed by a variety of corrections and additions. Followed by motions to accept the changes. Followed by seconds to the motions.
And this was day one. By the end of the first twenty-four-hour period, twenty-three emails lay in my inbox screaming for attention and action. I shuddered to think what the morrow would bring.
I didn’t have to wait long. The first meeting of the “Breathtaking Colors and Creating the Perfect Garden” color coordination committee was held the following morning and was mine to chair. The hastily put together PowerPoint presentation was simple and succinct. I displayed three different color palettes, each chosen for its curbside appeal. There was “Fun with Dahlia Pink,” “Coming Up Daisy Yellow” and “Lilac Wonders.” The ladies on my committee were excited with the choices, and we agreed to present them to the group for a vote.
The next morning brought a new deluge of emails flooding my inbox. Rather than a vote for one of the three choices, many of the responses had questions, comments, suggestions and even criticisms. I guess asking ten women what they think inevitably produces ten different responses, along with ideas on how to do it differently. I was spending more time reading and responding to these missives than actually doing what my job entailed. As the simple task of selecting one color theme was becoming increasingly complicated, I was getting frustrated!
Then it dawned on me. These wonderful women were having fun and engaging in a common cause. I was delighted to see such interest and enthusiasm to make our neighborhood the prettiest it could possibly be. So, instead of getting disheartened, I determined that I would read what I could read and respond as best I could. What more could I do?
And so, I adopted an attitude of “C'est la vie” and employed the mute button on my laptop so as not to hear the “ding” of an incoming piece of mail. The “Let’s Make Our Neighborhood Even More Beautiful” campaign was sure to result in beautifully landscaped gardens in perfect color palettes and thus contribute to everyone in our neighborhood living happily ever.
What could be better than that?
© 2025 Annie Sokoloff
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