by George Buehler

As I sit here trying to come up with some interesting article for this month's issue (and the next few), I thought about last months very non-bonsai Fibonacci article. If I was new to the bonsai hobby, that article might scare me away. Well, rest assured that it will be a long time before we try to explain such a complex subject like that again. Not that I received any comments on the article - I didn't - it was just too difficult for me to write.

So this month I thought I would start a series I will call Bonsai 101. This will be geared toward the novice, but hopefully it will be a review for those more experienced bonsai people out there. This month's article is on tools and, as I developed the article, I remembered how years ago workshop leaders (or workshop classmates) would tell me I needed a certain type tool. When that happened, I remember that three questions arose in my mind - what was special about the tool that I had to have it, what quality should I be looking for, and what was the price? Hopefully, this series will answer some of those questions. In the coming months we will be examining other concepts to help the novice be successful in the bonsai hobby. You may see some overlap with other articles, but hopefully this series will be the basis for the next series - Bonsai 201.

It seems that our More Than Just Tofu articles are capturing some good information from our long time members. Midge has enlisted the aid of several of our more experienced members to put into words their experiences. Last month's article on layering was a great reference that I hope everyone read. If not, go back and read it! It has a wealth of information on the subject. The MTJT August article on Azaleas was also an excellent reference article that needs to be saved. I think you will find Midge's next few articles very interesting.

Both Midge and I plan several months in advance on the information we will put into the newsletter. If you would like to see an article on a specific topic, let us know.

I have printed a complete membership list on a pull out section of this newsletter. Perhaps this will encourage our members to call a fellow member close to them to car pool to the meetings. It may also help members learn who is close to them so that they can enlist fellow members' help when needed. For those of you who know people who are bonsai hobbyists not on this list, please contact them and invite them to join our club. [For those editors who receive the electronic edition of this newsletter, I have deleted this list for the security of our members - I know you understand.]