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Editor’s Cuff Notes – by Dan Willis. THE 1621 THANKSGIVING The tradition of the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving comes from both myth and legend. Few people realize that the Pilgrims never celebrated Thanksgiving in 1621 or any year thereafter. President George Washington made it a one-time Thanksgiving holiday. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln finally made it a national holiday to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November (which could  occasionally end up being the fifth Thursday and hence too close to Christmas for businesses). President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed Thanksgiving Day to the fourth Thursday of November in 1939 and Congress approved that day in 1941. The Pilgrims’ first mythological Thanksgiving Day occurred in early October. The date of Thanksgiving, set by President Lincoln, seems to correlate with the anchoring of the Mayflower at Cape Cod, which supposedly occurred on November 21, 1620 according to the Gregorian calendar (It was…

The full pdf copy of this edition is available here. Editor’s Cuff Notes – by Dan Willis. OH, DEER! I enjoy living in a woodland setting. I have slowly grown accustomed to seeing quite a few deer around my home. The quiet, graceful movements, the big brown eyes, the gentle flick of its white tail, all reassure me that there still is a place for wild things in the surrounding environment. One February morning I woke to find 7 does and 3 bucks browsing in my backyard. Two of the bucks were eight pointers with nice symmetrical racks. This spring, a doe gave birth to a single fawn in a little visited part of my front yard. It was fascinating to watch the little guy or gal struggle to follow mama around the yard. It seems that many of the deer in my neighborhood have lost their fear of people…

The full pdf copy of this edition is available here. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – by John Atkinson. It’s a wonderful world! The year 2007 is almost over and what a good year it has been. It is time to express many thanks to Glenn Parsons and the officers and leaders that have guided us (like Moses) through the drought. What opportunities and challenges will the New Year hold? Only time will tell. Are you ready to renew your interest and vigor for the New Year? My goal is that the Gwinnett County Master Gardener Association will be the best in Georgia. I’m not sure what that means, but I am convinced that we have the skills and ability to continue the course we have been on since 1994. What new challenges do you want to step up to in the  coming year? Glenn Parsons said something at a recent meeting that…