Whew....is it hot, or just me?? As I sit here, sweaty and grumpy, our heat wave across USA's midsection is unbearable!!! I can't take the heat, so I stay inside; wouldn't you know it, the window unit air conditioner doesn't want to cooperate today!!! I hope everyone else is staying cool; or, if you are one of our southern sisters, staying warm!!

I know every month I say "I can't believe its already "this" month!!!" so I will refrain from saying it again (even though I did...LOL) Honestly though, this year has sped by! Being busy helps tremendously, and while things have gone well and smoothly this year, there's always something that needs done.

We welcomed some new staff members these past couple of months: Cathie (Sisters Garden), FairyMaiden Heidi (Fae Garden), Natasha (TLC Spoiling Team), Becca (Quilters Garden), Debbie (Sisters Garden), Ranae (Pixels Garden), RedMysticAngel (Creators Garden), Dusty (Sigtags Garden), and Marcella (Sigtags Garden). We're so lucky to have these wonderful ladies stepping up to help out!!! And while I'm mentioning staff members, I want to thank each and every one of them, new and old, for their continued management of their gardens!

One more thing, and then I need to get this sent in...LOL. Anyone who needs to take LOA needs to remember these important steps:

*Notify your garden(s) head(s) that you will be taking LOA FIRST. They really should be the first to know...

*Fill out the LOA form (found at http://www.wosib.org/loaform.html) Note that a RETURN DATE IS REQUIRED. If you're not sure how long you need to be gone, put down 30 days. You can always come back earlier, of it need more time, fill out another form. Any form with no return date cannot be processed.

*Upon returning from LOA, fill out the form again, mark that you are returning, and then notify your garden(s) heads(s).

Also, if you need to make changes to your info we have on hand, email addy, name change, web url, etc, kindly remember to fill out the change of info form. If you have any changes and have NOT filled in the form, please do so. Its vital that we have everyone's most current information. The change of info form is here: http://www.wosib.org/infochange.html

Thanks so much for your cooperation!! If anyone has any concerns, issues, or questions, Akaysha and I are always on hand to help...just email us!! (jeri@wosib.org akaysha@wosib.org )

Hugs,
Jeri
WOSIB Leader

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The lazy days of summer are here.... and perhaps you've found WOSIB to be a little quieter than usual. This is very typical, as all of our North American sisters are spending time with their families having picnics, outings and just soaking

up the sunshine (or staying OUT of the sunshine and just trying to stay cool LOL). Personally I've been parked in front of a fan that looks like it should be attached to a rather large plane as a propeller just trying to stave off the heat these past couple of weeks and ducking some fairly "interesting" storms that have come our way. Here's hoping that if Mother Nature decides you need your own special "light show" that its not accompanied by torrential rains, tornados and golf ball sized hail!

Most of our Gardens are very active under the leadership of some very dedicated and wonderful Garden Heads and Asisstants, and those that aren't are gearing up for September when they'll be back in full swing... if you've never joined a WOSIB Garden, this might be a good time to head over to http://www.wosib.org/gardens.html and perhaps consider joining one that tickles your fancy... its a great way to meet other WOSIB sisters and have some fun too!

Wishing you and yours the best of the rest that summer has to offer,

Hugs,
Akaysha
Acting WOSIB Co-Leader