Cultura Garden Club members met at the lovely home of Lisa Adkins for their April meeting.

Lisa is well-known for her delicious herbal teas which she makes from the herbs in her garden.  She is a master when entertaining and using proper manners to drink tea, including raising the teacup, leaving the saucer on the table and placing the cup back on the saucer between sips. Lisa is also a pro in pairing tea with food to enhance the taste of herbal tea as well as using fine china.

She used four different herbs in making her tea for this meeting—lemon balm, spearmint, peppermint and apple mint. She said herbs have many health benefits, including helping with sleep, settling the stomach, helping with relaxation and stress relief, as well as cold and flu relief, promoting heart health and many more. Donna Lowery, hostess, assisted Lisa with refreshments and prepared herb clippings for each member to plant in their herb garden.

President Debbie Nale reported that the spring flower sale was a success. More than 200 baskets and garden flowers were sold. The flowers will be delivered to her house April 29 when people can pick up their purchases.

Each member received a registration form for the Garden Club of Alabama District 1 spring meeting. The meeting will be held April 25 in Sheffield at Grace Episcopal Church.

April is National Autism Awareness Month. The observance began in 1972. The Autism Society founded the event to increase awareness, promote advocacy and spark change in schools, communities, medical facilities and businesses. Throughout the month, focus is placed on sharing stories and providing opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism and to encourage the fostering of worldwide support.

Debbie shared the book “The Reason I Jump” by Naoki Higashida. She said this is an interesting book in which Higashida recounts the first-hand experiences of a non-verbal teenager with autism, answering frequently asked questions and explaining the reasons behind his behavior.

Other events observed in April by Cultura Garden Club are National Gardening Month, Earth Day and Arbor Day.