Retrieving a Legacy

This afternoon, Phyllis Shuffield and I donned our masks and went over to where Katherine Budrich, one of the founders of our chapter, lived. Members had long hoped to retrieve some of the things she’d been storing for us, so we were very grateful to have been offered a chance to see what we wanted.

Neither Phyllis nor I had gone ANYWHERE since the shelter in place orders, so we both enjoyed the drive through the countryside outside of Cameron, just to get to see different scenery. Wearing masks in the heat is a pain, but worth it to get out and go somewhere. And the Budrich home is in a lovely part of Milam County.

You will all be happy to learn that we got some supplies that will be useful for us in the future. There were a lot of beautiful nature posters, some of our Texas Master Naturalist signs, and a wooden sign that says El Camino Real Chapter. I hope we can use those at meetings!

We also found a bunch of wonderful plant presses, the good kind, which will be great for future projects. There were also some amazing notebooks full of information and some books we will be able to share. And of course, Phyllis was thrilled to find a large labeled collection of native mussels, which were Katherine’s specialty.

I’m really glad that we were able to get these materials, which are a lovely way to remember Katherine and her contributions to our chapter. We have stored them temporarily in the Hermit Haus building, and I hope to find a permanent place to keep them and other chapter materials once our offices move across the street.

It was also nice to see the sweet memorial garden that’s behind the house in Katherine’s honor. It was a privilege to get to visit and see her plants, too. It feels like I sort of know her!

The Master Naturalist community is really special. It’s touching how we care for each other, and how our contributions can last long after our lives. It was an honor to have my first trip anywhere other than my house and office since March be to help obtain these materials for us.