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Welcome Spring and New Beginnings We certainly had a great Canadian Winter and I hope this note finds you all well and ready to embrace Spring. A little about myself- I am a mother of a son and a daughter, both married and I have 3 grandchildren, 2 active boys and an aspiring girl all under 9 years old. My grandparents were farmers from the Port Dover, Lake Erie area and my parents dabbled in farming also. Currently I work fulltime for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services as a Correctional Officer 2 in the Women's Unit in Hamilton and I am called from time to time to be a Crisis Negotiator in emergencies. I also am a Broker/Owner of a Real Estate Company and have been in Real Estate for 29 years now. I teach the Ontario Hunter Education Program for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources. At any time, if I can provide assistance in any of these areas please don't hesitate to contact me. We had some interesting issues at the Museum in December and January with a furnace leaking a few times and damaging the Gift Shop ceiling. Things are looking up (no pun intended) and we hope all will be in fine shape when you are reading this. The Ash trees have been taken down on the grounds of the property and the remaining trees have been trimmed. As well, the old Chicken Coup is being revived and will be a great storage space. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Hollie Archer for your donations to complete these tasks! A new Virtual Tour of the Erland Lee Museum is now available on DVD. If you can't make it to Stoney Creek for a visit, we hope you will be able to enjoy the DVD tour. Thank you to the Friends of the Lee who helped fund the video and to the Smith family for making the video come alive. On February 19th, I'm sure most enjoyed a celebration of WI Day especially with donations of Books, Blankets and Bears to a worthy cause in your area. The Board will be meeting the week of April 23rd and we look forward to the Pancake Breakfast at the Museum on Saturday, April 28th. Thank you to everyone for doing your part to support the Plea for Your Lee and our efforts for Lyme Disease. We hope to make a donation to the University of Guelph on behalf of FWIO in June. Please be healthy and safe in the coming months and don't forget to have fun! Yours for Home and Country, Linda Zelem Mark your calendars! Board Meeting - April 25-27, 2018 FWIO Scholarships Applications due to FWIO by June 30, 2018 Woman of Excellence in Agriculture Award Nominations due to FWIO by June 30, 2018 Branch & District Officer Forms Due to FWIO by June 30, 2018 Membership Fees - Due to FWIO by June 30, 2018 FWIC Triennial Convention July 12-15, 2018 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by FWIO President Linda Zelem Voice DEER RIDGE "Deer Ridge" - The Erland Lee (Museum) Home and FWIO Provincial Office are situated on the ridge of the Niagara Escarpment in Stoney Creek. It is an idyllic setting with deer often accompanying the beautiful scenery. 3