Patricia Blaikie

Tell us about your role with the Cleveland Historical Society and Museum.

I was not involved in the Cleveland Historical Society from its beginning. But the day I came in, I got a lifetime membership, because I knew this was something I was very interested in. I became a board member. My friend Pat Mange had been president, but she left around the middle of 2022. We came to a board meeting to elect a new president, and I think I sat on the wrong side of her, because I became the president! <laughs> We are fortunate to have a collection of great artifacts and history. The city has been very gracious with us and our facility.

Share what’s next for the organization.

I have a lot of ideas. I used to be on the board of trustees for the Brazosport Museum of Natural Science, and I helped with a lot of the displays and research there. One of my best co-workers/volunteers is Rose Owens (who is also strong on genealogy). She is the Curator of Museum Collections, and she also has been and is instrumental in helping implement new ideas.

Our hope is to get younger folks interested in history. History is now! Just having the first history camp—by next year, that’s history! If we don’t start getting younger people interested in preserving history, we are going to lose it.

The Cleveland Historical Society will also celebrate its 20th anniversary in October, and we are working toward a special event at the Museum to commemorate the occasion.

You have other community involvement as well.

Recently, I became president of the board of the Cleveland

We are having a history camp at the Cleveland Historic Museum on July 10th (K - 2nd grade) and July 12th (3rd - 5th grade). Anyone interested can call me at (281) 224-4682 for information.

Senior Citizen Center. My dad was on the first board that started the group in 1987. He really instilled a spirit of volunteerism in me. On and off through my life, I had always been involved in volunteering, delivering Meals on Wheels and such. We have a new director there now, and we are trying to get some money raised to help with debt incurred keeping things going during Covid. My husband George Blaikie and my son Michael Blaikie both do AC work, and they repaired a unit and an ice machine on the building—they volunteer, too… whether they want to or not!

Tell us about growing up.

I was born at Fort Bliss, Texas. We went all over the place due to the military. We landed in Houston, before my parents decided to move to get away from the big city. I started in the fourth grade here, and I have lived in Cleveland pretty much ever since. I was brought up with no electricity or running water when we first moved here. One of my grandsons asked me, “What’s going to happen when the Zombie Apocalypse hits, and we have to live without electricity or internet?” I told him, “I’ve lived through it. I know what to do.”

In the 1960s, I did go to “find myself.” I went to Woodstock; I danced in New Orleans; I actually hitchhiked to every state in the United States. But when my first daughter was born, I came back to Cleveland and settled.

My mother was killed in a car accident when I was 16, and my dad later remarried a widow, Grace Childers, whose family owned the Liberty Café in Cleveland. We had a definite mother/daughter relationship, and she taught me a lot, and a lot about Cleveland history.

Sounds like family is important to you.

We have a large family. We fostered in the past, and some of their offspring I consider mine. At one point, we actually had 12 teenagers in our house for two years…and I still have hair! So, I’m happy. I’m also raising two of my 18 great-grandchildren, Katy (10) and Angel (6).

That’s impressive. Raising two younger children can be a fulltime job itself. Do you have any spare time for hobbies?

I’m an artist, also. When I traveled the nation “finding myself,” I saw a lot of art and drew in the knowledge of art a lot of people would talk to me about. I used to belong to several art leagues and had a studio across from the Texan Theatre. I have many avenues of art that I like to do. I love watercolor, as well as a technique called Zentangle (pattern art). I do collage; I do found art (everyday objects converted into art). I love encaustic (wax) art. I wish I could do more art now, but I just don’t have time with raising these kids.

You are involved in so much! You must take good vitamins. I’m waiting right now to have a heart valve repair that will give me more energy…I’m not going to rust.

The Garden Post

By Kim Bius

Summer is Here!

With so many fun things to do and places to see, summer gardening needs to be relaxed, carefree and enjoyable. To get to “carefree,” here are a few tips to keep your gardening chore list on the lighter side.

Hi-Yield Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper is a must. This granular preemergent will kill all seeds in the soil to a 5” depth, so be careful to only apply to sod or garden beds where reseeding annuals are not an issue. Apply after cleaning the bed, and you will notice NO new seed germination for 30-45 days. For weeds that are above ground, use Fertilome Weed Free Zone. This is a liquid “selective” herbicide and will not affect established St. Augustine sod. Read the label; many plants are tolerant of the herbicide and can be over-sprayed. Ensure the sprinkler system is off and no rainfall for 48 hours to give the herbicide time to absorb and to obtain maximum “kill” rate.

Headed out of town for a 7-10 day vacation?

Place pot plants in a heavily shaded area in a round, plastic kiddie pool with 1” of water-or place in a heavily shaded area (even if sun lovers) where the sprinkler system will hit 4x a week. Ensure your sprinkler system is in working order before leaving for an extended period (and that it will “kick back on” if the power goes out).

Love summer color, but not so great at remembering to water several times a week?

Try purslane, portulaca, or ice plant. These hardy, sun loving, blooming annuals make excellent hanging baskets and pot plants (also great companion color for rock beds areas with a xeriscape design or limited water). If deer are a problem, consider vinca (periwinkle), lantana, or plumbago.

It is time to move petunia, geraniums, and calibrochoa baskets/pot plants into areas with morning sun and no direct sunlight after 12:30 pm. Some of these plants will need to be pruned back to the rim of the basket or pot (due to becoming leggy). Fertilize with Osmocote 14-14-14 for a slow-release formula that will last till August.

Keep a keen eye out for chinch bug in the lawn and spider mites on tropicals. This is definitely their favorite time of year. Both can be treated with a systemic granular or liquid organic. Fertilome Triple Action Plus is an excellent organic insecticide, miticide, and disease control that can be used up until the day of harvest. It can also be applied bimonthly as a preventative.

Keep tropicals fertilized monthly, and remember to only use hibiscus food on hibiscus. These beauties can be killed with high phosphorous fertilizer. Phosphorous content needs to be 5% or lower (save the Super Bloom for your blooming annuals).

Plant pumpkin seeds now for a Halloween harvest. Kids love watching them grow!

Enjoy outdoor time, because the next time we visit, it will be fall gardening time! Happy Gardening.