Founding member remembered

For the past 20 plus years, Green River has had a pond tour, but some may not know how it really got started.

The pond tour started with two families Wiley and the late Toni Morgan, and Lamar and Eileen Greene. With Toni passing away in the Spring, it seemed fitting for the Green River Pond and Garden Tour Committee to designate $1,058 raised through this year's raffle toward the purchase of a tree and plaque in honor of Toni. The plaque and tree will be placed along the Greenbelt.

On Saturday, Wiley Morgan was busy greeting pond tour visitors and answering any questions they might have about his trees, pond or flowers. He even offered to give some seeds in the fall to those who wanted the kinds of flowers he had for their own gardens. One of the most popular was a vibrant yellow, tall daisy or mum looking flower. Wiley said he didn't know what kind of flower it was because that was one the birds brought in, however it grows really easily and he'd be happy to give anyone seeds from it if they wanted any.

Although Wiley seemed to enjoy himself, it was his first pond tour without his wife.

He said it's hard to live without someone who's been in your life for 60 years, which is about how long he and Toni were married. Yet, he has to carry on. He said he knows she's in a better place and no longer has to suffer from Parkinson's Disease.

The pond tour was something he and Toni enjoyed doing together. He talked about how the whole pond and garden tour got started. He said many may now know it was an interview with a newspaper reporter, much like the one he was having, that got the ball rolling.

Wiley said the reporter was interviewing him about the grapes he grew in his yard. When the reporter asked if there was anything else he wanted to add, Wiley said "I'm going to put in a pond."

"That's how it all started," Wiley said.

Back then, Wiley didn't know if others in town had ponds or if he was starting something new, but he wanted one and so did his wife. Wiley said his wife enjoyed listening to the calming sounds of the water flowing into the ponds.

Once Wiley showed an interest in putting a pond in his backyard he spoke with another couple, the Greens' who had a similar interest. The Greens told Wiley they have a pond and said he could come over and look at it so he could get ideas on how to make his. Soon they were meeting and encouraging others to do the same.

Wiley then pointed to a pond in his backyard, which was made out out two wooden barrels and said he built that pond in 1990. While looking at the pond, a bird flew down, sat on the ledge of the barrel and drank water.

He then went around the garden talking about the various trees he's planted over the years, including maple, cherry, plum, apricot, apple and elder berry. The plum tree, which was the smallest, was one of the first trees he planted. Wiley said it never produced any fruit because it was a plum tree for a zone 6 area not zone 5 or 4, which is what Green River is in.

The apricot tree hasn't bore any fruit either. Wiley said it seems like every time it's full of blossoms, the area has a late frost, which freezes the blossoms. The apple trees, cherry trees and elder berry tree produce fruit, which he is happy to eat or make syrup out of. Wiley said he enjoys making syrup out of the cherry and elder berry trees. He said the key to making those types of syrup is to just keep adding sugar until it tastes good.

"I put it on pancakes," he said about the syrup.

With all the trees in Wiley's backyard, it's no surprise why the pond and garden committee decided to purchase a tree in remembrance of Toni. Wiley said he doesn't know what kind of a tree the group is going to buy for her.

"It's a secret," he said.

He also doesn't know where the tree and plaque are going to be placed along the Greenbelt. He was just told it couldn't be planted until the Green River went down a little more.