We moved into our tiny cottage in town on February 24th, probably the bleakest time of year in the Ozarks. The bright palette of Autumn was long gone and only a few tattered brown remnants of Summer’s glory clung defiantly to their spindly branches. Our lawn was a barren rocky wasteland and an untidy collection of shrubs, vines and adolescent trees spanned the back property line. I was determined to tear out that eyesore at the first possible chance. I envisioned a neat privacy fence with dwarf fruit trees artfully espaliered against it..

But time has a way of slipping by and this spring seemed to move in fast forward. That “useless” collection of wildness has burst forth with life. The sweet pink blooms of the redbud were followed by delicate edible pods. Honeysuckle and wild grape twine among the shrubbery. Thorny blackberry stems push infant fruit toward the sun. There is even a half buried mulberry tree laden with tiny pale green fruit.

Perhaps instead of tearing out the entire line, I should work with Nature and just open a little space here and there to let the plants I want to cultivate thrive. I may replace some of the sickly elms with currents, blueberries, or other shrubs that are happy at the edge of the woods, protected from the scorching sun by their larger cousins. Hopefully I will never forget that I nearly took out those lovely wild food trees because I didn’t seen them in the tangle of everything else..

Your database can also get overgrown and tangled. This may prevent you from seeing the real jewels among the stones. But there is a way to “weed” out your database without having to delete any information. Most of you know that inactive Donors show up in red. But did you know that you can ask FundRaiser not to show any inactive Donors on the Masterlist? Simply click on EDIT>SHOW ACTIVE ONLY. This will hide all those red inactive records, letting the true jewels shine..

As always, if you have any questions, please contact FundRaiser Technical Support at 800-543-4131 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..