After I agreed to teach a journalism class again next fall at University of Albany, I vowed to take on fewer extra-curricular activities.

Then Lyn Whaley called.

“Stacie will co-chair if you co-chair,” said the incoming president of Soroptimist International of Saratoga County.

She was talking about the group’s 2013 Secret Gardens Tour, for which work begins now. She made the same pitch, in reverse, to Stacie Mayette Barnes.

It worked.

First of all, the Secret Gardens Tour raises several thousand dollars for terrific programs and projects, including Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Services of Saratoga County. And people seem to really enjoy the event.

Second of all, I am proof that you can be a lousy gardener but a successful garden tour organizer. This will give me more excuses for not weeding – or planting anything, for that matter. How long can I leave a bad of dirt in my yard and still make people think I am about to plant something?

Third, I dare you to say no to Lyn Whaley. I can’t. She does so much, how can I claim to be too busy? A longtime fixture in the Saratoga Springs school system, for years she provided The Saratogian with promising interns from the high school. And for years I’ve been a customer at her family dry cleaning business, Cudney’s. Besides, it was I who asked her to be a Soroptimist a while back.

Fourth, I will enjoy working with Stacie, whom you may know from Home Made Theater. We had a pre-meeting meeting earlier this week, and with an active committee and assistance from garden tour veterans, it will be another great year.

A great tour depends on great gardens, of course. So if you have any suggestions for gardens for next July’s 19^th annual tour, and any feedback from this or prior years on the tour, drop me a line.

Saturday afternoon was a win-win for me.

I was among the 300-plus people lucky enough to be charmed in person by Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” at the Soroptimist Cabin Fever luncheon at the Saratoga Springs Holiday Inn. She was entertaining and impressive. And nice! Even before being introduced, as the event was just getting under way, she unexpectedly and spontaneously stood on a chair and auctioned off a signed poster of herself and a signed book, which went for $500 and $200 respectively, all going to the day’s fundraiser. By the way, she took a run through Saratoga Springs Saturday morning, and announced to the audience that she plans to come back with her family.

Someone who was at the event e-mailed me unhappy that the caption with the photo from the event that The Saratogian published Sunday made mention of her spilling caviar on the crotch of a world leader as a kid. That was my caption, in which I also tried to capture the more serious gist of her talk. But a lot of it consisted of entertaining stories growing up as the daughter of a national security adviser and a sculptor. (Hey, I didn’t mention her mom’s road kill meal in the caption.)

One of the especially interesting aspects of “Morning Joe” is the way news is discussed intelligently but not “objectively” in the traditional news sense. You know who’s a Democrat, a Republican, a Conservative, and it’s OK. In fact, it’s good. They aren’t pretending to be objective. And they are civil in their give and take.

The other reason this was a “win” for me was that my dad, Jerry Shrager, a big Mika fan, was able to attend the luncheon. He got a book (addressed, at his request, to “Barbara’s Dad”) and a hug. If I can figure out how to do this, I will attach the picture to this blog entry!