Local woman advocates seniors to embrace the outdoors
Although in her 80s, Patsy Moore attributes her longevity to an active lifestyle and love of the outdoors.
The Lantanas she annually plants has been a mainstay on Country Club Road for more than 30 years.
“We were the third house built in the area and whoever developed this built this rock planter,” Moore said. “My next door neighbor, Noel Hunt, and I came down and started planting in this bed. We planted desert plants first, and they wouldn’t do. She started getting busy with other things so I just starting planting Lantanas.”
Moore described the Lantanas as a hearty plant that requires virtually no care, aside from the occasional watering. Noticing the unique, yellow flowers on their way home, neighbors soon took interest in the flower bed and chipped in on the project in whatever way the could. Over the years, Lance Sprague and recent Olney High School graduate Hannah Taylor assisted Moore in making the country club area a bit brighter.
“It’s been here for years,” Moore said. “I pull them up in the winter because they die, but I have one in my bed that comes back every year. I pull them up and replant them. It’s not a whole lot of trouble.”
Moore did not shy away from stressing the importance of seniors staying active after retirement and focus on outdoor activities. She and her husband, David Moore, retired after moving to Olney and remained active members of the community until David’s passing in 2011. Moore, an avid golfer, said working outdoors helped her cope with the loss. Although a recent citywide uptick in rattlesnake encounters made her scale back her gardening projects, she continues gardening and playing the links of the Olney Recreation Association Country Club golf course.
“My husband died five years ago and both of us loved to be outdoors,” Moore said. “We played a lot of golf and worked in our yard. It’s good. With my husband gone now, it’s extra beneficial for me to get outdoors. It’s not good for my finger nails, but I still do it. It’s something simple and I cannot kill them.”
She added that she looks to continue her annual tradition as long as she can.
“I don’t do it for praise, I just love to be outdoors,” Moore said. “It’s a project I started way, way back and I just want to keep it going as long as I’m able.”
Taylor, who currently attends Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, said she looks forward to seeing the flowers every spring and hopes to continue assisting Moore for years to come.
“It’s really nice. I always look forward to seeing her out here,” Taylor said. “The past couple of years, when we had a really bad drought, is when I had to water them the most. They still didn’t need that much care. Lately, I have not had to water them because we have had a lot of rain. I just like to come and keep them going. They are so pretty and grow so fast. I love it. I like seeing her out here.”