Come On Honey, I'm Bored

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - everywhere I go.  Well, perhaps not everywhere.  In the wild Midwest (the Midwest isn't all that wild - but the wildlife in the Midwest): 

Raccoons den up and breed during snow storms.  Mr. Raccoon, "Come here honey, I'm bored."

North American bats hibernate.  Screech and Barred owls call (should you be outside in the evening).  Gray squirrels start mating and continue through February (talk about busy).  Red fox and raccoons breed.  Evening grosbeaks visit feeders.  Unbred does enter second estrus.  Badgers will dig up, kill and eat hibernating woodchucks.  Rabbits use abandoned dens during heavy snow.  Bald eagles move toward open water at locks and dams.  Skunks sleep during weather of 15 degrees or colder.  Beaver feed on sapling reserves.  Whitetails form winter groups.  Canada geese start migrating into southern Illinois.

All this breeding during the cold winter months is not all that different than humans.  The month where most U.S. babies are born is September - during that cold snowy dark winter, men say, "Come on honey, I'm bored."

On December 1st, we entered into the Meteorological Winter or the three coldest months of the year.  Temperatures usually drop at least 10 degrees (on average) during December.  The average snow for the month is 8.4 inches.  2000 saw 32.9 inches.  1889 saw none.  We are currently below average.

The record low temperature for December was minus 24 degrees in 1924 and the record high was 71 degrees in both 1970 and 1982.  Typical average lows are 17-25 degrees and average highs 32 - 41 degrees. 

I'll be looking forward to year end averages and comparisons.  Right now I'm like the rest of the little kids in the Midwest:  I'm wishing for snow for Christmas.

Here's a funny from the facebook page of "The Heirloom Gardener - John Forti"  Whole lot of work for a joke, but, I sure did enjoy his humor. 

Hundreds gather to protest global warming!

Yupiq

(This is a photo taken from Ah Alaska Blog - eat your heart out fishermen everywhere!) Our nation is so very diverse and this little Christmas video points that out so clearly.  Looks so cold I almost wanted to get a sweater while watching.  It's refreshing to see a video with faces etched by the elements, work and normalcy of neighbors.  (Don't you just get tired of everyone on TV looking perfectly plastic?)
I looked at the coordination and song the first time around, the next time the surroundings and the last time I looked at the faces.  Good job Village of Quinhagak - nice Christmas present to us all. 

And as far as gardening - wow - that would be some tough lessons learned to grow what we traditionally think of as gardens.  A place I'd like to visit and get to know.   Here's a few facts:
This video from the Yupiq Eskimo Village of Quinhagak, Alaska, population 669.  The village dates back to 1000 AD.  Over 96% of the population is Native Americans.  Over 27% of the families are below the poverty line. 

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Native Village of Kwinhagak (aka Quinhagak). The community is primarily Yup'ik Eskimos who fish commercially and are active in subsistence food gathering. The sale, importation, and possession of alcohol is banned in the village.  Almost half the households haul water and use honeybuckets. 

There is one school with 225 students and it's mostly the 5th grade class in this video filmed in 2010 by teacher Jim Barthelman.  Check out his BLOG "Ah Alaska!" at http://www.jsbarthelman.blogspot.com  and check out www.adn.com the Alaska Daily Newspaper.
 
(This is his photo of a 10 p.m. sunset on April 15th - they are having 14 1/2 hours of sun a day.)  Quinhagak is located in a marine climate a mile from the Bering Sea coast. They average 43 inches of snowfall a year. Summer temperatures average 41 to 57 °F, and winter temperatures average 6 to 24 °F. Extremes have been measured from 82 to -34 °F.

Now you know the rest of the story - enjoy the great video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LyviyF-N23A

Say What??

Was reading a little ditty on hardiness zones and low and behold (whatever that means), the zone boundaries have changed.  Seems they haven't been revised in years.  The Arbor Day folks did an average and have revised zone boundaries.  It's not a huge difference although it might encourage some of us on the edge to try something not quite as hardy as we previously experimented.

I've always thought my particular bit of land verged towards the colder zone.  We were listed as zone 5 and I've found anything planted on the west/north/east better be pretty darn hardy to Zone 4.  On the south side of the house, we have fences, bushes, trees and lots of winter growth - we can occasionally over-winter an annual or two. 

To the right of this blog, you will find a link to the hardiness zone finder.  Click on it and enter your zip code.

Remember:  Hardiness zones are "guides" not gospel.  Most garden spaces have a number of hardiness zones depending on the lay of the land, sun/shade exposure, wind/windbreaks, soil composition, and mulch.

2006 arborday.org Hardiness Zone Map

 

The Smells of Christmas

WAIT!  Isn’t that supposed to be the “Sounds of Christmas”?  Certain smells just might be as important to your Christmas memories as that favorite yuletide carol.

Think a moment, what fragrances bring a feeling of Christmas even if it’s the middle of June? 

I’ve talked about the human sense of smell and how it is the strongest memory provoking sense we humans share.  Seriously, fry up a piece of bacon and try to keep the smile off your face.

The candle and oil industries have made a fortune scenting our homes.  Something perfume manufacturers knew for thousands of years. 

Let’s take the fragrances most likely to invoke a holiday memory:

·         Pine:  Even if we don’t want the mess of a live Christmas tree anymore, most of us love the smell of fresh pine in our homes. 

·         Pumpkin pie:  This is the dominate smell of cloves and cinnamon.

 ·         Sugar Cookie:  This is essentially the smell of vanilla.  Vanilla invokes comfort.    

 ·         Peppermint:  Peppermint oil is strong and easily resembles candy canes.

 ·         Orange or Tangerine:  For me, this is the smell of Christmas morning when I’d find one of these citrus fruits in my stocking.  As they are peeled, the fragrance fills the entire room.

 Often the cheaper man made fragrances have a chemical smell.  It’s why the more expensive candles and oils still have good sales.  Recreating those fragrances in your home is pretty easy without much muss or fuss.

Pine is simple:  Cut a few boughs (or purchase) and strategically place in arrangements or simply in a vase.  Replace when they become dry.

Pumpkin pie:  Put one cup of water in a two cup measuring bowl.  Add a tablespoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon.  Heat in the microwave until your home is fragrant.  Try in 30 second intervals since it tends to boil over and you don’t want it to have a mess or scorched scent.  Open the microwave and let the scent fill your home – this container will be VERY hot at first.

Sugar Cookie:  Same as with the pumpkin, except only add one teaspoon of pure vanilla to the water instead of the spices. 

Peppermint:  Same as with the pumpkin, except only add one-half teaspoon of peppermint oil to the water instead of the spices.

Orange or Tangerine:  Peel a fruit and lay the peeling in a ceramic/glass saucer.  Hide behind something and let it scent the room for days.  Remove and replace when it starts to dry. 

And “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” fragrance now.

Jingle Jangle

Another home I've mentioned before in relation to their gardens is the David Davis Mansion, 100 Monroe Drive, Bloomington IL.  They also have Christmas tours until the end of this month 9am to 4 pm daily.   On December 17th, their evening tour of three historic homes (David Davis, Broadview & Mystery Mansions) are from 3-6 pm or 6-9 pm.  Visit the www.ChristmasAtTheMansion.com   for details.  The Davis home is fully restored. 

The interior photo of the Davis Mansion is from their web page.  The Broadview also has other Christmas events www.broadviewmansion.org 

Come see the Mansion dressed up for Christmas-Evening candle light tours! Reservations strongly recommended! Call (815) 224-5892 to reserve your tickets today!

The Hegeler Carus Mansion, 1307 Seventh St., LaSalle  www.hegelecarus.org is beautiful in the winter.  This fantastic photo of the Hegeler Carus Mansion was taken by Kemp Smith of the Newstribune and can be found on their facebook page.  The Holiday Christmas Lights Tours on December 9th - call for specifics.  This mansion isn't restored to original splendor, it is a glimpse at history and the tours and events lend a semblance to walking through a door to another era.

I tend to get a little festive and off "garden based" this time of the year.  I enjoy touring the grand old homes of historically significant families and visualizing their life during those times.

 For a rather different "tour" experience, the Frank Lloyd Wright's Kenneth Laurant home in Rockford, IL is up for auction (December 15th in Chicago).  Many of the original furnishings and a companion 1.2 acres designed landscape will come with the property.  The Laurant's are moving to an assisted living facility and historical preservationists hope to buy the home and turn it into a museum.  This photo is from the realtor's page.       

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011 * 3:00 to 8:00 PM

The annual Decatur IL "Historic  Christmas Tour" is all about eleven stops (both homes and other) and includes several events.  Check out www.decaturchristmastour.com

Most central Illinois communities have Christmas celebrations, lighting, and tours.  Pick a town, google Christmas celebrations or tours and hit the road. 

For the garden purist:  Many of the lovely historical homes have beautiful gardens - even in the winter.   A testimony to good design, the winter "bones" are ideas waiting for you to copy.  Most historic home tours will not allow inside photos, but, they do allow photos of the gardens.

Get your jingle jangle on and add a little festive touring to your December fun. 

Side note:  I simply could not get this article to apply facts where I wanted them.  Pardon the odd parts.    

Shop Small

Hoerr Nursery, Peoria, IL has a gift shop in addition to their greenhouse and nursery services.  www.hoerrnursery.com

Green View, Dunlap IL is like sightseeing your way through a winter wonderland.  www.greenview.com   In addition to things to buy, they have instruction sessions most Saturdays leading up to Christmas.   

Sunnyfield Nursery, Galva IL, has gift certificates available by calling 309-852-4172.  www.sunnyfield.com

Dew Fresh Market, Tenney St., Kewanee IL, has pine wreaths, garlands and greenery.  When they are sold out - they close until spring.

Prairie Country Gardens, Galva/Atkinson Blacktop, Galva IL, is taking orders for pine wreaths, garlands and grave blankets.  309-927-8177 for Diane Nelson.

Distinctive Gardens, Dixon IL, always has beautiful, unique and often handmade gifts and decorations.  Although you may be too late for this year, they offer Christmas decorating services.  www.distinctivegardensinc.com

Old Mill Gardens, Atkinson IL  OldMillGardens@yahoo.com has fresh green arrangements designed locally in addition to a large array of gifts and decorations.  Love those new dusk to dawn window candles.

Emma's Bloomers, Inc. in Annawan IL has locally made Christmas gifts and decorations including some pretty amazing handmade Santa's. 

The Illinois Department of Agriculture maintains a website promoting products made by Illinois food companies.  There are 200 listed featuring everything from gourmet coffee, chocolate, wine and cheese.    www.agr.state.il.us and then click on the right side of the page entitled Purchase Illinois Products Gift Items Online.                                                                                              

Many of the small towns are running the campaign "Shop Small" encouraging the public to do their Christmas shopping at the locally run mom and pop stores.  With the craziness of big box stores (can you say pepper spraying another shopper?) and the malls, I'm pretty satisfied with the long list of wonderful local offerings.  And - this is a big AND with me:  they are genuinely glad to see you in their store, appreciate your business and strive to make it a good shopping experience.  Your town may have other wonderful locally owned stores.  Shop small - shop locally!

Seasonal Entertainment

A few Christmas events happening in the neighborhood - all have some connection to gardening and gardeners.  Or, just a good time looking at the beautiful.



Everything, All At Once, Forever is an installation of new plastic debris sculptures created specifically for exhibition at the Figge Art Museum by Aurora Robson.  Runs through January 15, 2012.  www.figgeart.org

Among many things the Davenport IA museum store has are handmade lamp work flowers by Lithuanian artisans. 




The Missouri Botanical Garden www.missouribotanicalgarden.org  The Garden Gate Shop stocks home furnishings, plants, books, and garden accessories. Shaw Nature Reserve's Visitor Center has a wide selection of books for every interest and all ages.  The number of December activities could keep you busy for an entire week.

Johnson Sauk Trail State Park, located between Annawan and Kewanee on Route 78 has winter activities.   The summer hiking trails become 3 miles of cross country ski trails.  The hills are ideal for sledding and the lake is excellent for ice fishing or ice skating.  (Note:  all activities are unsupervised)

Bishop Hill, IL, an Illinois state historical site (see link to the right), has several holiday events including the Julmarknad Christmas Market on December 3 & 4.  Shops are decorated and have a variety of beautiful items.  Plus, hear special music, sample Swedish foods and stroll the streets and village park.

Side note:  Congratulations to Linda and Crystal, owners of "The Filling Station" restaurant in Bishop Hill the past 18 years. 

The Garden Conservancy    www.gardenconservancy.org   has numerous garden books, DVDs and their calender for sale. 

Most small towns have Christmas celebrations throughout December.  They offer winter entertainment and locally made gifts and food. 

Looking for a unique family gift: 

My friend, Nancy, is taking her brood on a weekend at Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort.  www.chestnutmtn.com


My nephew's family all gathered at a State Park for the holiday staying at the lodge which has a pool, restaurant and entertainment.  Check out:  Starved Rock State Park, Utica IL.

This is a beautiful park and they have a wonderful lodge.  Check the state's web site for particulars - such as when some things are closed due to hunting season.  www.starvedrocklodge.com

The area of LaSalle County, IL, has many interesting sites and December is chocked full of events.  Parks, water, mansions and great food.  www.enjoylasallecounty.com 


Many events are free - others require reservations.  Broaden your winter gardening experiences in your area of the world.  Sometimes the neighborhood events are pretty darn stellar.    

(all photos are from the mentioned web sites)