Hobbies
Building Better Gardens
“April is the cruelest month. . .” so starts T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land.” The lines that follow it are depressing in their upside-down imagery of what we typically think of April. Yet, those words crossed my mind many times this past April what with temperatures going up and down, cold winds blowing against newly emerging foliage, and even freezing rain nipping at tulips and daffodils. It’s a strange start to our 2024 spring. In that regard, I want to pass along several ideas you might like to consider trying out in your garden or yard.
Some of you may be familiar with www.instructables.com, a web site where amateurs show, in step-by-step fashion, how to build whatever it is they’ve posted. My friend and fraternity brother Dan, has many instructibles related to our garden endeavors. I’m going to highlight a few of his along with several others worth considering. Do you have limited space in which to plant vegetables? One of Dan’s latest ideas is to grow squash vertically. Yes, rather than having yards and yards of vines snaking across the ground, use the space above the garden! Go to www.instructables.com/id/Grow-Squash-Vertically/ where, in two easy steps Dan shows how to get the squash to go up. By his own reckoning, “[my] vertical squash plants produced 51 squashes from just 12 square feet of garden space.” If growing squash isn’t to your liking, try gourds and then go to www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Gourd-Birdhouse/ to see just how easy they are to create. I’ve made many past gourd bird houses and I can confirm that birds do nest in them. For those who grow pole beans or sugar snap peas or any vining vegetable, you might like Dan’s idea of a garden pyramid to add both function and interest to the garden. Yes, it may be easier to lash some poles together and use mesh, but this instructible looks to be fun to make. Look it up at www.instructables.com/id/Garden-Pyramid/. Finally, I’m trying an idea I recently learned about from Dan B., a Master Gardener and now a friend I met in Missouri. We were visiting at my house which has a lot of wooded area around my house, and he asked me if I’d ever heard of “hugelkultur.” With an obvious puzzled look, I pled total ignorance. The simplest description would be a mound consisting of logs and branches on the bottom followed by layers of organic material like grass clippings, pruned shrubbery, compost, and other organic matter. In Eastern Europe where hügelkultur originated, these mounds could be four feet wide, eight feet long and several feet high. Plants would then be grown right in the mound. I’m taking a slightly different approach and building my mound with a 4 x 8 raised metal planter. My grandson has begun scouring my woods for rotting logs and deadfall while I’ve added various piles of compost and soil. Eventually this pile will be about 16” high and then I will add a planting mix bought in bulk from a local landscape company. I realize by description may be difficult to comprehend so I suggest you check out this link from the Vego Company where I purchased my raised garden. vegogarden.com/blogs/academy/start-your-hugelkultur-garden-beginner-s-guide?_pos=3&_psq=hugel&_ss=e&_v=1.0. Another excellent site that shows building a hügelkultur mound in a raised metal bed can be found at www.news-herald.com/2022/04/05/hugelkultur-a-different-approach-to-raised-beds-mounds/. In fact, if you simply type “hügelkultur” into your search bar and then click on the “Image” button at the top of the page you’ll be able to see many visuals of hügelkultur beds. Whatever you may do, this spring, get out and try some new ideas to make your gardening easier. This Little Dog Has a Lot of Moxie
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: I adopted a small mutt from the local shelter and named her “Moxie.” She’s adorable but really energetic. She’ll actually jump straight up in the air as high as my waist! She also tugs hard at the leash when we walk. How do I tame all of this energy? — Janice F., Hyde Park, New York
DEAR JANICE: Congratulations on your new pet! Moxie sounds like a bundle of joy. But I can understand that all her energy can be tiring. In addition to walks twice a day (or more, if you can swing it), give Moxie plenty of puppy toys to play with at home, and spend time with her on the floor just playing fetch and helping her work off more of that energy. She may also respond very well to a consistent schedule of walks, feeding and bedtime (yes, bedtime). Build certain predictable routines around each of these events. When it’s time for a walk, call Moxie and have her sit while you put on her leash. During walks, keep the leash short and work on the “heel” command. But when in a safe, open area, give Moxie more room on the leash to explore. When it’s bedtime, create a routine that is the same every night — one that is positive, with a little play time and a signal to settle down and rest (such as turning down the lights). Now, if Moxie’s energetic behavior is morphing into something more serious, like destroying furniture or being aggressive toward other dogs or humans on walks, that’s a problem you’ll need to address as soon as possible. Talk to Moxie’s vet about ways to reduce her hyperactivity and anxiety (if those are the causes). If she isn’t responding to basic behavioral training, hire a trainer to help. |
Regency style
Kovels.com
Although it was made in the 20th century, this wine rack brings Regency style into a modern setting.
Furniture revivals have taken place since at least the 19th century and probably earlier. New technology made earlier ornate styles easier and less expensive to make, and therefore more accessible to the average buyer. Some are difficult to distinguish from authentic pieces. If you see the word “style” in a description, it is probably a copy or revival piece, not an authentic piece from the period.
For example, this wine rack is described as “Regency style.” It was made in the 20th century, not the Regency period, and it sold for $813 at New Orleans Auction Galleries. The Regency period was from 1811 to 1820 in England, when King George III’s son served as Prince Regent. The corresponding American furniture period is American Empire. Both Regency and Empire were influenced by classical art of ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt. Mahogany was a favorite wood. This wine rack imitates mahogany with a dark stain on pine wood. The wine rack has a brass gallery on top and ring handles on the sides, features that can be seen on authentic pieces from the Regency period. • • • Q: I have an L.C. Smith typewriter, serial number is “1386874B.” Are old manual typewriters worth anything? A: Lyman C. Smith and his brothers made guns before they made typewriters. They started making a few typewriters in their gun shop after 1884. In 1887, they sold the gun business and founded Smith Premier Typewriter Co. in Syracuse, New York. It became L.C. Smith & Bros. Typewriter Co. in 1903. The company merged with Corona Typewriter Co. in 1925 to become L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriter Co. Personal computers replaced typewriters in most homes, schools and offices beginning in the 1980s. Smith-Corona no longer makes typewriters; it now makes thermal labels. The serial number on your typewriter indicates it was made in 1937. Some old typewriters are collectible and sell for a few hundred dollars. A few rare typewriters sell for more than $1,000. Many common old typewriters sell for $20 to $50. • • • TIP: To clean furniture, dip your dusting cloth in 1/2 cup of vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil. • • • CURRENT PRICES Pottery jar, San Ildefonso, black matte, carved designs with inset turquoise, rounded form, Juan Tafoya, 5 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches, $115. Quilt, pieced, nine-patch pattern, 16 squares, each with nine yellow diamond patches, blue and yellow sawtooth border, white ground, Pennsylvania, 1910, 72 x 72 inches, $260. Daum dish, frog on a lily pad, pate de verre glass, irregular shape with figural frog on rim, green shaded to yellow to gold, marked Daum France, 2 3/8 x 6 x 6 inches, $500. Poster, travel, Meeting of the Chiefs, Native American man on horseback, rock formations in background, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Co., copyright 1949, 18 x 24 inches, $620. © 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.
Cremer's BratsIngredients
12 Cremer’s Homemade Brats 2 or 3 Large Onions Directions Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Slice onions into 1/2” thick slices, layer a baking dish with onions and place Cremer’s Homemade Lean Brats on bed of onions. Pour enough water to cover onions. Cover and bake for one hour. Remove brats from oven and place on medium-hot grill until you have grill marks (5–10 minutes). You can also chill brats and use them at a later time, throwing them on grill to heat through to an internal temp of 165° (10– 15 minutes). |