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Obliterating the Unthinkable Horror of Winterkill

Evergreens stay green all winter, thus their name and appeal. However, last year I discovered that there are no guarantees on that whole green through the winter bit. Evergreens often undergo negative changes during the winter known as winterkill. When winterkill occurs the leaves or needles on certain parts of the plant turn yellow or brown, this is especially common for branches that get the full brunt of the wind.
I’ve never heard of an Everyellow or an Everbrown, but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be big sellers, which is why I wasn’t pleased when parts of several of my evergreens turned brown over last winter. The poor things looked pretty pathetic come spring with their dead pieces, like the plant versions of balding men. Hence, I decided that this winter will be different. There will be no winterkill! Extremely spoiled plants, such as mine, should never have to suffer that humiliation and discomfort!

Here I am giving a euonymous some lovely mulch.

However, before I could attempt to halt winterkill I had to figure out exactly what caused it. Here’s what I found out: Although evergreens don’t really enjoy the freezing temperatures of winter, what they really can’t stand is how thirsty they become during that frigid season. Yes, evergreen winterkill is primarily caused by plants drying out, cold dry wind intensifies this problem, and therefore the sides of plants facing the wind typically have more issues. My skin’s so dry it could be mistaken for a snake’s during winter; it makes sense that plants have similar problems.

It was a cold day for mulching. Jason turned on the patio heater to warm me up.

The solution? Mulching and monthly watering through the frosty season. I honestly had no idea what “mulch” was until I bought some for this purpose. Evidentially there are different types of mulch but the kind I bought was basically just little pieces of bark. To “mulch” you place a 2 or 3 inch thick ring of mulching material around your plant. (Don’t put mulch right next to the bark of a plant; they don’t like that.) The mulch helps keep the soil temperature more constant and retains water, kind of like a nice wet blanket. Now doesn’t that sound comfy? As for watering monthly during winter…yeah…that seems like it will be a really fun task but I am going to give it a try. I hope my efforts will make a big difference. I will report on my success this spring. Here’s to some snug, moist, and happy plants! Bring on the green!

Rachel November 10, 2009 No Comments

A Gray Day

Jason and I went to a David Gray concert yesterday with my friend Robyn and her husband Shon. We had a delightful time! Robyn is definitely a “kindred spirit”. She and I have a lot of the same interests and viewpoints so we get along splendidly and never run out of things to discuss. Our men seem to jive well together too. (Man-date possibilities?)

a truly awful picture of me — Jason told me and Robyn to look frenzied like teeny boppers for this picture but instead I look like one of those skeletons in children's Halloween shows that can disconnect their jaw. I guess it's my turn to look like an idiot in a picture for once.

David Gray and his band looked very classy and professional. They all wore suits. — David Gray and his band looked very classy and professional; they all wore suits. The show was excellent.

Rachel November 3, 2009 No Comments

Freaky Festivities

Every year we undertake a maddening endeavor: a Halloween party of such magnitude that only those with questionable sanity would attempt it. Okay, maybe it’s not quite elaborate enough to be a product of lunacy, but it’s a ridiculous amount of work: sewing costumes, decorating every possible surface of two floors of our house, buying and wrapping prizes, organizing games and contests. Preparations start months in advance and cleanup takes weeks if we are diligent and months if we are not. If you can’t imagine how putting on such an event would take so much time it’s because you have never tried it.

This graveyard, made up of the basement boxes that — Jason converted the boxes in our basement to this graveyard. I had my doubts about how it would turn out but I was pleased with the results.

I dressed-up this year as Aphrodite; Jason went as Ares the god of war. — I dressed-up this year as the Greek goddess Aphrodite; Jason went as Ares, the god of war. As usual, I sewed both our costumes.

Here's my — Here are my goddess locks. Not too shabby considering I did the “do” myself.

This is my friend Robyn, I mean Leia, and her kiddies. Robyn won the best costume prize this year.

These decorations weren't too impressive but I liked how this picture turned out. — These decorations aren’t too impressive but I like how this picture turned out.

Jason and Drew A.K.A. Ares and Mark Antony. And yes, Jason does have a giant helmet.

Decorating for this party is the most time-consuming task. Our Halloween decorations fill over 20 giant Rubbermaid containers. Just locating and organizing the items we want to use is quite an ordeal. But the hardest part of decorating is trying to arrange the same decorations into something different every year. Coming up with good décor ideas for each area in our house is hard; coming up with distinct good ideas every year is nearly impossible.

This little mouse in a teacup was my — This little mouse, peaking out of a teacup, is my most favorite of the decoration ideas I came up with this year. For some reason I really dig it.

Jason's — Jason’s parents, Keith and Sue, dressed in 50’s attire. The stitches on Sue’s nose are not part of her costume. She fell a couple of days before our party and broke her nose in two places.

Jenn as Alice and Strider the Mad Hatter. Jenn made these fabulous costumes.

My brother, Drew, came as Mark Antony and his wife, Simone, came as his lover Cleopatra. — My brother Drew came as Mark Antony and his wife, Simone, came as Cleopatra, Antony’s lover.

I created this pirate's lair to hide some basement boxes. — I created this pirate’s lair to hide some basement boxes.

We love Halloween, which is why we take on this arduous chore year after year. All the work is worth it (in theory) when our friends and family show up decked-out in their costume inventions ready for some fiendish merriment. I especially enjoy watching the little kids, at least the ones that aren’t absolutely horrified by the Halloween paraphernalia, go from decoration to decoration muttering “wow” and “look at this one”. We’re glad to be part of the magic of Halloween even if it’s a lot of hard work, not magic, that makes it happen.