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We
have a lot of things to do for the garden in December along with outside
the house chores.
Make
sure the remaining leaves are raked and composted. Get your large
containers for water ready to warm your cold frames and citrus trees. Make
sure your thermal blankets are in good repair. Remember to check all hose
bibs to make sure they are leak free. Be prepared to drain all garden
hoses and exposed irrigations piping in case of freezing temperatures.
Clean your gutters.
It
was such a pleasant November; I was able to take cuttings from all six
varieties of my hydrangeas. The cuttings are in the cold frame with bottom
heat and condensation moisture right now. I checked them the other day and
they have callused well, but I still haven’t spotted a root on them.
They’ll be fine as long as we keep these relatively nice growing days.
Now
for those of you who celebrate your holidays with an indoor tree think
about doing this.
A
lot of families I have gotten to know are now buying living trees instead
of dying trees for their celebrations. They have told me they started a
new tradition with their families by keeping a living tree inside during
the family gatherings and then they have another family ritual later on by
planting the live tree on their property or in a public area that has been
pre-designated by the local authorities. I think this is a wonderful way
to preserve the tradition of the holidays while doing something great for
the environment and maybe even a local park.
Living
trees, I am told by tree farmers, cost about the same as cut trees. The
balled and burlapped trees don’t loose needles like the cut trees. AND…putting
holiday lights on a living tree indoors is like putting them on an outdoor
tree. It’s much safer!
Still,
if you choose to buy your holiday tree from the local vendors, you can
also benefit the environment by keeping it out of the landfills. Many
local governments offer free tree pickup and recycling. You gotta love the
Boy Scouts of America for their efforts and positive contributions to our
society!
I
was wondering if I’ll have a white Christmas like a couple of friends of
mine. They took off for Cancun, Mexico in November and I think they’ll
be gone for two weeks! They will certainly have white stuff under their
feet! I wonder if they’ll hang Christmas lights on a palm tree like they
do in that Cerveza commercial I see on TV?
Oh,
well. I guess I’ll just stay here and watch 24 hours of Ralphie again on
TBS! Secret…it’s the only redeeming thing to me about the season.
Besides, Puff The Cat, my 23-pound Maine Coon, enjoys the attention as I
scratch his head and watch the show!
Happy
Winter Solstice everybody! I’ll see y’all next year!
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