Sow There! Garden surprises and plants with friends, 2-23-2017

Posted on Thursday, February 23, 2017 by Heather Hacking

 Broccoli, found recently in the black, plastic truck bed liner/raised bed.

Broccoli, found recently in the black, plastic truck bed liner/raised bed. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

POSTED: 02/23/17, 12:29 PM PST | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO

Those folks who research consumer habits certainly have my number. Most markets place their seasonal plants just outside the front door.

Don’t be fooled. While it’s true plants need sunshine, and watering makes a mess, the real reason for the plant placement is to create an impulse buy.

Costco knows. Almost immediately after digging in my purse and flashing the membership card, I have bumped into a metal rack filled with spring bulbs. I would not doubt if the carts are equipped with magnets.

In my futuristic consumer nightmare, an iris scanner will register my shopping preferences, and my cart will be programmed toward flowers, chocolate and the free sample booths.

I have purchased enough bulbs and no longer have empty gardening containers. However, I’m sure the stores have more pots and potting soil in easy-to-find locations.

This week the gals at work planned a Galentine’s Day lunch (Valentine’s Day celebration just for women). The lunch-planner assured us we should not feel obligated to give gifts, however she planned to give us all gifts.

Naturally, the others on the lunch list strategized about the gifts we felt obligated to buy.

Chocolate was my first choice, but my cart bumped into the rack filled with primroses. If bought an entire flat — which means 12 four-inch potted primroses — this easily provided seven flowers for the gals and five for me.

The only reason that a five-foot-tall citrus tree did not jump into my cart is because I already had too much stuff in my car.

PRIMROSE PRIMER

Primrose is one of those guilt-free plants. They bloom for a long time in the container, which makes them nice for the office or kitchen table. My theory is that once the plant starts to look ragged, you can plant it in the yard and hope for the best. When Chico’s hot weather settles in, the cool season plants usually die, at least in my yard.

I’ve had success moving potted primrose to the shade, or planting near the base of a wall that blocks the afternoon sun. However, once it stops blooming it looks like miniature romaine lettuce.

What grows there

On my day off there was enough sunshine to remind me to harvest spinach and kale. After the Galentine’s Day candy, I need to consume only salad for the rest of the week.

When I harvested greens last week I nibbled some jagged leaves that tasted just a bit different. The seeds were planted in October by the Handsome Woodsman, and I assumed it was an obscure variety of lettuce. When I went to snip more this week, I saw the smallest, green florets.

He planted me broccoli.

After a few searches online I learned that eating broccoli leaves is something people do. They’re often cooked like collards and kale in butter and garlic. One ounce contains 90 percent of your daily Vitamin A and 43 percent of Vitamin C.

After you grow a broccoli plant, battle the slugs, squirt cabbage aphids with the hose, and expect the plant to bolt as soon as the weather warms, you certainly are going to eat the plant, leaves and all.

I’m just tickled Dave never told me he planted broccoli, so that he left me the surprise.

DON’T MISS OUT

Starting today, and continuing tomorrow, fun things will be happening at the Local Nursery Crawl, localnurserycrawl17.weebly.com. Like other map-following events, people race around to various locations, in this case it will be 14 nurseries. Similar to trick-or-treating, its a challenge to see how many places you can reach before you run out of energy.

Several local nurseries are also planning to have special sales.

THANK YOU BARBARA

A few months ago someone named Barbara sent me a condolence card. Inside was a gift certificate for the Little Red Hen Nursery. There was no return address, but the card was signed “Barbara.”

I’ve talked to four Barbaras, and none of them took credit for the kindness. The Little Red Hen, by the way, is on the Local Nursery Crawl list.

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Sow There! Old-fashioned seed planting; start a new tradition now, 2-2-17

Posted on Thursday, February 2, 2017 by Heather Hacking
Behold, some of the seeds from my quaint and old-fashioned collection.
Behold, some of the seeds from my quaint and old-fashioned collection. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record.

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

 What’s that saying? The older I get the more I forget. That’s probably the case. However, when I don’t remember the things I have forgotten, I tend not to give it much thought.

More often, I realize that some of those factoids rubbing up against my brain cells are actually of little or no use. When is the last time I used a compass? I still use paper maps, but that probably makes me quaint and old-fashioned. At our newspaper, there’s a whole generation of folks who are experts at developing film.

Young folks these days may never learn how to build a fire, make popcorn on a stove or address a letter. Yet, I’ll seek out a 12-year-old if I have trouble with my iPhone.

This week I wrote a story about the 100-year anniversary of farm advisers. Way back when, Cooperative Extension educated people about important life skills, like canning food for the winter. I still know people who do canning. I’d put that in the “quaint and old-fashioned” category, with quilting, churning butter, wood carving and making apple-head dolls.

WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE

Before I forget, now is a good time to pass along some antiquated knowledge — planting seeds.

Once upon a time I grew most of my vegetables and flowers from seed. Frankly, it gave me something to do in the middle of winter. Then the Handsome Woodsman came along. He didn’t appreciate soil and seed packets all over the kitchen table, and showed me the wisdom of buying huge plants in early May.

SEED PLANTING 101

One of my favorite resources is the UC Davis Vegetable Planting Guide, http://tinyurl.com/hh22o7m.

The document spells out what seeds you can try to plant in which months of the year.

For February, the guide gives the go-ahead for planting seeds of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, chard and beets.

Frankly, I’m not falling for that trick again. I think what they really mean is you can plant these seeds indoors.

For about $30 bucks you can buy a heating mat that can be placed in a quiet corner of your kitchen.

Seed packets contain all the useful information you will need, including planting depth.

Plant your seeds in moist potting soil. The dirt in your yard will contain some of those weed seeds you know and hate. Cover your container and place the individual containers in a seed tray, available at a local nursery.

Cover your plants and watch regularly. If they get dry, you can give them a squirt with a spray bottle.

I’ve also had decent luck covering a container with plastic wrap and placing on top of the refrigerator.

The heat from behind the fridge warms just enough to tease those seeds into sprouting.

Once the seedlings emerge, they need sun, which you can find along a bright windowsill.

Note that if you have super-efficient windows, the kind that block out the sun, this isn’t your choice for indoor windowsill action.

Move the plants to the center of the living room at night. The windowsill gets cold after dark.

12 WEEKS

If you rummage through your seed packets from last year or the year before, you’ll note that some of these seeds state they can be planted 12 weeks before the last date of frost.

IN OUR AREA, DATE OF LAST FROST IS AROUND THE END OF APRIL, AND 12 WEEKS BEFORE THIS IS JUST ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

Lettuce is extremely fun to grow. James Loomis, in an article found in Catalyst Magazine, http://tinyurl.com/haeb9wq, highly suggests using a heating mat to sow lettuce seeds in one-week intervals. This way, you can eventually transplant them to the garden over time. Thanks James. With online articles like this, we now no longer have a need for gardening books.

While you’re planting lettuce, plant some chives. I think I’ll bury some chive seeds outdoors, just to be nostalgic. If flowers are your thing, I’ve had good luck in the past planting seeds indoors including pansies and the alyssum. Others to try include poppies and snapdragons, according to this rather worthy write-up by Baker Seed Co., http://tinyurl.com/hqo8zus.

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Sow There! Tips for fearless rose pruning, 1-26-17

Posted on Thursday, January 26, 2017 by Heather Hacking

Illustration from the University of California

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

Pruning roses is a bit like taking a long walk to see a beautiful view. People walk the Road to Santiago for deeply spiritual reasons, but imagine rounding the bend of a long, dusty road and seeing the Romanesque spires of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Pruning your roses is nothing like that, but its still one of those work-for-rewards activities.

Life is a journey. Sometimes we walk alone, other times with companions. There are always good things ahead to keep travelers on the road.

PLANS FOR SPRING

Janet Oliver, a master gardener in Glenn County, was kind enough to share a few tips from her lifetime of rose pruning knowledge.

Now is prime time. Saturday should be a clear day and pruning needs to take place while roses are dormant. If you pruned roses after growth begins, the plant could go into shock.

Be “fearless,” she advised. She’ll trim off two-thirds of the plant, and more if she’s feeling especially brave.

I’ve never actually taken my roses down by two-thirds, which of course has been a mistake. After the plant worked so hard to produce shiny leaves and strong branches, it seems an insult to say all of that work was worth nothing. However, Janet said the plant will burst back into life, producing flowers on this new growth.

THE BASICS

One goal is to snip away the dead wood. If you look at the plant closely, you should be able to note the sticks that look brittle and broken. If you miss something this week, there’s always next week to make another close inspection when you’re feeling dauntless.

Also check for “suckers.” These are shoots that come from the bottom of the plant and grow faster than the other branches. Suckers do not produce flowers and deserve no sympathy.

The key to all this pruning is to create space between the canes. At the end, you want the canes of the plant to be shaped like a V, Janet said.

WHERE TO CUT

Next, look for what are called the “bud eyes.” This is where the leaves will emerge — very soon. Once you look, you’ll see exactly what we’re talking about. The bud eyes alternate on either side of the cane. Your goal is to snip just above the bud eye that is pointed toward the outside of the rose bush. When the leaves emerge, they will grow in the same direction to which the bud eyes are pointing.

I asked Janet whether there’s really a reason to prune at a 45 degree angle. (Frankly, any form of math irritates me).

She said yes. You create an angle so raindrops don’t settle into the open wound, which can lead to rot.

Suddenly math makes a little more sense.

For much useful information from the UC Master Gardener pruning pamphlet, http://tinyurl.com/hugcq5d.

BUT WAIT, THERE IS MORE

With the plant in its dormant state, you probably won’t see black spots or yellowed leaves, which can be a sign of disease. Check again after leaves emerge and trim anything that looks questionable. Think of it like cutting the mold off of a perfectly good hunk of cheese.

For now, clean up all the leaves from the bottom of the plant. Some of that detritus could be diseased. Don’t compost, Janet said, drop them in the green waste can.

THE DUSTY ROAD

Today is the Handsome Woodsman’s birthday. The spinach he planted in mid-October survived onslaught by slugs, weeks of rain and what has been a very long winter. I’ve planted more seeds since then, but so far only his spinach fills the black, plastic truck bed liner filled with soil. The eggplant he grew last year remained in the rain all winter. I’ll be thrilled if seeds sprout from the slimy purple fruit. (Yes, eggplant is a fruit).

His birthday would have been a special occasion, but we wouldn’t have done anything special. He never let me throw him a party, and we reserved the fancy dinner date for my birthday and anniversaries.

On his birthday last year I think we split a burger downtown, and I probably talked him into playing a few games of pinball.

He once joked that he could always find me in a crowded pizza parlor, because he would recognize the sound of me rummaging at the bottom of my purse for quarters.

This week I’ll be pruning roses. He would have liked that. It means I’m still doing what’s in front of me, expecting good things at the end of the dusty road.

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Sow There! Calla lilies, the best and only choice for a wedding bouquet, 1-19-17

Posted on Saturday, January 21, 2017 by Heather Hacking

Wedding-hardy lilies have a way of taking a beating.
Wedding-hardy lilies have a way of taking a beating. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

This dress may look pristine, but by the end of the night the underside of the hemline was in need of some serious dry-cleaning.This dress may look pristine, but by the end of the night the underside of the hemline was in need of some serious dry-cleaning.Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

Last weekend a dear friend was successfully married in Sacramento. I say “successfully,” because I was involved in several important aspects of the wedding, so any number of things could have gone wrong. Luckily, my main task was to keep her sane while she was “backstage,” awaiting her big entrance.

Officially my job description included making sure there was nothing between her teeth and helping her slip out of her gown when nature called.

I had some time to think about weddings while driving home through the Sacramento Valley — thoughts about white calla lilies, the magic of romantic love and what I should have said during my toast.

I also lingered on that moment when I sincerely wished the Handsome Woodsman had been there to twirl me on the dance floor.

This was my first turn as a maid of honor, and I hope to do it again and again. I’m certain I could improve upon my fledgling skills.

First off, no matter how much you try, the hem of a white dress is going to turn black after a day filled with photographs, trips to the cheese table and several sashays to a BeeGee’s song.

I would suggest dropping the pretense of a post-wedding white hem and opt for liberal use of Scotchgard.

MORE LESSONS LEARNED

My friend Samantha has classical taste and I wasn’t surprised by her classical choices.

I wondered, of course, what choices I would have made had I been the bride. She chose white lilies, which seems to have been all the rage for the past 100 years. One website says lilies represent “purity and innocence.”

Thinking myself so unique, and perhaps not quite so innocent, I might have chosen sun-drenched daises, or delicate alstromeria.

That certainly shows what I know.

It wasn’t until the end of the night that I realized those sturdy if pure callas are grown to take a beating.

Much of my job was holding those flowers. This might seem like a simple task if wedding photos had not included two hours and three locations.

During the rehearsal, my instructions included “take bouquet, stand, pass bouquet, fluff dress.”

I think “don’t trip” was also implied.

Over the course of the night we handed those flowers off like a quaffle in a quidditch game. I held lilies while balancing the veil on one pinky, the make-up bag clunking against my thigh. Mind you, I was wearing spiked heals on cobblestone.

Anyone who thinks being in a wedding is glamorous has not tried to fold a tulip-shaped gown into a limo, nor assured a bride that the decorative candles would not set her dress on fire.

In the end, all was lovely.

I gained other knowledge that may last a lifetime.

For example, air-brushed makeup is the bomb. The bride was breathing so hard at one point that her thin veil was waving like a surrender flag. Despite tears, her makeup was flawless.

Her mother chose to not wash her face after the festivities. At breakfast her skin still looked as smooth ganache. I wish I had thought of that. I could have worn that stuff until Chinese New Year.

Note to men: It is never appropriate, at any age, to kiss a maid of honor directly on the lips. Never. Ever. Never.

Other tidbits: Limo drivers enjoy posing with rubber chickens. When asked sweetly, State Parks officers will handcuff a groom. Even the best plans can be altered.

BACK AT THE RANCH

When I arrived home, the glamour of the gowns quickly faded. My driveway was a mudhole and in my haste to leave town I left my tender plants defenseless to the cold.

Yet, I returned with resolve to grow calla lilies.

The University of California IPM website cites callas among the list of invasive plants. That shouldn’t be a problem if you plant them at the same time you form new friendships with single women.

As you marry off your gals, you can dig up the ever-growing mass of calla lily bulbs and include them as wedding gifts.

If you’re not an excellent matchmaker, you can switch to growing the bulbs in pots.

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Sow There! Respect and disdain for the mighty weed, 1-12-17

Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2017 by Heather Hacking

Common groundsel seems to be doing just fine on death's doorstep.
Common groundsel seems to be doing just fine on death’s doorstep. Heather Hacking—Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

Common groundsel.Common groundsel. Heather Hacking—Enterprise-Record

I’m not a scientist, but I have some skills in observation.

After some careful reasoning I have concluded that the weed common groundsel can produce flowers after being yanked from the ground.

Months ago my co-worker Risa established a compost tub right outside the door to the newsroom. The experiment has mostly been a failure.

Journalists eat the majority of their meals in their cars. When we are working and snacking on deadline, we don’t think about adding our mandarin peels to the bin at the side of the building.

Plus, the plastic bin is covered with a lid. With no water added, the scant food scraps are just as likely to become fossils as they are to decompose.

Recently I decided to lift the lid to the compost after reading yet another press release predicting rain.

I’m easily distracted and realized there were weeds growing in the gravel near the bin. Practicing my best “downward weed” yoga move, I plucked more than a dozen happy weeds.

I had to look up the name of the weed, but I recognized them from my own yard.

Groundsel is an attractive (yet highly toxic) plant that looks like it intends to produce sunny, yellow flowers. Instead, of petals we get those wispy spikes that help spread tiny seeds from here to Gridley.

When I returned a few days later to replace the lid, I noticed the weeds I had plucked looked very much alive. The flowers were intact, and if I wasn’t mistaken, even appeared to have opened slightly.

It makes sense. If you place the bottom roots and the lower portion of a green onion on moist paper towels, the roots will continue to grow. You can later plant the onion in a pot and harvest it when pulling common groundsel.

CHOOSE YOUR ENEMIES

Plants are survivors. We admire these traits in plants that we actually hope will grow in our yards. Fine Gardening magazine produced an online article (http://tinyurl.com/jrmwudo) about reproducing plants through root cuttings. Anyone who has attempted and failed to dig out Bermuda grass understands this process.

I’m convinced that if an asteroid hit the earth, killing most forms of life, the roots of some of these weeds would somehow survive. The earth would be repopulated by common groundsel, slugs and squirrels.

As for the common groundsel, I’ll continue to pluck this plant when I see it near our compost bin at the office. I can’t help myself. However, I’ll give up on the idea that my effort is doing anything more than providing a stretch for my hamstrings.

MODERN WEED WARFARE

We live in a modern world and the weeds hated by our grandparents may not be worthy of our continued efforts at eradication.

While researching for this article, I found some blogs on the health benefits of dandelion leaves. One writer pointed out that bees love flowers, and dandelions produce flowers.

Maybe I’ll find some dandelion seeds and plant these in a circle around our newsroom compost bin.

WEEKEND TO-DO LIST

The large amount of rain we received this week has made a soupy mess of our back yards. The big bonus is that it is now easy to yank weeds. You’ll spot them easily, because they are the plants that look fine after a good, long rainstorm.

If you have time, prune winter-dormant plants such as roses, fruit trees, grapes and flowering vines.

The University of California Backyard Orchard website has a wealth of research and tips for fruit tree pruning: http://tinyurl.com/z8k2to2. When you’re successful and have more food than you can handle, please drop off a bucket of fruit at the newsroom. We might even remember to compost.

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Sow There! Weeds go to work when Disney lures the gardener away, 1-5-17

Posted on Thursday, January 5, 2017 by Heather Hacking

The first of the Virginia creeper blooms.
The first of the Virginia creeper blooms. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

Lettuce sprouted on some unknown warm day and is now growing in the same pot as the fig tree.Lettuce sprouted on some unknown warm day and is now growing in the same pot as the fig tree.Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but people in Chico really like dressing up in costumes. Halloween, of course, is a time when normally straight-laced men have a free ticket to dress as their favorite Disney princess, giving new meaning to the term “man bun.”

I’ve noticed other perfectly fine excuses for donning ruby slippers or a top hat. At ChicoCon, the local comic book convention, people create fantastic costumes based on their favorite characters. The trend continues with 5K races. It’s no longer surprising to see runners in sherbert-colored tutus or tall “Cat in the Hat” headwear. If you were lucky enough to score a ticket to see the Yule Logs in concert, you saw more than one grown-up wearing elf pajamas.

I would imagine this trend can’t be centered in Butte County.

Yet, be assured, funny hats abound in the land of the magical mouse. Last week I traveled with my family to Disneyland. We counted at least two dozen styles of mouse ears. This was in addition to the floppy Goofy hats, pumpkin heads, Santa caps and other must-have head-toppers. If you’re debating your options, I recommend the tall, pointed, furry, blue wizard hat. When the teenagers in our group raced to the line for the roller coasters, the old folks could easily spot the pointed blue cap in the far distance, past the barricade of baby strollers.

At Universal Studios, one could cover their head like a minion, or conjure the look of any character from the Harry Potter franchise.

With all this hat action, my rubber chicken shocked absolutely no one.

BACK TO MY BACKYARD

The interesting thing about vacations is that whether I am gone for three days or a month, its always comforting to return home. As my car whizzed past the first flooded rice fields, something inside me started to ease. After the frenzy of SoCal, I nodded my allegiance to empty fruit stands and the familiar patterns of leafless orchards.

Absent, of course, was the Handsome Woodsman, who would have pointed out hawks on the top rungs of rustic fences. We would have replayed our favorite theme-park moments, and wondered what the kitty had been doing while we were gone.

Instead, I turned on the radio and literally heard Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.”

As I neared the Sutter Buttes, and spotted the fields filled with snowgeese, I pulled over to see the view, as I would have done if I had not been traveling solo.

WEEDS MARCH ON

Luckily, I was not alone when I reached Chico. A friend had been house-sitting but the Feline Unit acted as if she hadn’t had wet food since 1998. After a few necessary greetings, I spent the last hour of sunlight noticing what had changed in the yard. Plants are very much like small children, if you look away for half a day, they’ve grown two inches. The portulaca looks like leftover vermicelli and the philodendron turned to a frozen, mushy mess. I’m glad I have vases filled with philodendrons inside the house.

While I was gone, the “Christmas Cheer” poker plant, Kniphofia, had created two-foot spikes in my absence. I’ll enjoy watching the candycorn colors appear over the next few weeks. For some reason, three Gerbera blooms had waited for my arrival, perhaps to reward me for covering this potted plant during a recent freeze. The Virginia creeper (an invasive vine planted by a previous tenant) is showing the first bits of yellow beneath its green, winter shells. Lettuce is growing at the base of the potted fig tree and the spinach Dave planted months ago is nearly ready for the first harvest.

I’m convinced that weeds have secret stealth abilities, and take note of a vacationer’s departure from the driveway. Secret mechanisms awake and weeds force their energy into flowers and seeds, hoping to reproduce before you can put away your Disney memorabilia. Common groundsel made the big move, trying to bully out the nascent poppy seedlings I planted in the alley. Baby mallow have flocked to the empty spaces like elves at a Yule Log concert.

Ha ha! I say (with my Maleficent howl).

I’m not afraid to do weed battle.

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Sow There! Tried and true tips for frost in Zone 9, 12-22-16

Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2016 by Heather Hacking

Icicles hang from a lemon tree.
Icicles hang from a lemon tree. Enterprise-Record file photo

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

My coworker Laura is the weather queen in the newsroom. She starts work very early, checks with the National Weather Service and Western Weather Group, then posts the weather info online. Once I’ve read the results of her hard work, I’m giddy with knowledge and share the synopsis via social media. More importantly, I know when to rescue my plants.

During this recent downward turn in temperature I moved the most important plants to the center of the living room. My house is small and my main room now looks like the Rainforest Cafe. If I’m carrying too much junk through the front door, I turn to the side and shuffle across the room sideways like an economy airline flight attendant.

We tend to think of “freezing” as 32 degrees, which is correct for water. However, many plants will withstand temperatures below this icy threshold.

I don’t like to take chances. If Laura says it’s going to be cold, I react as if Ice Man from Marvel Comics has a cough and is walking through my neighborhood.

The first defense in battling cold is to make sure your plants are in good shape and that you are not allowing them to dry out. Healthier plants do better under stress. Moist soil also retains heat better than dry dirt.

For plants too big to haul inside, my best strategy is to cover the entire plant before darkness falls. In this area, the soil will warm during the day and release stored heat at night.

The problem is that I rarely get home before it’s dark. By nightfall, a lot of that stored heat has escaped.

When the cold settled in this week, I covered everything and left the yard looking like I was in the middle of doing laundry.

The Handsome Woodsman’s stained work shirts do wonders. He was an extra large and it makes me smile to think he’s still helping with the gardening.

MORE FROST STRATEGIES

Mother Earth News — “The Original Guide to Living Wisely” — asked readers in 2013 to share their tried-and-true winter gardening tips. Here’s some frost protection tips from readers in Zone 9: http://tinyurl.com/originalwisdom.

• Cut up milk jugs for mini-greenhouses.

• Use leftover wire fencing to make tunnels (mini hoop houses) then cover with 6 mil plastic. This reader successfully grew lettuce and other cool-weather edibles.

• Quilted cloth coverings.

• Old sheets draped over bamboo stakes

• One gardener uses a four-man camping tent, pops it up, and zips the plants inside.

• Place five-gallon buckets over small potted plants.

PLANTING NOW?

Just for fun, I checked with the UC Davis seasonal vegetable planting guide for the Sacramento Valley (which makes no claim about being an “original” guide): http://tinyurl.com/hh22o7m

For early January, the guide states we can still plant seeds for cauliflower, broccoli, onions and cabbage. However, I’d want to hear from the “original guide for living wisely” to know if winter seed planting was successful in Zone 9. Maybe they mean we can plant seeds indoors on a heating mat.

The UC guide also says tomatoes and carrots can be planted now. I’ve had success planting tomato seeds in January in the windowsill, after covering the container with plastic wrap. Maybe that’s what they meant to say.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Sunday is the big holiday for most Americans — a day for storing calories for the winter and loving on your people.

My wacky family is great, and I know I’m among the fortunate. Also, many people have kept in close contact this year after the death of the Handsome Woodsman.

People who I hardly know will stop me for a bear hug, and to tell me to keep writing about this grieving thing.

I don’t feel particularly “brave,” as many have said. I feel raw and often numb. Sometimes I’ll sit and think for long periods of time and not know what I was thinking about.

Lately I’ve been mourning the final drops of dish soap or shaving cream that Dave and I shared. Other times I’ll wish I could use those products more quickly so I can switch brands and have one less sad reminder.

And then I hear from kind folks who tell me they also have lost someone close to them. They reassure me that this stiff piece of wood that feels like it is lodged in my body will ease over time.

Those moments of sadness will be equally matched by warm, sepia-toned memories.

I believe them. I do. I can read it in their faces.

Those truths are probably closer to the “original guide to living wisely.”

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Sow There! Local food makes one-size-fits-all holiday gifts 12-15-16

Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2016 by Heather Hacking

Move over Mickey, there's a new character in the Disney cast.
Move over Mickey, there’s a new character in the Disney cast. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

Christmas countdown.

Due to my general disdain for packed parking lots and overly-helpful salespeople, I buy holiday gifts year-round. The gift grab accelerates around August when the stores anticipate my needs and have nodding, LED-light reindeer and chocolate covered cherries near the late summer fruit.

I like storing a box in the closet filled with Yuletide readiness. This prevents the last-minute gift card purchases and guessing which chain stores are located near the homes of my Bay Area relatives.

For those who still need a gift for a relative or two, you have one more Saturday to shop at the Chico Farmers Market, East Second and Flume streets.

I don’t know about your family, but sometimes my glad-tidings think tank runs dry.

When I was 7 years old, I bought my father a wallet. He was so pleased I bought him a wallet each year for the next 30 years.

I probably would have continued what had become a family joke. However, one year someone actually needed a wallet. Dad went to the back of his closet and found a box filled with 15 nearly-new wallets.

I think this was the year I bought Dad a Leatherman.

When I think of gifts for my Mom, it’s easy. I just by something for myself, then double it.

One year I found a new smudge-proof eyeliner, and recommended the product to my Mom.

“When you find something you really like why don’t you just buy me one,” she said in that mom way that sounds like a reprimand.

This year I had no problem buying myself many new things.

ANYTIME EDIBLES

As for the farmers market, food is never the wrong size and doesn’t bust your budget.

I also love to show my urban relatives how living close to open space means we eat well. Candied or plain almonds, fresh mandarins, sumptuous local apples, kiwis, jam, granola and olive oil can all be purchased in one tour at the market. You can also find soap, ceramics or a pig crafted from miscellaneous metal parts.

If you stop at the booth that sells the colorful, woven baskets, you don’t even need gift wrap.

Making baked goods or fudge is also a lovely gift. However, that year I made fudge balls I gained eight pounds.

Gift cards have their place, of course. Teens, for example, love to receive plastic cash. The only drawback is you must reveal how much you spent.

MORE GIFTS OF FOOD

This year my Hacking clan is heading to Disneyland for a much-anticipated adventure to see the mouse. The Handsome Woodsman. Dave, and I joined them two years ago. We had so much fun we suggested we all do it again.

Months ago I made a reservation for four to the Blue Bayou Restaurant, inside the Pirates of Caribbean. ride. I’ve fantasized about eating there since my first Disney trip. We’ll be surrounded by fireflies and will hear the clink of utensils and the distant hoots of riders as they splash down into make-believe Louisiana waters.

I’ll change the reservation to three and bring my rubber chicken.

As regular readers know, Dave died in a car accident Nov. 1. It’s going to be a tough holiday season no matter where I am. I considered skipping theme park vacation. Yet, I don’t think anyone will notice if I shed a few tears at the happiest place on earth.

FADED FLOWERS

Last week I mused about cut flowers and the tradition of bouquets for funerals. After the musical memorial, flowers now cover almost every surface in my small house.

The funeral seems like just yesterday, but I noticed that the flowers have started to fade. I realized that bouquets help us mark the passing of time.

 

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Sow There! Life as it will be for a while 12-8-16

Posted on Monday, December 12, 2016 by Heather Hacking
The feline unit and the wild mushroom bouquet.
The feline unit and the wild mushroom bouquet. Heather Hacking – Enterprise-Record

By Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

Simple wild mushroom bouquet with simple rock.Simple wild mushroom bouquet with simple rock.Heather Hacking – Enterprise-Record

Why do people use flowers on special occasions? I’m thinking it makes sense for a wedding. Once upon a time, baths were a luxury taken twice a year. To save the species the bride needed to smell good enough so the groom could follow through with post-nuptial rituals.

As for funerals, the use of flowers apparently dates back to Neanderthal times. Flowers masked the smell and antlers were used for decorative effect. Some cultures gave flowers a break after embalming was invented by the Egyptians.

Somewhere along the line, people must have planted flowers on the grave, or perhaps even crops if land was scarce.

In my zombie apocalypse imaginary screenplay, the cinematic critters might arise in darkness, shrouded in mist, and have flowers (or crops) to devour.

If my Handsome Woodsman had his choice of zombie arrival scripts, he would have wanted to see wild mushrooms.

Lovely Katie, of Abundance Flower Design, lent her delicate expertise for the musical memorial last weekend. She assembled bouquets of white alstroemeria, roses, gladiolas, hydrangea and mysterious light green plants.

Then she went above and beyond. A soggy slope exists behind her house. I envision her out there, hair falling over her face and grubby green stains where one would normally find kneecaps. She carved large chunks of moss and placed them over floral foam. She also spotted wild mushrooms and found them a mossy home in vases.

She should start a new niche market — wild mushroom bouquets. If they were edible, as she claims, she could advertise in frou-frou food catalogs like Williams-Sonoma.

We have a friend in our circle who donated a well-loved, yet worn guitar, to which she attached more flowers.

After the service, my dad and I found some of my Handsome Woodsman’s guitar strings, sitting right where Dave had left them, and now the guitar strums just fine. Now I have a guitar in case an itinerant musician, namely Dad, wants to play a song I know.

LOUD NIGHT

Dave’s last gig was as perfect as an event like this can be. We had 150 chairs and there was standing room only. Someone brought me a Christmas tree, which I would not have considered buying this year.

MEMORY MUSIC

Dave was a songwriter and I’ve been fearful that some of the music will be lost from my memory.

I hum the songs in my head, nearly constantly, but must admit I never knew all the words.

During the funeral, Dan Casamajor found me in the crowd. Dan runs the open mic nights at Has Beans, which was an infrequent destination on nights when my guy wanted to strum and I wanted to buy vegetables at Thursday night farmers markets.

Unbeknownst to us, Dan records all of the open mic sessions. The kind maestro had tracked down the recordings from the nights Dave had played. Dan presented me with a CD with some of the songs I had dreaded I would forget.

These kindnesses, and more, reminded me that I am so very much surrounded by people who care, and perhaps more importantly, who loved the same man we have lost.

ALL QUIET

Now that the visiting relatives have left town and the hoopla of the “party” has come and gone, the new normal has begun.

I have time to think and remember and to talk out loud like a crazy woman. I talk to him in the garden and when I drive alone in my car.

At Trader Joe’s Wednesday I realized that a lot of normal things will just be sad for a while. Dave would have taken two of the chocolate-covered star shortbread cookies served as a free treat. He might have circled back around for a third.

We loved when TJs sold Brussels sprouts on stalks, and we played with them in the aisle as if they were swords. As I shopped, people reached for our favorite Asian vegetables and held each other’s hands in the aisles. I cried quietly while staring absently at Trader Joe’s brand flavored water.

I will find ways to fill the quiet times. For now, I still have his songs in my head.

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Sow There! Making the best of the ‘bitter cold’ holiday season 12-1-16

Posted on Monday, December 12, 2016 by Heather Hacking
Winter-blooming daphne is a most appropriate holiday gift.
Winter-blooming daphne is a most appropriate holiday gift. Heather Hacking — Enterprise-Record

POSTED: 12/01/16, 9:16 PM PST | UPDATED: 1 WEEK, 3 DAYS AGO

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Recently I was chatting with a friend about how it had suddenly turned very cold.

First off, Minnesota is cold. My Scandinavian relatives would listen to our Golden State grumbles and tell cold-intolerant California natives to go jump in a (frozen) lake.

Very cold for this part of the world means one week in January when we need to cover the Meyer lemon tree.

We can and will get through yet another winter, because in reality it only lasts for 2 ½ months. From now until the end of December we’ll be power walking through shopping aisles and warmed with overly sweetened coffee drinks. During another week we’ll prepare to rejoice, rejoice, then repair from rejoicing over the New Year. Next we’ll have just a few weeks to shiver in the “bitter cold” before the almonds bloom in mid-February.

As for gardeners, if we really start to feel down in the dumps, we can shop for winter-blooming plants including cyclamen and camellia. I like to start out with a primrose plant on the kitchen table then give it a place in the soil after the plant gets tired indoors.

About the time we can’t stand winter, daphne is ready to pop on Valentine’s Day, preceded by the timely daffodils and flowering quince.

THE GIVING SEASON

As regular readers know, the Handsome Woodsman died in a car crash exactly one month ago. I won’t pretend that I plan a happy holiday season, but I don’t feel lost and alone. People I don’t even know have sent kind words. Last week when I couldn’t bring myself to write something cheery, a reader sent an email saying he hoped I’d be writing again soon, and that he understands.

Thanks for that.

Each of these gifts of encouragement have arrived at the right moment.

Those in my close circle have made a point of moving closer.

It’s strange to be the recipient of love for two people — the comfort my people want to give to me, as well as the love they wish they could still give to Dave.

The extra care helps on those “bitter cold” nights when all I can do is talk to photographs.

DEPARTURE GIFTS

It’s the giving season, and Dave received some going away presents.

Suellen Rowlison of River Partners sent a nice card and said that a tree had been adopted in his name.

I’ve already decided I’m going to allow the oak tree in my yard to grow, the one he repeatedly tried to mangle with the oversized wheels of his 7.3-liter diesel truck.

Thanks as well to the folks who said they planted things in their own yard, while thinking of him.

My sweet friend Sharon made a Dave donation to Heifer International. Families who receive a boost through the group are often given a basket of chicks.

I can only imagine the chicken puns Dave would have made: “I wonder if they know how to raise chickens. I guess they’ll just wing it.”

My friend Katie owns Abundance Flower Designand is dreaming up some fantabulous flowers for the musical memorial. I can’t wait to see how she uses moss for her Handsome Woodsman/musician theme. (I’ll snap photographs for a later column.)

So many others have pitched in to make his memorial this weekend a special event.

SHOPPING LIST

Of course, we need to help prop up our local economy, so some gift ideas for your favorite gardener seems like an appropriately cheery topic for a “bitter cold” week.

• Share some love with that guy at the Saturday farmers market who makes bird (and squirrel) feeders. To take it up a notch, paint the contraption in your sweetie’s favorite colors.

• How about a purple garden hose?

• Fill a spice shaker with poppy seeds, available in bulk at Northern Star Mills.

• Bare-root roses can actually be wrapped and put under the Christmas tree. They’re dormant this time of year and will never know the difference.

• My stepmom Lynda likes to attach a blank check to a fancy gardening catalog. Locally you can buy a gift card from a nearby nursery.

• Create a handmade coupon to attend a plant workshop, with a nursery shopping trip to immediately follow.

• Colorful rain boots.

• Macabee gopher trap.

• Freesia bulbs.

• A silver-handled trowel engraved with an message.

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