COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 4, 2015
7A
Think location when
choosing houseplants
“Meet the Furbies”
P
eter’s adoration for his
dog is evident from the
smile on his face as he extolls,
“One day, my wife, Marilyn,
and I saw two women sitting
outside a coffee shop who both
had the cutest ‘Havanese’ dogs.
The ladies told us about the
breed’s wonderful qualities and
that they are loving pets.
Once home, we researched
the breed which was created for
human companionship and cud-
dles. Have you seen Havanese
puppies? In three words: Cute!
Cute! Cute! They look like han-
dle-less fl uffy dancing mops,
fuzzy slippers that won’t sit
still, or irresistible-fuzzy wind-
up toys full of bounce, energy
and affection.
We learned of a three-week-
old litter of little ‘furbies’ and
went to investigate with a plan
in mind. We wanted to see
if any of the puppies would
choose us for their family, not
the usual way around of the hu-
man choosing. In the ‘puppy
nursery’ we sat down on chairs
beside the bundle of sleeping
fl uffi es. One fat, half-awake
puppy crawled out of the pack,
wobbled over to us and plopped
himself onto my wife’s foot.
He sat there looking up at us
as comfortable and at home as
he pleased. We had just been
adopted! I picked up our new
furry family member. He was
featherweight and easily fi t into
the palm of my hand.
We returned to visit the pup-
py when he was six-weeks-old.
We surmised that he would be
preoccupied playing with his
siblings and not pay us any at-
tention. Boy, were we wrong!
As soon as we entered and sat
down, darned if that little hap-
py-faced-fl uffy guy did not run
over and sit on my wife’s foot
again! He then came over to
me. It was magical! This pup-
py knew we ‘were his’ and ob-
viously loved us, so we waited
patiently until he was a healthy
nine weeks before bringing him
home. You might say, we had
Photo by Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe”
The cute factor wins every time! Peter and Marilyn
learned fi rsthand that living with their two-year-old
Havanese, Angel, who has an adorable-bossy pup has
its advantages and disadvantages.
the fi rst ‘pick of the litter’....or
errrr, the puppy picked us fi rst!
Havanese originate from
Havana, Cuba, so we thought
a Spanish name would be ap-
propriate. I typed ‘Spanish boy
names’ into the search engine
and read the names, in alpha-
betical order, to Marilyn. She
stopped me at ‘Angel’ declar-
ing the name fi t because ‘he is a
blessing and joy to our family’.
We had excitedly prepared
for Angel’s arrival by buying
him his own bed. The fi rst
night we gently placed him
into it, but his stay lasted only
a few minutes. He made such a
racket! Our mistake was giving
in, picking him up, and placing
him at the end of our bed. He
has slept there ever since! But
now he has boldly migrated
north and is sleeping between
us - on our pillows! He stretch-
es full out on the bed and growls
when we try to make room for
us! I guess we missed reading
the ‘Havanese small print’ that
said they can be stubborn and
manipulative. Yup. We missed
that! He knew exactly what he
was doing and had ‘our num-
ber’ from the start!
We treat Angel like a family
member and take him with us
to as many places as we can. He
is so bonded to us. OK — we
admit it — so are we to him.
He makes us happy.
Angel follows us from room
to room and telepathically
knows when we are going out -
even before we go for our coats.
We have resorted to spelling
out our intentions or using sign
language to not alert him.
Yes, yes, yes, we admit it!
Angel runs the house. Prob-
ably just like Queen Victoria’s,
Charles Dickens’ and Barbara
Walter’s Havanese did. Be-
fore Marilyn and I leave for a
cup of coffee we have to check
with Angel if he wants to go.
He usually opts to sit with us
in front of the coffee shop on
warm days and in the car in the
winter. We never leave him tied
up outside - he is too valuable.
It would be like testing fate by
leaving a big-diamond ring on
the sidewalk.
Havanese have three kinds of
hair; cotton curly, cotton, and
silky that require frequent and
extensive grooming. Unlucky
for Angel - he has the one that
easily mats. After about 45
minutes of us grooming him, he
shows his displeasure by growl-
ing and crawling up onto our
shoulder - which makes further
grooming impossible.
Havanese are little guard
dogs. We live in an apart-
ment and Angel hears EV-
ERYTHING - he alerts us by
barking! I may have to invent
itty-bitty ear muffs to ‘muffl e’
his hearing for our neighbor’s
sake!
Angel ‘owns’ a ‘small shop’
of stuffed animals that he
knows by name; Snowfl ake,
Owl, Teddy, and Santa (white
bear with red hat) etc. and runs
for the one we name.
Angel’s name suits him purr-
fectly because he is a messen-
ger of love; giving and teaching
it.”
TIPS
Marilyn adds, “We place
puppy pee pads outside on our
apartment’s patio for Angel. He
was potty-trained from the fi rst
day of his arrival. He scratches
the patio’s glass door or ‘rings’
the Christmas bells on it for us
to ‘let him outside’.”
Share your pet tips and tales.
angelscribe@msn.com
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Humane Society for Neu-
ter/Spay Assistance Program.
(541) 942-2789
Chinook, steelhead seasons set on Columbia, tributaries
F
ishery managers from
Oregon and Washington
set spring Chinook salmon and
smelt seasons for the Columbia
River and some of its tributaries
last Wednesday during a joint
state hearing in Vancouver.
The Columbia River spring
Chinook season is based on a
forecast of 232,500 returning
upriver spring Chinook, com-
pared to an actual return of
242,600 last year. The forecast
provides for a fi shery down-
stream of Bonneville Dam run-
ning through Friday, April 10
with an expected kept catch of
about 11,500 spring Chinook
prior to a run update. The sea-
son for the lower Columbia be-
low the I-5 Bridge opened Jan.
1 under permanent rules. The
regulations adopted last week
will take effect March 1.
Congratulations!
Resident
to our
Employee
of the
Month
of the
Month
Anna Mae
Westberg
Andrea
Ellis
On the Willamette River,
the spring Chinook forecast
is 55,400 fi sh. This is slightly
more than last year’s actual re-
turn of 51,800 and will allow for
a full Chinook retention season
as described under permanent
regulations.
The Willamette River re-
mains open to retention of adi-
pose fi n-clipped adult Chinook
salmon and adipose fi n-clipped
steelhead seven days a week.
The bag limit on the Willa-
mette below Willamette Falls
is two adipose fi n-clipped adult
salmon or steelhead in combi-
nation. Above the falls, two adi-
pose fi n-clipped adult salmon
and an additional three adipose
fi n-clipped steelhead may be re-
tained in the daily bag limit.
Avoid the Tax Penalty &
Get Health Insurance.
Deadline is February 15th
BY KYM POKORNY
OSU Extension Service
G
ardeners hear it often
enough: right plant,
right place.
It’s a fundamental rule of gar-
dening, said Heather Stoven, a
horticulturist with Oregon State
University’s Extension Service,
and one that applies to house-
plants just as much as outdoor
ones.
“Make sure you buy for loca-
tion,” she said. “That will help
solve many problems that can
come down the road.”
In Stoven’s offi ce, a tropical-
looking anthyrium thrives in a
south-facing spot with bright
but indirect light, where it gets
very warm in summer. Across
the room, a peace lily looks just
fi ne in a cooler, darker spot.
Both are where they do best.
If they weren’t, problems
could range from burned or yel-
lowed foliage, dropped leaves
and death. Environmental stress
sets a plant up for aggravation
from pests and diseases. Keep
it healthy with appropriate light
exposure, watering schedule
and temperature, Stoven said,
and insects and pathogens are
less likely to attack.
Figuring out what is what
when it comes to lighting can
give a person fi ts. Usually, you
can rely on directional clues. A
window facing south receives
the most intense sun; west and
east exposures rank in the mid-
dle and a north-facing window
is considered low light.
Be cautious not to put plants
too close to or touching a win-
dow, where temperature varia-
tions and cold drafts can dam-
age leaves. Heating vents and
fi replaces should be avoided,
too.
In winter, Stoven recom-
mends plants be watered light-
ly only when the potting mix
is dry. Check by sticking your
fi nger into the soil up to the
second knuckle. Or pick the pot
up; if it’s light, the plant needs
water. Be sure to use contain-
ers with drain holes in the bot-
tom, otherwise water will settle
at the bottom and cause root
rot. Over-watering kills more
plants than under-watering, she
noted.
“There’s very little to do
once a plant gets root rot,”
Stoven said. “Unless it’s a well-
beloved plant, it could be better
to put up the white fl ag.”
Plants can do without fertil-
izer from November through
March when the plant isn’t
actively growing, she said. In
other times of the year, feed in
Low to medium light: peace
lily*, dracaena*;
Medium light: weeping fi g or
fi cus, African violet, Boston
fern, dumb cane*;
Bright, indirect light: anthy-
rium*, spider plant, palm;
Bright light: scheffl era, rubber
tree, succulents, cacti.
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Stoven suggests these house-
plants for use in different light-
ing situations:
Low light: pothos*, snake
plant, lucky bamboo;
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for the Month of January, 2015
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moderation with a slow-release
fertilizer in granules, tablets or
stakes, which will last two or
three months, or a liquid ver-
sion every other week or ac-
cording to directions.
If you notice burning on the
tips of leaves or a white crust
on top of the potting soil,
you’re most likely fertilizing
too much.
Indoor plants can get pests
and diseases just like any other
plant, Stoven said. The dreaded
three are aphids, mealy bugs
and mites. Aphids are most
familiar with their little green
bodies and usually congregate
on the undersides of leaves. The
white wax covering their body
and egg sacs that give them a
cottony appearance distinguish
mealy bugs. Mites, of course,
will be quite small and are of-
ten hard to see with the naked
eye, but speckles left from their
feeding can give the plant a
bronzed or yellow look. In the
worst-case scenario, you’ll see
webbing on leaves.
If pests invade, snipping off
infested stems and leaves can
help control the spread of in-
sects. Then wash plants off
with a spray of water. Be sure
to spray undersides of leaves
as well. Stoven doesn’t recom-
mend using most chemicals for
indoor plants, but said horticul-
tural oils or soaps are a good
option if you follow the direc-
tions. You can also target pests
directly with a wipe of alcohol
on a cotton swab and then rinse
with water.
But prevention is always the
soundest policy.
“The best thing to do to man-
age any pest,” she said, “is not
to bring them into your home
in the fi rst place. Check plants
carefully when you buy them.
And, if you take them outside
during the growing season,
when you bring them back in,
check again.”
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coverage4oregon@gmail.com
Local Independent Agent
Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
350 Washington, Cottage Grove (behind Better Bodies)
541.942.7934
Paul Henrichs, LUTCF
Cottage Grove Board of REALTORS®
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