Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 16, 2015 9A
Finding a fresh tree is as easy as...
You’re ready to get out the
lights, the garlands, the
baubles and balls, but don’t
get ahead of yourself.
“Know how to choose a
fresh tree and how to keep it
that way or you’ll be disap-
pointed,” said Chal Land-
gren, a Christmas tree spe-
cialist with Oregon State
University’s Extension Serv-
ice. “It’s also not safe to have
a dried-out tree in the
house, so it’s doubly impor-
tant to know what to do.”
A lot of information swirls
around the issue of how to
purchase and preserve a
Christmas tree once you get
it home, some of it mislead-
ing. Landgren helps you get
it right with answers to the
most pressing questions.
Q: How do I know a tree
is fresh when I purchase it?
A: Choose a tree that
looks green and healthy
with needles that snap like a
fresh carrot. Shake it a few
times to get rid of old nee-
dles. When you’re home,
place the tree in water if you
do not plan to put it up im-
mediately. Choose a large,
water-filled stand to display
the tree indoors. Check the
water level daily; trees will
be very thirsty the first few
days inside a heated home.
Q: Do I need to re-cut the
stem after I get my tree
home?
A: Yes, if more than 24
hours has elapsed since the
stem was last cut. The fresh
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
cut helps water uptake and
the sooner you can get the
tree into water, the fresher it
will be.
Q: Do I need to cut 2
inches off the tree base for it
to take up water in the
stand?
A: No, cutting 1/2-inch
slice off the base is plenty
for water uptake. However,
clearing the ceiling is anoth-
er question.
Q: Do I need to cut the
base of the trees at an angle,
drill holes in the base or in-
stall plastic tubes so the tree
can get water?
A: No. Water begins the
path up the tree via micro-
scopic tubes called “trachei-
ds” in the wood just be-
neath the bark. The wood
near the outer part of the
stem conducts water effi-
ciently and becomes less so
toward the center. Simply
cut the stem perpendicular
to the trunk to maximize
the area exposed to the
water. Complicated cuts,
drill holes or I.V. tubes do
not help.
Q: Do I need to add
something to the water to
help the tree stay fresher?
A: People have added all
PHOTO BY LYNN KETCHUM
It’s best if the tree does not run out of water, so check it
every day, especially the irst few days.
kinds of things to water, in-
c l u d i n g v o d k a , 7 - Up,
bleach, aspirin and sugar.
However, clean, cold water
is all that is needed. Some
additives actually can cause
the tree to shed needles or
dry out more rapidly.
Q: Will any tree stand
work, as long as it holds the
tree up?
A: No. A stand should hold
a quart of water for every
inch of stem diameter. A tree
with a 6-inch stem diameter
will need a stand that holds a
gallon and a half of water.
Very few stands have the ca-
pacity for today’s large trees.
Consider purchasing a new
stand, or a smaller tree, if the
water capacity is not ade-
quate.
Q: If my decorated tree
runs out of water, do I need
to take it down and re-cut
the base?
A: No. If you refill the
water stand within 24 hours
of going dry, most trees
(Douglas fir, noble, Nord-
mann, Fraser) should re-hy-
drate just fine. For grand fir,
12 hours may be the limit. Of
course, it’s best if the tree
does not run out of water, so
check it every day, especially
the first few days. Your pets
may be helping themselves
to the water, too. If your tree
becomes dry and brittle, it
may be time to take it down.
MI TOWN
I know people who are so
organized, their shopping
was done weeks ago. Christ-
mas cards were neatly
stacked on the corner of the
desk, ready to be taken to
the post office Thanksgiving
weekend. Others are waiting
for another payday before
they can begin, and most of
us fall somewhere in be-
tween. At our house, some
cards still need to be ad-
dressed, but somehow it will
all come together just in
time for happy family gath-
erings and good times to
share with friends.
—
Whether Christmas
plans include a splendid
table set with our best
china and crystal, or a
warm and welcome gather-
ing at the kitchen table
with mugs of cocoa and
bowls of soup, we want to
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
make this a wonderful and
memorable season for
those we love. So much de-
pends upon the spirit of
the season and in the hap-
piness and good conversa-
tion shared with friends
and family you love.
—
Bazillions of articles are
written about how to “sur-
vive” the holidays, and
books appear on the shelves
telling us how to manage to
get through the days and
weeks from Thanksgiving
until New Year’s Day. All this
makes me wonder why one
of the most joyous times of
the year can create so much
stress and chaos, and why
we let it happen. The people
we love can get lost in the
madness of it all.
—
In MI Town, there’s time
to relax with friends and
enjoy time with family with-
out turning it into a major
production. We can make a
big bowl of punch and have
the kids string popcorn and
cranberries for the Christ-
mas tree. We can bake cook-
ies and make candy and
share it with our friends and
neighbors, and brighten
somebody else’s day with a
smile or a special compli-
ment. If there isn’t time for
baking and cooking —
along with everything else
— our local stores have
goodies available for every
taste and budget.
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
ing of the forests is threat-
ening the existence of the
established trees and also
compromising the habitat
on the forest floor for new
seedlings to survive, so now
was the time to go.
—
Madagascar is the poor-
est country they have ever
visited. Some put it in the
poorest 10 countries of the
world. Most people do not
have electricity or running
water. It took 22 hours of fly-
ing time to reach the main
airport at the capital of
Madagascar from Portland.
While there, Fred was
able to meet up with Dallas
High friend Mark Flaming
for several hours one after-
noon and evening. They
had not seen each other
since 1978.
—
The calendars aren’t actu-
ally available at Dancing
Oaks, but are available at
www.lulu.com, and, since
they ship in three days, are a
great last-minute gift. Look
under Leonard’s name to
see all three of their calen-
dars. On the other hand,
they have T-shirts for sale at
the nursery, so call them at
Tad and Roseanna
Larson, of Monmouth,
will celebrate their 25th
wedding anniversary
with family. Tad Larson
and Roseanna Cham-
bers were married Dec.
15, 1990, at First United
Methodist Church, of
Salem.
The couple has lived
in Polk County the past
26 years.
Tad and Roseanna
love to travel. They also
love to go camping with their family and riding ATVs at
the sand dunes in Oregon.
Their family includes Justine and Kyle Netcher, of Mill
City, Stephanie Larson, of Monmouth, and Brian Larson,
of Monmouth. The couple has one grandchildren.
BIRTHS
Arredondo
Ezequiel Orlando Arredondo Jr. was born to Ezequiel
Arredondo and Aliyah Hayward, both of Dallas, at 7:59
a.m. on Nov. 23 at Salem Hospital Family Birth Center.
He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces, and was 20.5 inches
long.
Ezequiel is the couple’s first child.
Grandparents are Jesse and Patricia Lara, of Independ-
ence, and Elvira Landero, of Independence.
Great-grandparents are Simona Ochoa, of Independ-
ence, and Donna Carlton, of Dallas.
Schmitt
Aria Marie Schmitt was born to Aron and Andria
Schmitt, of Dallas, at 10:58 a.m. on Dec. 1 at Salem Hospi-
tal Family Birth Center.
She weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 20.5 inches
long.
Aria is the couple’s first child.
Trinity Concert - “Carols of Christmas”
—
This may be the first year
your children are home
from college. They’ll be
eager to share stories about
classes and university life
and their newly found inde-
pendence — or they may
not. They may also want
some quiet time to relax
and see neighborhood
friends and catch up on
some much needed sleep.
—
During this season, we
need to take time to think
about our families, our
friends and our neighbors.
It’s a good time to count our
blessings and to share what
we can with those who have
not had such a wonderful
year. Our communities have
a long history of taking care
of our own, and what a bet-
ter time than now to show
that we can, and we will.
503-838-6058 to come by to
purchase them, since
they’re only open by ap-
pointment during the win-
ter.
—
Pedee survived the rain-
storms quite well, with only
a few trees down and little
water over the roads.
—
Pam Burkhalter present-
ed Tammy Ames, of Silver-
ton, the patriotic quit raffled
off by Pedee Women’s Club.
The ticket was drawn on
Nov. 14 at the close of the
holiday fair. The club will be
raffling off another quilt in
2016. Proceeds go toward
the costs associated with
monthly shipments to de-
ployed military members.
IMAGINE Our Communities
without our LOCAL
Larson - 25th
Trinity Lutheran Church presents
PEDEE NEWS
Recently I had the chance
to see the calendars that
Leonard Foltz and Fred
Weisensee made of plants at
Dancing Oaks Nursery, plus
the one of their trip to
Madagascar in September
and October, and they are
beautiful.
—
Fred and Leonard’s trip to
Madagascar, an island near
the top of Africa, was the
fulfillment of a lifetime wish
of seeing the Avenue of the
Baobabs on the island. Al-
though the Baobabs are the
size of large trees and can
reach ages of 1,000 years
old, they are actually giant
succulents that survive the
dry climate by storing water
in their huge trunks. Burn-
ANNIVERSARIES
NEWSPAPER!
Thank the businesses who advertise
in the Itemizer-Observer.
without them...
AAAAAH!
I n t e r e s t e d i n
a d v e r t i s i n g ?
C a l l 5 0 3 - 6 2 3 - 2 3 7 3
Sunday, Dec. 20th • 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Features: Scripture, Adult Choir,
Bell Choir, Christmas Carol Singing
and special pieces by children and
youth. Cookie reception follows.
dallastlc.org ~ 503-623-2233
320 SE Fir Villa Rd, Dallas
West Valley Housing Authority will hold their
Regular Board Meeting on Wednesday,
December 23, 2015 beginning at 11:30 p.m.
at 204 SW Walnut in Dallas, Oregon via con-
ference call with regular attendees. An Exec-
utive Session pursuant to ORS 192.660 will
be held immediately following the Regular
Meeting.
Agenda for the meeting is posted on the
Housing Authority website at www.wvpha.org.
The location for the meeting is handicapped
accessible. Please advise the West Valley
Housing Authority if you need any special
accommodations to attend the meeting. For
information, please call 503-623-8387, TDD
1-800-735-2900.
Providing holiday meals to Dallas-area
families in need for more than 50 years
Put Christmas Cheer on your
giving list this year!
Make
checks to:
Christmas Cheer
PO Box 661
Dallas, OR 97338
Do you or someone you know need a little help?
Ask for an application or go to our website
to apply: www.dallascc.org
All volunteers are encouraged to bring
canned goods when coming to help
sort, shop & deliver food boxes
on Christmas Eve at 6 am, Thursday,
Dec. 24th at LaCreole Middle School
More information: 503-623-3585
Coordinators: Warren & Sue Lamb
— 5013C — Non-Profit Organization
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