Polk County Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 23, 2015 9A
Invent your own festive holiday wreath
Wreaths hung on the door
with care call out a festive
“Happy Holidays.”
Share that message in a
special way by making your
own circle of cheer with
plants clipped from the gar-
den or gathered from friends
and neighbors.
“A good part of the fun of
making your own wreath is
going around the neighbor-
hood, collecting plants and
talking to people,” said
Susan Hoffman, who has
been a master gardener with
Oregon State University’s Ex-
tension Service since 2012.
Be sure to ask before you
clip, she added.
At the entry to almost
every store, simple wreaths
are stacked up for sale.
They’re made with some
greenery, a bow and perhaps
a lonely pinecone. And
they’re not cheap. Those
fashioned by your own
hands cost almost nothing
and are limited only by
imagination and available
plants.
Some of the plants used at
a recent master gardener
wreath-making affair at the
Benton County Fairgrounds
included long-lasting selec-
tions like traditional Douglas
fir, fragrant incense cedar
and red-berried holly. Other
types of fir and cedar, as well
as yew, blue spruce, box-
wood, laurel and lavender
were there for the taking. For
color, texture and berries,
the wreath-makers added
nandina, pyracantha and
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
purple beautyberry. Of
course, there are many other
options.
“You can use absolutely
anything you want,” said
Jana Tindall, a master gar-
dener and organizer of the
event.
If a wreath seems too in-
timidating, a swag is a very
simple alternative, Hoffman
said. Just gather up some
plant cuttings, tie the stems
together, add a bow and dec-
orations and that’s the end of
that. Even easier is a bou-
quet of plants for a center-
piece. In a vase, place a piece
of florist’s foam soaked in
water and stick in your
choice of plants. In a clear
vase, hide the foam with
moss, lichen, small
pinecones or red and/or
green marbles found at craft
stores.
“They’re really easy and
quick,” said Tindall. “You can
make them in less than half
an hour in time for a party.”
To make a wreath is not
much harder, though it takes
more time. One piece of ad-
vice from Tindall — have a
table available. Bending and
kneeling can be hard on the
back and knees.
How to make a wreath from the Benton County Master Gardeners
Tools and materials:
• Clippers
• Needle-nose pliers
• Wire (at least 22 gauge)
• Wire or grapevine frame
(available at craft stores)
• Gloves
• Plant clippings
• Pinecones, small pieces of wood, bows,
ribbon, Christmas tree decorations (optional)
Instructions:
Design wreath by laying out in a circle on the
table, using heaviest-textured plants in the back.
Or, if you’d rather, design as you go.
PHOTO BY KYM POKORNY
Transfer background layer of plants to frame.
Leave wire on the spool it came on. Twist one end
of wire to the frame with your fingers or pliers. Wearing gloves is recommended.
Wind wire around the plants and frame in a clockwise direction, pulling it tight to keep plants
from falling off. When you’ve come back to where you started, twist wire to frame behind plants.
Alternately, gather a group of plant clippings together in a clump like a bouquet. Wind wire
around stems and twist ends together. Then secure each clump to the frame, overlapping stem
ends to keep them from showing.
To create a second layer, slip stem ends into the first layer and wrap and attach wire the same
way as the first layer. Fluff out small pieces of plant so wire doesn’t show.
For small, lightweight pieces of plant, slip snugly into wreath. If they feel wobbly, wire them on.
If using pinecones, wood and decorations secure a length of wire to them, leaving long ends.
Wrap those ends around frame or piece of plant stem and twist tightly.
To make a hanger, cut a small piece of wire. Secure one end and then the other to the frame to
form a loop. Be sure to position the loop so that you’ve got top of the wreath where you want it.
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
from going where it isn’t
supposed to be. Somehow it
will all come together and
we can relax for a moment
and take time to be thankful
for all the blessings in our
lives and be grateful for
those who share them with
us.
—
There won’t be any brand-
new sports cars decked out
in bright ribbons, parked in
the driveway, or diamonds
in velvet boxes hanging on
the tree (That only happens
in the television commer-
cials). Instead, there will be
baskets of homemade jams
and jellies, good books and
unique hand-crafted calen-
dars and pictures and other
goodies.
—
The rooms will be filled
with be happy kids and
grandkids, dogs with wag-
ging tails and Max and
Shadow, the cats who are
constantly in search of orna-
ments to remove from the
tree. There will be Christmas
carols to listen to and sing
along with, and games to
play and ever so many good
things to talk about as we
enjoy pizza, green salad
(something healthy) cookies
and candy and all kinds of
special treats like cinnamon
rolls that have become a
Christmas tradition.
—
We’ll share stories of
Christmases past, of those
years when the grandchil-
dren used to find private
corners to try on home-
sewn flannel pajamas, just
as soon as the packages
were quickly unwrapped.
Now four are in college, and
requests have been for
warm and soft fleece blan-
kets for dorm rooms, picnics
and ski trips.
—
At the end of our wonder-
ful day and evening, let’s all
remember to be thankful for
the goodness in our lives,
and say a special prayer for
our men and women who
are wearing the uniform in
service to our country. May
angels watch over those
whose lives have been
touched by sadness or
tragedy — and may the
blessings of the season bring
hope and renewed faith and
courage to all. We wish you
Merry Christmas from our
home to yours.
What’s YOUR
neighbor up to?
Find out in the Itemizer Observer.
You may find your neighbor, your boss,
your friend or yourself in the pages of
the Itemizer Observer. Local stories
on local people - that’s our specialty.
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
and beyond. This will be
their last meeting this year.
The first meeting of 2016
will be Wednesday, Jan. 6. All
are welcome, even the guys,
who often show up at noon
for the sack lunch.
—
I got a Christmas card
from Erika Trueax, and she’s
now a realtor for Berkshire
Hathaway HomeServices
Real Estate Professionals in
Salem, where she is now liv-
ing. Daughter McKenzie is a
junior at Oregon Institute of
Technology in Southern
Oregon. Ashley is a personal
assistant for businessman
Don Lulay in Salem; Seth is
working for both the city of
Dallas and his grandfather
Jock Dalton in Dallas; and
Hallie is at Judson Middle
School in Salem. Erika says
it’s quite a change from her
life in Pedee.
Take this opportunity
to tell Polk County your
story!
RESERVE
BEFORE Dec. 31
for only
132
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
—
The Polk County Saddle-
ite’s president Jerry Mentzer
hosted their Christmas party
last week, where it was de-
cided to have their annual
New Year’s ride on Saturday,
Jan. 9. They will meet at
Jerry’s house at around 10,
ride for two hours or so,
then have a big bonfire and
potluck lunch afterward.
This year Karen Porter is
treasurer and Judy Guida is
secretary of the group,
which welcomes members
from around the county.
And beyond, really.
2016
WHO’S
WHO
IN POLK COUNTY
$
Royce and Mary Alice
Thorpe of Dallas celebrat-
ed their 50th wedding an-
niversary on Dec. 18.
Royce Thorpe and Mary
Alice Hoffman were mar-
ried Dec. 18, 1965, at the
Dallas First Christian
Church. Rev. Charles Knox
performed the ceremony.
The couple was attended
by Mary Hartling and
Donald Ludwig.
The couple has lived in
Dayton, Ohio, for four
years and Dallas the past 46 years.
Royce retired in 2010 from the Dallas School District as
the maintenance supervisor. Mary Alice is semi-retired
from Craven-Woods Insurance.
Royce and Mary Alice’s favorite activities are hiking,
biking, gardening and just spending time together. They
are active in the Dallas First Christian Church and Royce
volunteers for the Dallas Lions Club.
Their family includes Andrea Thorpe and Ross Artwohl
of Louisville, Col., and Jason Thorpe and Heather Knape
of San Francisco. The couple has two grandchildren.
147 SE Court St., Dallas • 503-623-2373
PEDEE NEWS
The most beautiful
church service of the year in
Pedee is this Thursday’s
Christmas Eve candlelight
service, which will be at 8
p.m. this year. It’s the last
chance to sing Christmas
carols for most of us before
the season is once again
over, and everyone is invit-
ed, whether you attend this
church or not.
—
The Pedee Women’s Club
had their traditional Christ-
mas luncheon last Wednes-
day, which included many
guests from the community
Thorpe - 50th
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
MI TOWN
It’s almost Christmas in
MI Town, the presents are
under the tree and we’re
awaiting the arrival of kids
and grandkids. We’ll pack up
the car to go over the river
and through the woods to
celebrate with kids, grand-
kids and great-grandkids in
Portland, and come home to
celebrate with the kids and
grandkids from Scappoose
and Miami.
—
Two more days until
Christmas and there’s still
baking and other food
preparation chores to be fin-
ished, and most likely there
will be at least one more trip
to the store for last-minute
items that didn’t make it
onto the previous to-do list.
The rain keeps pouring
down and we need to be
extra watchful that the sump
pumps continue to operate
smoothly and to keep water
ANNIVERSARIES
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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FULL COLOR GUIDE
To Businesses Serving
POLK COUNTY
Publishes January 20, 2016
Name of Business ______________________________
_____________Phone_____________________
Contact Name____________________________________________Phone_____________________
❑ I would like to run the same ad for 2016
❑ I would like a new photo. Call __________________
to schedule.
Your Name/Number
❑ or Save an additional $10 and use photo from last year.
❑ I would like to change my written information.
__________________________________________________________________________________
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Website___________________________________Email Address _____________________________
Bring this form in to our office: 147 SE Court St., Dallas
Fax it to 503-623-2395, or mail it to:
PO Box 108, Dallas, OR 97338
Visit our website to see last year’s issue of Who’s Who: www.polkio.com