Polk County News
10A Polk County itemizer-observer • November 29, 2017
Take one more go at the garden before winter
We’re well into the holi-
days, daylight is in short
supply and rain comes
down day after day, but if
you can get out in the gar-
den or at least the garage,
you’ll be happier come
spring.
A perennial question is
whether to cut down plants
now or in spring. The an-
swer is not clear cut, said Jeff
Choate, a horticulturist with
Oregon State University Ex-
tension Service. When it
comes to vegetable gardens,
everything should come out.
Annuals, too, can be uproot-
ed. With perennials, it de-
pends.
“With vegetable gardens,
removing spent plants is es-
sential because of the risk of
disease; soilborne diseases
can remain viable for years,”
he said. “For herbaceous
perennials, it’s more of a
choice. Some people like to
tidy up the garden; others
leave it until spring.”
You’ll recognize some
perennials that are good
choices to clean up now be-
cause they die to the ground
anyway. Clear up the debris
and throw it into the com-
post pile or yard debris bin.
Avoid the compost pile for
plants plagued by disease.
There are perennials —
like ornamental grasses,
coneflower, Joe-Pye weed,
sedum and black-eyed
Susan — that provide birds
with seeds in winter and are
good candidates to leave
standing. Choate noted that
it’s also a good idea to de-
sign your garden with
shrubs and trees that pro-
duce berries, which will help
out the birds, as well.
To spread leaves around
the garden or rake them up
is another oft-asked ques-
tion. Yes, place them on veg-
etable beds, where they’ll
protect the soil from com-
paction from the rain, sup-
Amundson
Emmet Dayton Amundson was born at 4:01 a.m. on
Oct. 11 to Eric and April Amundson, of Los Alamos, N.M.,
in Los Alamos.
He weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21 inches
long.
Grandparents are Craig and Deb Amundson, of De
Pere, Wis., Lynn Amundson, of Pulaski, Wis., and John and
Cheryl Barton, of Dallas.
Great-grandmother is Ruby Ahasay, of De Pere.
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
press weeds, increase soil
fertility and help open up
soil structure to keep it
draining well. Spreading
leaves around shrubs is also
a good idea. But once again,
perennials beg the question.
Those rascally slugs love to
lay their eggs under garden
debris, but that can be miti-
gated with a low-toxicity
slug bait.
“It’s a tough one, I admit,”
he said. “There’s a good side
and a bad side. The good
side is that the leaves break
down and feed the worms
and other beneficial organ-
isms. The bad side is slugs.
But the benefits of leaving
leaves down around orna-
mentals outweighs the dis-
advantages.”
It is a good idea, though,
to keep leaves — and bark,
for that matter — away from
slug favorites like hostas.
If you act quickly, it’s still
an OK time to add lime to
vegetable beds and lawns.
Choate recommends buying
a simple pH test kit at the
garden center or home im-
provement store. For the
vegetable garden, if it reads
below 6, apply lime at a rate
of 5 pounds of lime per 100-
square feet.
One chore you can take
off your plate is pruning.
Choate recommends wait-
ing until the latter part of
February to prune shrubs
and trees.
Be sure to know what
your plants’ needs are, he
noted. Spring-blooming
plants like rhododendrons,
azaleas, lilacs, and forsythia
shouldn’t be trimmed until
after they bloom.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FLiCkR
Ornamental grasses offer winter seeds for birds and are
best left up for the season.
One more thing before
moving into the relative
warmth of the garage: Gath-
er fruit hanging in trees or
rotting on the ground and
get it out of there in order to
minimize diseases and pests
such as apple scab and cod-
dling moth next year.
Onward to the garage
where tools and lawn mow-
ers await your attention.
Choate advises cleaning
your tools as you go. He
keeps WD-40 and a rag in
his garden bucket to use as
needed.
But if you don’t get to it
every time, be sure to clean
them now so they don’t sit
dirty and rusting during
winter. Wash and dry them
off, sharpen, oil any moving
parts and rub linseed oil on
wooden handles to keep
them from drying out and
cracking.
Smooth edged tools can
be sharpened at home, but
other types — think pruning
saws, chain saws and the
like — should be taken to a
professional to avoid dam-
age to the tool or injury to
yourself.
Lawn mowers need atten-
tion now, too. The single
most important task is to
empty them of gas. Turn on
the motor and let it warm
up for 30 seconds, then shut
it off and siphon the gas.
Restart the engine and run
until it quits.
“The No. 1 issue for small
gas engines is bad gas,”
Choate said. “That stems
from the fact that gas has 10
percent ethanol, which will
absorb water from the at-
mosphere. Having water in
your lawn mower is not a
good thing.”
Also, take the time to
change the oil, spark plugs
and air filter. When replac-
ing the spark plugs, make
sure you’re using the right
one. Your owner’s manual
(sometimes you can find it
online if you don’t have the
paper version) should indi-
cate the correct one. Make
sure the gaps are correct by
using an inexpensive gap
tool.
Now all you have to do is
wait for spring.
MI TOWN
One week and a day past
Thanksgiving, and it’s al-
most time to turn the calen-
dar to the brand new month
of December. Christmas ad-
vertising has been a reality
for several days now, and the
music of the season is al-
ready flooding the airwaves.
Food pantries and donation
sites need whatever you can
share with others to help
brighten the Christmas sea-
son for families in the area.
—
Bring your family, friends
and appetites to the Mon-
mouth Senior Center this
Saturday for the monthly
community breakfast, from
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. It’s a great
way to begin the season.
—
Continuing my medical
journey, the radiologist
called to confirm that I do
have breast cancer. Pretty
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
much was a foregone con-
clusion, I told her, but still
kind of scary to get the de-
finitive word. She is a very
bright and gentle soul and
gave me the phone number
of a breast cancer surgeon,
and suggested I call as soon
as possible.
—
I did contact the cancer
surgeon’s office to schedule
an appointment and they
were able to schedule me for
the same day due to a can-
cellation. As we walked in the
office door, the Nurse Navi-
gator for the cancer program
was there to say hello and
give me a lot of printed infor-
mation about support pro-
grams available for patients
and their spouses and fami-
lies. It was such a welcoming
and thoughtful gesture.
—
My exam was brief, and I
met with the cancer surgeon
for a good, long and inform-
ative appointment where he
explained ultrasound and
lab tests, the options for
treatment and the proce-
dures to follow. My head was
swimming with so much in-
formation, and between the
two of us, we were able to
remember the conversation
and take additional notes.
—
I called Beverly as soon as
we got home. In the course
of her nurse practitioner
studies, she had recently
written a paper about breast
cancer treatment and out-
comes, so had a lot of things
to talk about. Geoff called
me in the evening to give me
his thoughts and treatment
options as well. What a re-
lief to get even more infor-
mation. The bottom line
here is that both kids and
Don have reiterated that it is
my decision and my deci-
sion alone regarding what
treatment options to follow.
—
After several days of delib-
erating, I decided to have the
lumpectomy surgery, with six
weeks of radiation to follow.
It’s the best choice for me, I
believe, and will be much less
invasive than the mastecto-
my. Since the cancer is very
small at this time, I’m re-
lieved we caught it very early.
I’m grateful for great medical
care and very knowledgeable
medical professionals.
PEDEE NEWS
It seems Thanksgiving is
pretty quiet in Pedee. Pam
Burbank went to Albany to
eat an early Thanksgiving
dinner with her sister and
brother-in-law Kathy and
Scott McKinley and mother
Elsie Jones, who now lives in
Albany.
She then ate a later
Thanksgiving dinner with
neighbors Tale and April
Makalea. She has two clients
now, but they worked and
visited family.
—
Norm and Donna Bald-
win’s son and family, Dan,
his wife Jael and daughters
Molly and Ginger came from
Lebanon to spend the week-
end.
They all ate dinner on
Thursday, then on Black Fri-
day, Norm and Dan stayed
home while the women hit
BIRTHS
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
the stores for some great
bargains. The only other vis-
itors on their mountaintop
home were the deer, rabbits,
chipmunks and squirrels.
—
Fred and Cindy Clark
went with Fred’s sister and
brother-in-law, Carol and
Stu Hemphill, of Wren, to
Portland to enjoy their an-
nual visit with Stu and
Carol’s son Nate and his wife
Jennifer and son Jaspar. Typ-
ical Thanksgiving, but fun to
catch up with everyone.
—
We had two Thanksgiving
meals, too. We went to
daughter Lorraine and
Doug’s house in Salem for
brunch and games, then
came back in time to eat
with Judy Guida and her
family, Joe and his daughter
Jackie Trussel and friend
Robbie Wiggins, and Dave
and Suzanne Burbank. Rob-
bie and Jackie are both in
the nursing profession at
OHSU in Portland.
—
It all doesn’t seem terribly
newsworthy, but there’s
something really special
about getting together at
Thanksgiving — the whole
country eating turkey, green
bean casserole, and pump-
kin pie together with our fa-
vorite and not-so-favorite
relatives and friends, and
without the Christmas pres-
sure.
—
Speaking of Christmas,
Pedee Church is preparing
for this special time.
They had a decorating
party last Saturday, then on
Dec. 12, acoustical guitarist
Ron Diller will be here for a
Christmas concert.
The Christmas Eve can-
dlelight service will include
the children’s program at 7
p.m. on Dec. 24, and on
Dec. 31, they are having a
progressive dinner party
with a New Year’s Eve wor-
ship service afterward.
—
Must say, a highlight of
my AAW convention in
Minneapolis last week was
a tour of the Spam muse-
um in Austin, M.N.
It gave me a renewed ap-
preciation of Spam.
Continued from page 9A
—
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 (CONTINUED)
• Yarning for Others — 3 to 5 p.m., St. Thomas episcopal
Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. knitters and crocheters
gather to make clothing and accessories for those in need on
the first Wednesday of every month. 503-689-7222.
• Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community
Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.
to noon. karen Freeman, 503-871-4172.
• Brew and BS: The New Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on New Testament figures. Bring brew of choice – coffee, tea,
chai, beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
Santa
Continued from Page 8A
This year, the Dan Can-
non Art Gallery will be open
during the tree lighting cel-
ebrations, and the Historic
Gentle House will host its
annual Wine, Warmth and
Music after the tree is lit.
FALLS CITY
Falls City’s annual tree
lighting and kickoff to the
Christmas season is Satur-
day.
The festivities take place
at Mountain Gospel Fel-
lowship, 257 N. Main St.
where people can gather
for hot chocolate and
snacks. The tree lighting is
at 6 p.m.
INDEPENDENCE
In spite of a hiccup earli-
er this year, Santa Claus will,
once again, arrive in Inde-
pendence at the cinema via
train, thanks to efforts led
by Traci Cathcart and Port-
land & Western.
“Cynthia ( Jaramillo)
started such an amazing
event,” Cathcart said. “After
I found out that we got the
train, I asked Kim Hanson if
she would want to help, and
if she would partake in get-
ting this event back for the
community, and have Cyn-
thia’s legacy live on. We
wanted it to live on for
those children.”
Zach Van Patten stepped
up to be Santa’s engineer,
delivering him in a lighted
train at 1 p.m., ready to hear
the wishes of all the good
boys and girls.
Photos with Santa will be
available for pickup at the
Independence Public Li-
brary starting on Dec. 8.
The Monmouth-Inde-
pendence YMCA will host
a booth at the cinema
where children may write
letters to Santa.
The city of Independ-
ence has acquired a mail-
box specifically for these
letters, which will find
their way directly to the
North Pole.
The mailbox will debut
at the Santa Train, move to
the Independence library,
the Independence Elks
Lodge and finally
Riverview Park.
The Grove will again walk
around with hot chocolate
dispensers. Independence
Cinema will hand out pop-
corn. Portland & Western
will present information
and goodie bags related to
railroad safety, and a DJ will
play Christmas carols.
“We’re excited that this is
a free event for kids,” Cath-
cart said. “That’s what this is
about, having the experi-
ence of seeing Santa.”
For various reasons, Toys
for Tots was unable to pro-
vide toys for the event. Or-
ganizers will accept dona-
tions of small gifts and
candy through Friday at 5
p.m. at the Elks lodge,
Young Realty, Chase Bar &
Grill, the Arena Sports Bar &
Grill, the Monmouth-Inde-
pendence Chamber of
Commerce, and the Mon-
mouth-Independence
YMCA office.
Efforts to reinvigorate
Santa Train took more than
one person, Cathcart said.
“Me and Kim (Hanson)
just got the ball rolling,” she
said.
In fact, a large group of
people were involved from
beginning to end in organ-
izing both Santa Train and
the 15th annual Parade of
Lights, which will have a
new route this year.
Last year’s route caused
some concerns about safe-
ty, said Teri Gregson, chair
of the Parade of Lights com-
mittee.
This year, the parade will
begin and end in Riverview
Park. It will follow the newly
finished Osprey Lane, up D
Street to Second, left on B
Street and down Main, back
on Osprey Lane to complete
the loop.
After the parade, head to
the Independence Elks
Lodge for the reception
party. The bar area will be
open to all ages to mingle
with Santa, have cookies
and cocoa, and wish each
other a very merry Christ-
mas.
McFarland finalist for superintendent
okANoGAN, Wash. — Richard McFarland has been named
one of three finalists for the okanogan School District Superin-
tendent.
interviews will be conducted the week of Dec. 4 and the
okanogan School District Board of education plans to make a
decision by Dec. 11.
McFarland currently serves as Assistant Superintendent and
Human Resources Director at the Central School District.
Warming center meeting Wednesday
MoNMoUTH — A meeting about hosting a local warming
center will be held Wednesday (today) from 2 to 4 p.m. at Mon-
mouth Christian Church, 959 Church St. W., Monmouth.
The meeting hopes to hear from the Community Action
Agency on what it takes to host a warming center and deter-
mine if the community has the capacity to put it on.
The meeting is open to the public. An RSVP is requested.
For more information: 503-838-1145.
Recycle for a better future