Polk County News
12A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • December 13, 2017
ANNIVERSARY
GARDEN COLUMN
Tips to gear up garden for cold weather
A
s freezing weather
moves in, garden-
ers may be worry-
ing about how to protect
their plants from the cold.
Experts with Oregon State
University Extension Serv-
ice, recommend several
ways to guard your land-
scape from frigid conditions.
• Though snow can act as
excellent mulch on the
ground, it can also weigh
down the branches of
shrubs with frail structures
such as arborvitae, box-
woods, young rhododen-
drons and azaleas. Every two
to three days, knock the
snow off branches and wrap
rope around the branches of
bushes and shrubs. Tying
the branches upward helps
restructure the branches to a
more upright position be-
fore the storm.
• Insulate plants with
mulch, compost, leaves or
any kind of organic matter
that will protect root sys-
tems. Snow can also be a
good insulator for many
plants.
• It's especially important
to protect container plants
since the pots can freeze.
Cover them with compost,
K YM
P OKORNY
Your
Garden
mulch, old blankets, sheets
or burlap, or anything that
can help insulate them.
Wrap pots in bubble wrap to
provide even more protec-
tion. Don’t leave pots hang-
ing. Place on the ground and
cover.
• Most trees go dormant
in the winter and can with-
stand temperatures in the
negative degrees. The excep-
tion? Non-native trees that
do not have the same cold
tolerance. Be sure to check
labels before buying and
make sure to plant trees
with cold hardiness appro-
priate to your area. Check
the USDA Plant Hardiness
Zone Map to find your har-
diness zone.
• Don't walk on your
lawn, especially if there is no
snow insulating the grass.
Walking on it can break the
leaf tissue and damage the
grass if it is frozen.
• Keep your greenhouse
https://flic.kr/p/227W2aw
Shake snow off branches to keep them from being
damaged.
above 35 degrees and plants
inside will likely survive.
•
Next spring you
may notice some brown
freeze streaks and damage
on the leaves of the spring-
flowering trees and bulbs
you put in the ground re-
cently. Cold weather likely
will cause a lot of leaf and
tissue damage. Frost dam-
age causes leaves to appear
water-soaked or shriveled,
or to turn dark brown or
black — but does not always
kill the plant.
• Generally, do not water
your plants in freezing con-
ditions. But shrubs growing
underneath the eaves of a
house are susceptible to
drought damage. Water
them deeply every six to
eight weeks only when the
air temperature is above
freezing and early in the day.
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
To continue my Journey to
Wellness: We watch the
monitor in the hospital
room as my blood pressure
rises high enough for me to
be discharged. I’ve traded
the hospital gown for clean
pajamas, robe, warm socks
and slippers brought from
home for the return trip.
Don heads off to Bi-Mart to
get my magic potion pre-
scribed by the noteworthy
surgeon, and I settle into bed
to sleep — perchance to
dream — or not.
—
The good drugs from sur-
gery are beginning to wear
off, and I happily take the
magic potion, clutching the
ice bag against my upper left
side, drifting in and out of
sleep.
—
Dr. Faddis calls a few days
later, sharing the good news
first: the cancerous section
has been removed and
lymph nodes were clear, but
there were other cells with
“precancerous” edges. Bev-
erly and I talked by phone
for 25 minutes or so, dis-
cussing options and “what
if’s” and how many times did
I want to go under the knife
and find more “precancer-
ous” cells later. A subsequent
conversation with Geoff just
reinforced that a mastecto-
my will be the best choice
for me.
—
The next day, I just com-
pletely let it go, and cried for
the very first time since the
Richard and Orpha Sharp will be celebrating 50 years of
marriage on Saturday, Dec. 16. They were married Dec.
16, 1967, at the First Presbyterian Church in Roseburg.
This historic church is the oldest church in Roseburg, and
Richard’s parents were also married there.
These longtime Dallas residents are both retired, but
enjoy working part time during tax season. They have two
children and three grandchildren.
William Sharp his wife Wendy, and sons Liam and
Quinn reside in Portland.
Jennifer Lawrence, her husband Mark, and daughter
Cassidy reside in Milwaukie.
Our family would like to invite all who have shared in
their lives by your friendship and love to join us in cele-
brating Richard and Orpha Sharp’s 50th anniversary Sat-
urday, Dec. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Grace Church, 598 E. El-
lendale Ave., Dallas.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
MI TOWN
Our beautiful blue skies and
unseasonable December
weather have given us so
many reasons to be grateful
that we live in MI Town.
While so many people in
Southern California have
lost so much to the devastat-
ing fires, and folks in the Co-
lumbia River Gorge are deal-
ing with wind and frozen
temperatures, we are able to
hang Christmas lights and
plant bulbs without rain.
The chilly mornings are very
invigorating, and when we’re
properly bundled up, really a
pleasure at this time of year.
—
The Friends of the Mon-
mouth Library are having an
ongoing Holiday Book Sale
during December. This is a
great opportunity to find
gently-used books and other
items for gifts, or just to treat
yourself.
—
Sharp — 50th
initial diagnosis, which was
good (I guess). Both Don
and I had a mutual melt-
down, and aired our con-
cerns and fears and all the
absorption of so much infor-
mation and decision making
that we both were trying to
manage. I called Deb (the
RN-Navigator). What a bless-
ing it is, to have another car-
ing and compassionate per-
son who can help me
through these scary times,
and realize we all have the
same goal.
—
Dr. Faddis and I discussed
my decision. This surgery
will be more complicated
than the lumpectomy, and I
will probably have to stay
overnight in the hospital
(dang), but recovery should
go well. My surgery date is
now Dec. 13, two months
since my mammogram on
Oct. 13.
Continued from page 11A
—
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., Salem
Health West Valley (main conference room inside main en-
trance), 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323.
• 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.
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PEDEE NEWS
Shawn and Trina Broth-
erton and kids Kalina and
Kindan went to see the Zoo
Lights the Saturday after
T h a n k s g i v i n g . T h e y ’v e
gone almost every year for
the last 12 years, and it was
the least crowded they’ve
seen it and found parking.
The lights were great as
they’d changed it up in a
good way and so have so
much more room and envi-
ronmental enrichment. It
was the first time Shawn
had been able to see the
new Elephant Lands,
which are wonderful. Of
course, they always eat ele-
phant ears while there.
—
The week of Thanksgiv-
ing, Heather Traglia and
daughters Jenae and Kailey
went with a gracious friend
and her family to Ko Olina,
Oahu. Kailey was bounding
with excitement for the trip
as it was not only her first
A RLENE
K OVASH
Columnist
time going to Hawaii, but
her first time flying on a
plane. The excitement for
the plane wore off about 30
minutes after takeoff as she
was uncomfortable, and
then the dreaded “Are we
there yet?” questioning
began.
—
Jenae was excited for an-
other reason. Before their
trip, she was selling baked
goods and hot cocoa so she
could raise funds to swim
with the dolphins. People
from Kings Valley and
Pedee area were very sup-
portive in helping her en-
deavor, and she eventually
raised half the funds that
were matched by a very
giving friend. The girls
were thrilled to see their
dreams come true and
have a memory that will
last for the rest of their
lives. Heather also enjoyed
swimming with the dol-
phins, but was also a little
afraid she’d be dolphin
food. Before their trip
began, one of their chil-
dren came down with the
flu, so as fate would have it,
she had the flu while in
Hawaii. But as the saying
goes, “buck up buttercup,”
so she did just that and still
had a wonderful time.
—
Acoustical guitarist Ron
Diller will be in concert at
Pedee Church Friday at 7
p.m. Come and enjoy his
beautiful Christmas music.
Refreshments will be
served during intermis-
sion.
SENIOR LIVING SOLUTIONS
—
David Crowe lost his 9-
month-old liver and white
Springer Spaniel, Duke,
somewhere in the
Pedee/Kings Valley area. If
anyone sees him or has
him, give David a call as he
really misses him.
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