Today, Dec. 5 has been
warm and rainy, similar to most of the month soggy November. I tried
to get a picture of a frog but the frog was smart and quickly dove
for cover every time I moved. The frog sure wasn't sluggish. But it
seems late for frogs to still be this active.
The common refrain
around these parts is that we are going to pay for this balmy period
of weather. The
snow machine can kick in anytime and the forecasts
for later this week are calling for colder temperatures with snow.
With the colder weather, wood stoves and fireplaces will be lit. The wood ash is an important yard resource but it is important to understand the
details .
The
garlic , a late fall tradition, is already
planted in the garden; actually, there will be
two garlic harvests in 2012; and later this week a few potatoes, snow permitting, will go in
the final row to see what happens come April. Nor is too late in many regions to start your own
Oak Tree , the National Tree.
This is the second
week of Pennsylvania rifle deer season and it appears as though
hunters are harvesting some
quality bucks . For many families the healthy venison in the freezer will be important for 2012 as the economy slowly seems to be pulling out of a recession. Deer hunting can also be a
fun family and educational activity. Last year, the second week
of the traditional deer season was literally shut down by heavy snows or
Lake Effect Storms , which could help
explain the number of quality bucks this year.
The woods are brown
and the only green are moss and
Christmas Ferns . The Christmas Ferns,
at one time, were very popular this time of the year in yuletide
wreath making, so much so that they were at one time, over-harvested.
Online homemade
wreaths, without the ferns,
can be purchased here . If you are unable
to have a Christmas Tree, these are the next best thing and they do
add another dimension to the Christmas Holiday season.
Soon it will be time to say goodbye 2011 and welcome 2012, it is a busy month getting ready for the next jump. No, I don't believe the hype about Dec. 12, 2012 or whatever date and the end of the world, not even the Mayan's believe it either.
Pearl Harbor
Just before 8 a.m. On
Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese warplanes bombed the US Naval base
near Honolulu, Hawaii. After the two hour attack, 2,000 American
military personal were killed, 20 American vessels destroyed,
including 8 battleships and 200 planes.
The following day,
President Roosevelt sent a declaration of war to Congress which
almost immediately approved the declaration. The US was officially in
Word War 11.
It is an important
time to pause and reflect once again on the sacrifices made by our
military men and women and take some action to help support our
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It doesn't really matter what time of the year or the date; it's important every year 1941, 2011 or 2012.
Herbs
December is also the
month of seed catalogs and proclamations. The National Garden Bureau
has chosen one vegetable, one flower and one perennial for special
notice this year. The organization has decided that 2012 is the Year
of Herbs; the Year of the Geranium and the Year of the Heuchera (more
commonly known as Coral Bells).
Herbs are useful
plants; they can be used in the kitchen, medicinally, and/or used in
the garden as companion plants to attract or repel insects. Most, if not all herbs, can also be successfully
grown in containers .
Some of the common and more traditional herbs would be Basil, Sage, Parsley
, Thyme , and Dill. Some of the
lesser known, but equally important herbs to choose this year would
be:
Lovage ,
Borage and Horseradish, three of the all time favs here.
Lovage is a hardy perennial which tastes just like celery,
Borage is
great for attracting the bees and is sometimes called the bee plant
(and makes a great tea, while Horseradish is a hardy, healthy
perennial with numerous uses in the kitchen.
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