Hydrangea and Me: A Love Affair

Did you know that western gardens have cultivated hydrangeas since the first American species were brought to England in the 1700s? The common, big-leaf hydrangea, macrophylla, has been popular with gardeners in its native land of Japan for hundreds of years. Many gardeners enjoy the beautiful flowers and foliage of the hydrangea as a treasured specimen in the garden… including me!

Recently I spent a few hours at the nursery selecting and tagging plants for my clients. As always, I was instantly drawn to the charming hydrangeas and, once again, stood before them in fascination. The ongoing rows of the various species thoroughly warmed my heart and filled it with joy! I simply NEVER get tired of hydrangeas! As I strolled up and down the rows, I intentionally touched every flower head and leaf that I came in contact with! From ‘Pinky Winky’ to the ‘Twist-N-Shout’ to the ‘Little Lamb’, the ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Limelight’ and ‘Oakleaf’ and all the others that crossed my path! How gorgeous they looked lined up like soldiers and I wanted all of them!

I’m not quite sure what it is about a hydrangea that attracts me like no other. Yes, there are the obvious gardener’s reasons…the paniculata and the arborescens species provide year-round interest, the blooms are outstanding, the colors showing and endearing, and they’re hardy in most zones… but that’s not it. My love for hydrangeas goes much deeper. I adore how the hydrangea never holds back from its full blooming potential. From the time the first bud appears, there is no stopping the exuberant growth as it seemingly strives to celebrate all it was created to be. The abundant, lush blooms boldly and beautifully speaking to the world! I believe that’s how our lives were intended to be lived. Even the smallest hydrangea buds, in time, bloom in unabashed glory and we are no different. I think I’ve learned something new about myself and my beloved Hydrangea. I will always cherish them in my gardens!

The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water,

but to walk on the earth.

~Chinese Proverb

Planting Great Seeds at Reaching Higher

If you walk past a Reaching Higher classroom in Royal Oak, MI, it is everything but conventional!  You may just hear many, chanting very loudly:

"I plant great seeds in the corner of my mind,

My seeds are my thoughts, they are the winning kind.

My thoughts help me focus when I am still.

I say yes I can, yes I will.

I am a winner

I will succeed

Because I use my mind to

Plant great seeds!"

I once believed seeds were only planted in the soil…until I discovered Reaching Higher.  Four years ago I responded to an ad in my local newspaper by Susie Dahlmann, Founder and Executive Director of Reaching Higher.  Susie was recruiting volunteers interested in becoming trained Reaching Higher instructors so I called to express an interest.  Since then, I have had the distinct honor and privilege of working with youth from my local middle and high school.   Just like gardening, Reaching Higher strikes an unexplained chord deep in my soul!  

Reaching Higher’s unique curriculum is a well-designed nine-session program that is progressive and cutting edge.   The thing I love most is that it is love-based.   Hands down, The Beatles were “right on” when they crooned “all we need is love!"  

During the eight-week period, two instructors, five assistants and twenty-some students explore uncharted waters and endless possibilities, together.  Here's a brief synopsis:

SESSION 1
You Are a Miracle - Students explore their miraculous and unique nature and begin to create a positive community within the group.

SESSION 2
Remembering - Students put away negative messages they have "learned" about themselves and begin to remember the precious parts of themselves.

SESSION 3
Managing Stress - Students learn techniques for impulse intervention and stress relief as well as ways to overcome worry.

SESSION 4
Purpose In Life-Setting Goals - Students look at their unique gifts and explore how those gifts can be expressed through setting and attaining goals.

SESSION 5
Changing Limiting Beliefs - Students look at negative beliefs about themselves and experience techniques to replace them with positive beliefs.

SESSION 6
Fear to Freedom - Students explore the impact of fear in their lives and learn techniques for releasing fear.

SESSION 7
Positive Life Choices - Students have the opportunity to hear experiences that have involved poor life choices and learn to make good choices for themselves.

SESSION 8
Happiness Through Giving and Loving - Students will give to one another, through kind action and communications, and experience the happiness that results.

SESSION 9
Graduation Celebration - On this special evening, parents, friends and faculty come together to celebrate the children and to hear how the students have benefited from the Reaching Higher program.

Front Row:  Jan Bills, Lisa Bahm, Marie Churchill;  Back row:  Sarah Goodwin, Dawna Tennant, Sarah Rothenberg, Carrie Selinski

So when I am not planting seeds in the soil during the growing season in Michigan, you will more than likely find me and many others planting seeds of love and hope for one another!

 

Bravo, Reaching Higher, for putting the memorable words of The Beatles into action!  I am grateful and blessed to be a part of this awesome program!  

Together we can plant great seeds!   After all, to nourish and grow, all we need is love!

A cool, eco-friendly lunch box for kids!

I was watching The Today Show this morning and while I no longer have kids of the age where they  pack lunches for school, this eco-friendly way of doing it caught my eye. It's SO cool, I'm sitting here trying to figure out a reason why I need to buy one anyway.

PlanetBox makes this hip lunch box that incorporates the classic design of a compartmentalized lunch tray with the utilitarian need for storage and transport capabilities.

Made of stainless steel, it has a hinged cover and five compartments (PlanetBox Basic). It's also available with two separate round containers - one large and one small - for condiments and dips (PlanetBox Plus). Another option is an insulated carrying case, which you'd surely want. For all of the above (PlanetBox Complete), the total cost is $59.95. You can also buy the "extras" separately.

Even the carrying case is eco-minded, being made of toxin-free recycled plastic fibers. (No lead, no PVC, no phthalates, no BPA). 

Another fun aspect of these is the magnets that come with the set that allow you to personalize the lunch tray. There are Retro Kitty, Rockets, Green Globe, Sports Balls, Under the Sea, Rainbow, Modern Art, Groovy, Wheelies, and Paisley & Plaid magnet sets. I know right now that I'd want Paisley & Plaid! ('Cause I LOVE paisley!)

Sports Balls magnet set

Check them out!

Balance, ease, beauty. It’s all about sustainability!

Initial meetings with clients always begin with a request for a maintenance-free landscape and the response is always consistent - a maintenance-free landscape is virtually impossible! However, what is not impossible is a sustainable landscape that works with the environment and requires minimal and manageable maintenance. Once explained, clients are excited and anxious for us to dig in…literally! After all, who doesn’t long for beautiful gardens that attract wildlife and require very little maintenance?

As you may know, there are many variations to the definition of sustainable landscaping. However, The Soil Sisters define sustainable landscaping with three easy words: balance, ease, and beauty! Balance embraces local climate, site selection and resources; ease includes minimal inputs such as water, organic pesticides and fertilizers; and beauty, of course, is what excites all gardeners!

Sustainable landscaping begins with an excellent design that is functional, cost efficient, visually attractive, environmentally friendly, and easy to maintain. Believe it or not, sustainable landscaping is very simple to achieve!

Following are three key components to a viable sustainable landscape:

• Promotes positive practices and minimizes negative impacts
• Facilitates self-sufficiency
• Conserves natural resources

How can you implement these ideas into your landscaping this year?

• Water harvesting by attaching a rain barrel to a downspout
• Utilizing a compost bin
• Thickly planted garden beds with trees, shrubs, and ground covers
• Beds planted along the edge of the road to slow and filter runoff
• Terracing to slow runoff and encourage infiltration
• Plant trees to create microclimates which reduce water usage
• Learning good soil management which encourages rainwater infiltration
• Mulching around tree trunks

Sustainability is an ongoing relationship between you, your garden and its surrounding eco-system. It’s not too late to begin making small changes toward a more sustainable garden now, with a goal of a more water-wise, environmentally-friendly garden in just a few months. You’ll be helping the earth and you’ll be rewarded with a lot less work creating and maintaining beautiful garden beds!

I am very passionate about sustainability and we’ll be featuring more helpful and informative articles to get you growing green. After all, it’s all about sustainability!

Let me entertain you!

Like many of us, I love when wildlife shows up in my tiny backyard.  Kylee’s recent Soil Sisters' article, Gleaning for the Wildlife, inspired me to feed my squirrels the way she does, from a nifty corncob holder!  Enthusiastically, I drove from store to store but could not find one like hers so I decided to make my own corncob holder. It has been delightful watching these frisky creatures maneuver and munch on the corncobs while hanging from my tree!

Do you want to be entertained by squirrels, too?  If so, gather up the kids and a wire coat hanger for a fun and inexpensive weekend project!   Here’s how:

1.  Begin by straightening a wire coat hanger.  Unwind the wire that is wrapped around the base of the hanger’s hook (I used a pliers).

2.  Keep the hook in place and straighten out the rest of the hanger.

3.  Starting at the end of the wire opposite the hook (using the pliers) wrap the wire to make two tight circles, these will be the base of the feeder and will hold the corncob in place.

4.  Use your hands to wrap the wire in circles large enough to fit a corncob.  Remember to leave the hook end sticking straight up.

5.   Place the corncob into the spiral.

6.  Use the hook end to hang the corncob from a branch or any place that the squirrels can get to it.

Now, sit back with the kids and enjoy the funny antics of your backyard squirrels…they’ll be glad you did! 

"Hey, Soil Sister..."

Our Soil Mister, Joseph, of Greensparrow Gardens, has recorded a delightful video, with a creative take on the Train hit, Hey, Soul Sister. We met Joseph in Buffalo last summer at the garden bloggers' fling and spent some fun time with him, talking about doing some video for The Soil Sisters. He wrote a blog post for us a couple of months ago, for our Meet a Weeder feature.

Please check out his video here. We love it!

Operator’s Manual: Gardening Hand Tools - A Guest Post

Today's guest post is from Stacy Walters, a Registered Kinesiotherapist, Master Gardener, and budding freelance writer with a passion for green living.

Gardening is on the rise, yet about one in every five do-it-yourself injuries occurs during the activity. It’s important to recognize, however, that gardening does not cause injury. Poor gardening biomechanics cause injury.

The use of everyday gardening hand tools can cause strain, and in effect be a major source of discomfort for many gardeners. The hands, wrists, and elbows are complex joint structures that are vulnerable to overuse injury and degenerative conditions. Novice and expert gardeners alike need to be aware that poor biomechanics can result in osteoarthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury, or cumulative trauma disorder.

If you’re like me, you’ve tried every tool and gadget on the market promising to make gardening tasks easier and more enjoyable. Gardeners understand each tool’s purpose, but what they don’t understand is how to use the body appropriately to OPERATE the tool. Gardeners can avoid reduced mobility, strength, and next day soreness by adopting a few simple habits when using hand tools.

Here are Stacy’s four key guidelines to serve as your operator’s manual for gardening hand tools:

1. Always use a right angled grip to ensure proper alignment of the forearm, wrist, and fingers.
   
   This is actually much easier than it may seem. For example, quickly examine the proper trowel grip. Simply take the trowel, direct the point at the target, and shake hands with it (similar to gripping a golf club for my golfers out there). Many manufacturers actually draw a map for you right on the tool. As a matter of fact, this Corona eGrip trowel is designed with what I call a “thumb rest” and a “grip stopper”. The thumb rest provides a slip resistant protruding ledge that allows the thumb to stay straight in proper alignment. Even better, the grip stopper is a comfortable hook that keeps the fingers perfectly aligned with the thumb.
   
   This grip seamlessly prepares the body to recruit the appropriate muscles of the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and neck to perform the work. I see gardeners time and time again make the mistake of grabbing the trowel toward the end of the tool as if they were grabbing a doorknob. The wrist is immediately set up to take the brunt of the work with a little help from the forearm and elbow joint. Not to mention, what do we do with doorknobs? Twist! The very motion we should avoid while gardening.
   
   

   

   Proper grip

   
   

   

   Improper grip

   
   
2. Keep the work close to you.
   
   Do whatever it takes to position yourself close to your work. Kneel on a pad, squat, or sit on a stool. Avoid bending over at the waist to reach the task, as well as twisting a joint resulting in an awkward motion. Try to circumvent working with the arms overhead, and consider working from a ladder. Of course gardeners will find themselves in situations when they cannot follow these recommendations; however, it is important to evaluate the dangers and ask a fellow gardener for assistance.
   
   
    
3. Avoid isolated wrist movements by using gross movements of the shoulder and elbow.
   
   It sounds easy enough, but HOW exactly do you do this? The first question you need to ask yourself when you’re setting up for a gardening task is “How can I position myself so that I am using my entire arm and shoulder for this task?” Quickly access how to capitalize on the mechanical advantage of the stronger joint structures and muscles of the arm, shoulder, and even the abdominal muscles. You do not need to be an expert in biomechanics to accomplish this.
   
   Typically this just means you will use the techniques provided in guideline #2 to stay close to your work, and keep your shoulder over the tool. Feel free to use both hands when greater force is needed, but be sure to use the proper grip. Simply shake hands with tool, and then wrap the other hand around the tool with the thumb on top (this is very much like the golf grip!). As you begin to move through the range of motion, ensure that you are engaging your abdominals and driving the work from your shoulder. Do not excessively flex or extend the wrist, avoid the flicking motion, and do not lock (completely straighten) the elbow joint.
   
   
   
   
4. Fit to Garden Basics:
   
   
   • Complete a gardening warm-up wrist, arm, and shoulder stretches
   • Begin with easier gardening tasks and progress to more difficult projects
   • Don’t spend too long in one position, be sure to alternate tasks
   • Wear gloves for extra cushion
   • Perform post-gardening wrist, arm, and shoulder stretches
   • Stop when you’re tired, that’s when most gardening injuries occur

Spending just a few moments concentrating on these guidelines will enhance body awareness and protect gardeners from unnecessary injury. While you’re chipping away on those gardening projects and performing mindful movement, you will also be burning approximately 200 calories every 30 minutes.

Wishing you happy and healthy gardening, cheers!

In addition to her website, Fit to Garden™, you can follow Stacy on Twitter at @FITtoGARDEN.

Five Great Native Plants for the Home Landscape

Today's guest post is from Scott Hokunson. Scott is the principal of Blue Heron Landscape Design, organic land care proponent and a happily married father of two, living in northern Connecticut. He also coaches high school lacrosse.


For centuries, plant aficionados have scoured the earth for new and exciting flora to bring home to their gardens. Plant hunters have been so successful, that their popular exotic introductions have replaced native plant species at such a rate as to cause a reduction in our native insect species.

Luckily though, the tide is turning; growers are producing new cultivars of native plants and natives are finding their way back into our gardens. Here are five native plants that we use on a regular basis in our designs that will work well in your gardens.

Heritage River Birch (Betula nigra ‘Heritage’) is a beautiful small to mid-sized tree, hardy in zones 3–8. Its bark peels away gracefully to reveal a beautiful cinnamon color. Glossy dark green leaves contrast with the bark nicely until fall when they change to a nice yellow. Used en masse or as a specimen, this eastern U.S. native will stand out in your landscape.

Heritage River Birch (Betula nigra ‘Heritage’)

Golden Groundsel (Senecio aureus), a native of the northeast U.S., is a low-growing perennial that tolerates wet soil and blossoms well in the shade. Golden daisy-like flowers appear above shiny green foliage in spring. A good groundcover and a great naturalizer for the woodland garden, it also performs well as a cut flower. 

Golden Groundsel (Senecio aureus)

‘Blue Shadow’ Fothergilla (Fothergilla major ‘Blue Shadow’), a native of the mountains of the southeastern U.S., the plant is covered with white, fragrant, bottlebrush flowers atop bare stems in spring. The foliage opens light green but quickly changes to a wonderful soft blue - a color that matches well with many grasses and perennials. In autumn, 'Blue Shadow' stands out again as the foliage takes on the reds, yellows and oranges of a sugar maple. Good branching habit, with smooth grey bark provides very good winter interest. Growing 6–10 feet in height and spread, and hardy in zones 4–8, Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’ is a four-season stunner.

Fothergilla major 'Blue Shadow'

Another wonderful groundcover, Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), is native to the northern half of North America. Growing just 5–9 inches tall and covered in dark green foliage that turns red in autumn, bunchberry is slow to establish but well worth the wait. Small flowers in late spring and early summer give way to deep red fruit in August. A favorite of many birds, they don’t last long. Hardy in zones 2–6 and a member of the dogwood family, bunchberry will work nicely in the shade of the woodland garden.

Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’), zones 4–8, has purple stems and chocolate green leaves. Its upright habit to 3–4 feet in height and dark presence are great in the perennial border, providing a nice accent amongst any brightly colored blossoms. Small white flowers appear in clusters, forming large heads from late summer through early fall, attracting many pollinators and guaranteeing a few oohs! and aahs! from the neighbors.

White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’)

The commonalities of these and other great natives for the home landscape are that they provide wonderful ornamental characteristics, nectar for our pollinators, and a food source for native insects and birds. Next time you are searching for a new plant for your garden, give one of these great natives a try, and sit back and enjoy all the visitors you will receive.

I hope your garden is full of life and a joy to interact with!

Scott


Find Scott on Twitter and on his blog, Blue Heron Landscapes.

For the love of carrots

I love cooked carrots. I do not like raw carrots. I think you'll find more raw carrot lovers than those like me, but there's a good reason to like them cooked. (Not that this is the reason I eat them that way - I just think they taste better.) It turns out that cooked carrots are better for you!

Carrots have tough cellular walls that our digestive systems can't break down very well. Within those cells are contained beta carotene, which our body then turns into Vitamin A. Cooking breaks down the cellular walls, making the beta carotene more available.

In all fairness, technically, raw carrots can be as nutritious, if they're juiced. This too breaks down the cellular walls. And it's best to cook the carrots whole, rather than slicing them, because slicing them causes proteins and carbohydrates to be lost in the water during cooking.

If all this is too confusing, let's just keep it simple. Carrots are good for you, whether you eat them raw or eat them cooked. But if you eat them for the benefit of the beta carotene, you're better off to eat them cooked.

Oh, and one more thing, like a lot of root vegetables, there's a lot of goodness in the skins, so scrub them clean rather than peel them, whether you cook them or not.

Mother Nature's punk side

Sometimes I come across a plant that makes me smile because I like to imagine Mother Nature having a crazy fun day at the time of its creation. A few years ago, I saw a beautyberry bush (Callicarpa americana) and smiled. I mean, really... the color of those berries! You just don't see it very often, occurring naturally.

Last year, I bought a related species of the native shrub for myself and this fall, it was large enough to put on some berries. The color of the berries is pretty enough, but the fall color of the leaves contrasts nicely, too.

I love this shrub and so do the birds and butterflies. The berries aren't the first choice of birds, but  if other food sources are scarce, they're quite content to eat them. The larvae of particular species of butterflies native to Asia eat the leaves.

Calicarpa dichotoma 'Early Amethyst'

American beautyberry contains the chemical callicarpenal, a natural mosquito and tick repellent.

GROW IT

Common name:  Beautyberry

Botanical name: Callicarpa sp.

Hardiness zone:  5-8

Height:  3-4 feet

Grow it:  Grows best in neutral to slightly acidic soil in sun to part shade. Average water needs.  White to pink blooms in mid-summer, with berries in late summer into fall. Unless eaten by birds, berries will remain after leaves have been lost.

For the Love of Heritage Trees

 

The thing I love most about gardening is that I always learn something new.  A perfect example is when I picked up the October issue of the Michigan Gardener and read a fascinating (and eye opening) article by Steven Turner, a Certified Arborist in Ferndale, Michigan.  

Steve’s informative article was about preserving heritage trees from a European prospective.  I was amazed to learn the contrast between us, Europeans, and trees.  It is incredible the great lengths Europeans will endeavor to preserve a tree in comparison to our “remove and replace” attitude described by Steve.

For as long as I remember, I thought a 100 to 200-year-old tree was very old.  Steve’s article explained that most of our lands were cleared out as they were settled which means our forests are second, third, and even fourth generation growth from the original trees.   It was sad to learn that in North America there are very few virgin forests left.  I cannot imagine what a 500-1000-year-old tree looks like but would love to see one!  Wow!

Steve shared that a colleague was fortunate enough to visit a small German village and a several-hundred-year-old “dancing” lime tree (linden).   The colleague was amazed by the linden’s size!  In the past he would have thought the tree was in decline until he was shown paintings of the linden from the 1600’s, in a similar state as it is now!  I think it is fair to say that by our standards, we would have declared that tree a hazard and removed it many years ago.   Steve made an excellent point that our thinking denies us, and many generations to follow, the thrill and true glory of a mature tree, long after 100 years. 

Steve reported that an oak tree in England will grow for 300 years, live for 300 more, and then die for 300 years.   Whew…that is very different thinking that ours!  We often believe that an 80-100-year-old tree is considered very mature causing concern that it may be a hazard or will die soon.  In Steve’s “tree year’s world," our mature trees are really just teenagers and, if left undisturbed by man and our potential harmful activities, have the potential to outlive us all!  Wow again! 

Believe it or not, our existence in urban environments shortens the life of these trees.  Sidewalks, roads, and buildings interfere with a tree’s root zones.  Also, competing turf grass, leaf removal, improper irrigation and the over-use of fertilization contribute to a tree’s decline.

Did you know that trees have three stages of canopies?  Here’s how Steve described it:

“The first is the full canopy that we are all used to seeing, with no tip dieback from the top.  The second is about halfway down, and this is the point where the tree will dieback to after the first stage of decline.  You will see large, dead structural branches sticking up about the new canopy and in time these branches will rot and break off if not removed by a professional first.  The third and final stage looks more like a bonsai tree:  a massive trunk with minimal, large branches left, but a full yet much smaller canopy sprouting from the trunk or remaining limbs.

It is in this final stage that a tree can live for many years by simply re-sprouting a new branch when one breaks off or dies.  Keep in mind that a tree can remain in the second stage for many years and if pruned properly can remain a valuable landscape asset for years to come before progressing to the final stage.  Even in the final stage of decline, a tree can be an interesting living sculpture if left to its own accord. “

Wondering what you can do?  Steve believes that with a bit of patience, protection, and care, we may have the opportunity to enjoy our heritage trees for many years to come!  Thanks, Steve, for opening my eyes to heritage trees!

Cause an effect: Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea

Hold me back! Anyone that knows me will confirm that I am hydrangea crazy and my favorite color in the garden is pink. Well, my dreams have come true! Have you seen the first ever PINK-flowered ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea, the Invinicibelle® Spirit ( Hydrangea arborescens ‘NCHAI’ ppaf, cbraf) by Proven Winners?! This rugged beauty blooms every year on new wood, even after the harshest of winters, making it the most reliable pink hydrangea yet. At full maturity, it can produce over 100 large pink blooms from midsummer until frost! In my opinion, Proven Winners has definitely out-performed themselves in 2010!

Another sweet bonus: Proven Winners’ goal is to raise ONE MILLION DOLLARS for breast cancer research. $1.00 from every Invincibelle® Spirit sold will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You can visit www.invincibellespirit.net to make a donation.

Be sure to plant these amazing hydrangeas where you can enjoy their blooms from inside as well. I have three planted in the garden in front of a very large window and they are FABULOUS! Each day a new bud appears and the pink continues to intensify. They thrive in full sun to part shade so the plant combinations are endless! I’m giddy with excitement over the Invincibelle® Spirit and I know you will be, too. Go ahead, treat yourself today, and plant this gorgeous ornamental in your garden… and help prevent and fight breast cancer! Think PINK!

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3-9a

Sesame Street Live in the garden!

When our older daughter Kara was about three years old, I took her to see Sesame Street Live, a musical performance by the larger then life characters from the classic children's television show. We had fabulous seats, being front and center at the end of the runway used in the production.

I don't remember what the show was called that year (1983?) but I do remember that Big Bird was running around at the end of that runway when a lone yellow feather drifted down onto the floor right in front of us. Kara, being painfully shy for most of her growing up years, wanted that feather. I told her to go get it, but she hesitated and before we knew it, another child snatched it up, obviously thrilled.

It was a fun time, nonetheless, even for me as an adult. It was fun, because not only was I an adult, but I was a mom and I got to experience it through the eyes of my child. Sesame Street Live continues 28 years later, and this year, the show is Elmo's Green Thumb! From the website:

Elmo has raised his sunflower, Sunny, from a seed, but his floral friend has outgrown the flower pot. Elmo and friends find Big Bird’s garden the ideal place for Sunny to flourish and grow but they are too excited to wait. Rather than let Sunny follow nature’s course, Abby Cadabby, Sesame Street’s fairy-in-training, casts a spell to make Sunny grow. The spell does just the opposite and, instead of growing, Elmo and all of his friends shrink!

While Abby searches for just the right words to reverse the spell, Elmo, Zoe,Telly and friends explore Big Bird’s garden from a smaller perspective and learn some big lessons about patience, overcoming their fears and appreciating the role that each creature plays in our ecosystem – from dancing ladybugs and beautiful butterflies to grouchy beetles that scavenge the garden floor. Will being small help Sunny grow tall? It’s a fresh, original Sesame Street Live from a whole new point of view! 

Who knows? Perhaps Elmo and friends will be just the ones to inspire new young gardeners to grow their own!

To see if Sesame Street Live will be performing in your area, visit the official website for more details.

Nonnie's meatloaf is filled with memories!

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place 

where colors are brighter,

the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.

~Elizabeth Lawrence

Last week my friend’s daughter Sarah posted on Facebook that she was making Nonnie’s meatloaf recipe for dinner. Immediately I longed to be 13 years old again, sitting in Nonnie’s home. Nonnie is my best friend’s mother (Sarah’s grandmother). Nonnie was an avid gardener who adored wildlife, especially the birds and squirrels. I think she would love Edgar and Stump!

A favorite childhood memory is the aroma of Nonnie’s kitchen after a hot summer day of cheerleader practice in the late '70s. Nonnie was the best southern-style cook I’ve ever met! Silly as it may seem, if I close my eyes and reflect on days gone by, I can feel myself in her comfy cozy presence. Nonnie always graciously opened up her home (and heart) to me and others. She took pleasure in preparing and serving her lip-smacking homemade southern meals. Goodness, that woman could cook, and always with a smile on her face! Have you ever had fresh green beans sautéed in bacon grease? Now there’s a flavor to savor that cannot be replicated with low-fat oils!

Naturally, I had to try my hand at Nonnie’s meatloaf and so I did. My husband and I ate (more like devoured) the whole thing! I shared my loving memories of Nonnie with him and we both shared comfort in her amazing meal. My husband is very nostalgic that way and always appreciates a story from the past.

So it is with great honor and pleasure to share with you Nonnie’s simple meatloaf recipe passed on by her incredibly amazing granddaughter.

1 lb. ground round
1 egg
½ cup of rolled oats
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt & pepper
½ cup ketchup, extra for top of meatloaf

Mix above in bowl and place in a loaf pan.
Heat oven to 350°. Cook for 1½ hours. Drain fat periodically. Ten minutes before taking out of oven, spread the ketchup on top.

Nonnie passed away many years ago but her memory lives on. Yes, she was the best southern-style cook, but more importantly she had the essence of a true southern belle. Nonnie truly cared for others more than she cared for herself.

How blessed are we to cherish special moments that will never leave our minds…or our hearts. ♥

Sarah & Kathy (my best friends)