Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
~Norman Wesley Brooks (1923–2002), "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976
courtesy of https://www.quotegarden.com
Wreaths
by gardensnips
The Heirloom Gardener - John Forti excerpt from my book "The Heirloom Gardener - Traditional Plants & Skills for the Modern World"
Wreaths: (From the Middle English wrethe, a twisted garland or ring of leaves and flowers) have been used ceremonially for centuries to create a circle of hope. Since ancient times, they have symbolized eternity, because the ring shape has no beginning or end. A linear path merely takes us from beginning to end, but the wheel of life symbolized in a wreath reminds us that we are always most vital, engaged, and alive when we accept our current phase, create forward movement, and celebrate the season at hand. Entwined botanicals form an artful intersect between natural and domestic worlds—and turn a front doorway into a portal bridging the two...Taking a walk, gathering natural materials, making a wreath—all become a link to ritual and a meditation on the season.
Creating a wreath that is a labor of love is a reminder that no matter where we are in the seasons and phases of our lives, we will continue to cycle through the good, the bad, the ups and downs, youth and aging, life and death. Taking comfort in the recurrence of winter, spring, summer, and fall. Drawing vitality from each to celebrate the mood and spirit of the season. Each of us, according to season or phase, will find ourselves moving along the wheel of life, marking the present, utilizing the greens and botanicals that are thriving at the time. Holly and ivy, rosemary and bay, spruce and pine to bring the best of the outdoors in when we celebrate solstice and Christmas in the bleak midwinter. Pussy willow and forsythia to herald spring. Lavender and roses to celebrate summer, and fruits, nuts, grains, and fall foliage to bid farewell to another growing season. Wreaths of laurel for times of celebration, baby’s breath for birth, and acacia for times of mourning.
After the holidays, I move my wreaths to trees along the edge of the woods. I pay these fading seasonal markers homage by giving them back to nature and making way for the next turn of the wheel. Seemingly in tribute to this cyclical process, the fruits, seeds, and berries turn wreaths into neighborhood bird feeders, and the wildlife that replants them create new generations of growth as faded heirloom and native botanicals are sown into the surrounding landscape. Once the wreaths are picked over, they almost inevitably become places for nesting. Another visible reminder of the circle of life and our own creative contribution to the larger wheel of life.
Happy Yuletide gathering & decorating!
From member Judy Miller:
It's crazy, but I didn't get interested in gardening until we move to Appleton in 1979. The house we bought already had a garden area in the back. I planted seeds in the spring then learned that I decimated the garden by pulling up what I thought were weeds, but actually they were the plants. Then while teaching at Einstein Middle School our team started the Global Outdoor Classroom. I wanted it to be awesome, which it became, so I took the Outagamie County Master Gardener Program. Now I was hooked on gardening and eagerly accepted the request to go to Las Lagunas, Nicaragua to show grade school kids how to make square meter gardens. This trip has led to some truly remarkable results for the kids that were involved. They are now paying it forward and the school gardens are still planted every school year. Who knew?
It's crazy, but I didn't get interested in gardening until we move to Appleton in 1979. The house we bought already had a garden area in the back. I planted seeds in the spring then learned that I decimated the garden by pulling up what I thought were weeds, but actually they were the plants. Then while teaching at Einstein Middle School our team started the Global Outdoor Classroom. I wanted it to be awesome, which it became, so I took the Outagamie County Master Gardener Program. Now I was hooked on gardening and eagerly accepted the request to go to Las Lagunas, Nicaragua to show grade school kids how to make square meter gardens. This trip has led to some truly remarkable results for the kids that were involved. They are now paying it forward and the school gardens are still planted every school year. Who knew?
Photo courtesy of the Appleton Public Library
Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was born in Kalamazoo, MI, she moved to Appleton at the age of 12, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. After leaving Lawrence, she took a job as a reporter for the Appleton Daily Crescent and eventually moved on to the Milwaukee Journal.
Her first novel was published in 1912 and she went on to write 13 novels, 9 plays, 2 autobiographies, and 10 short stories collections. She is best known for her novels Show Boat , Cimarron , Giant and Pulitzer Prize winning So Big (1924).
Her first novel was published in 1912 and she went on to write 13 novels, 9 plays, 2 autobiographies, and 10 short stories collections. She is best known for her novels Show Boat , Cimarron , Giant and Pulitzer Prize winning So Big (1924).