Dear Friends and Fellow Gardeners,

Winter has set upon us. Cold rain and short dark days cause some people to feel depressed. Most of the garden is quietly hiding until the sun again begins to warm the soil.

Perhaps we should use this time to contemplate the cycles and seasons of earth that give hope and meaning to the beginning and end of life. Actually, I like to think of life with no end, only new beginnings. Plants that complete their life cycle seem to disappear but leave behind either new offspring, or bodies that nourish and enrich the soil supporting new life yet to come.

The ebb and flow of nature all set in motion, unchanging in it’s cycles and seasons of life, gives me faith, assurance, and hope in this ever changing and confusing world. I know there is a connection, a continuance, and always, always, new beginnings.

Even in the doldrums of winter there are some plants that continue to bring us joy in the darkest of days. Consider Violas and Pansies. Have you ever heard people refer to shy person as a pansy? Well, I would be proud to be called a pansy, not only are they bright and beautiful but one of the toughest plants to survive our winter. Pansies are really Violas and are considered perennials even though they are grown mostly as annuals. Violas and pansies are beautiful as a massed border or cover for spring bulbs. They also do well in planter boxes and pots. Be sure to protect Violas and Pansies the from slugs and snails. If you have to use bait, there is new product that it is safe and non toxic called ‘Sluggo".

There are other winter plants that also brighten my day. Calendulas are a must as a cut flower, color in the garden, and for use in salads. I prefer the ‘Pacific Beauty’ variety of calendulas over the dwarf species. When dried, calendulas can be used as tea and have a reported sedative effect.

Matthiola incanta or ‘Stock’ is another plant that brings not only beautiful flowers in pastel shades, but has a rich sweet fragrance that will fill a room. Try to find the giant double flowering varieties which are unbranched or the ‘Imperial Giant’ which is branched. Late planting will mean late flowering, and if you are just doing it now you are late. However, lots of fragrant blooms in early Spring.

Don’t forget the Primroses. The easiest to grow is Primula polyantha or English primrose, the colors are endless and set near the entrance of a home are a welcome sight that speaks of holidays with their rich green foliage and bright colors. Another popular primrose is the fairy primrose or Primula malacoides much smaller than the English with dainty pastel flowers, they do great in pots and planters.

Beat the winter blues by planting some of these cheerful and beautiful winter flowers.

Book Review: The Legacy of Luna, the Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods. by Julia Butterfly Hill

Harper Collins, 2000

Reviewed By MYRTLE OSNER

For those of you who remember the TV news reports of the young woman who spent nearly two years living in a redwood tree to protect it from being logged, you probably got only a spotty sense of what was going on.

The book tells the incredible journey of a woman who traveled to California from Arkansas with friends, just for a lark. Stopping in the redwood parks, she told her friends that if they were ready to go before she returned, to leave her stuff with the ranger and go on. Walking among those giants, she felt the forest calling to her, and she stayed..

You won’t believe how she could have survived, given the disarray of the organizers of Earth First!, with whom she came in contact in Arcata. But, reading about how the group formed a support group to bring food and all the necessities of life to her, it all comes clear. For 768 days she didn’t come out of the tree; through snow storms, through harassment from Pacific Lumber Co., even extending to the helicopter approaching "her" tree and how the prop wash almost destroyed her.

Julia Butterfly Hill first heard about clearcuts from a resident of Stafford, a logging town that sits at the foot of a clearcut. One soggy day the mountain gave way and buried many houses in Stafford, a clear cut example of the devastation that happens when steep terrain is denuded of its cover

As extreme as was this protest against the cutting of ancient forests, she tells her story with a surprising lack of anger, only sorrow. It’s very clear that her faith sustained her. She had grown up in the family of any itinerant preacher and traveled all over with the family. Whenever crisis mounted, she turned to prayer.

Julia Butterfly learned to negotiate with the president of Pacific Lumber on a daily basis, from her portable phone in the tree, until there was almost a friendship developing. The only real anger that surfaces is her indictment of Charles Hurwitz, who purchased Pacific Lumber with junk bonds and then proceeded to cut timber without regard to the future.

It was Hill’s resolve to stay in the tree until an agreement was signed to save the Headwaters Forest of ancient redwoods from cutting. That finally happened with the signing of an agreement and payment of several million to Hurwitz (I remember how angry I was at the time ). There was also an agreement to preserve Luna and a surrounding 20 foot buffer zone which was signed and recorded.

By MYRTLE OSNER

We tried to get a list of new books for children from the library, but our deadline was just too early. However, the library has leaflets hanging from the shelves that categorize the best of a number of different specialties you might like to check out

Each flyer is a different color, and the lists are graded: starting with "For the Youngest", you’ll find there some old favorites, such as "Goodnight Moon" and (my favorite) "Mama Do You Love Me?" The lists go on up through Preschool, K-1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5/6, and Grades 6/7.

Missing from these lists are some old classics which I’d like to push because I still think they are wonderful child-raisers: A.A. Milne: the whole set starting with "When we were very young" and "Now We are Six" (poetry ideal for reading aloud) and continuing through the Winnie the Pooh books. I don’t see how anyone can raise a child without them.

Other old favorite authors still in print are Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s series of fantasy: "A Wrinkle in Time" and its two sequels. (she has lots of others but these are the most famous). My favorite, "A Ring of Endless Light". You may wish to try the C.S. Lewis Narnia Chronicles, also, definitely classics but not for everybody. (try "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" while you are waiting for the next Harry Potter.)

The leaflet titled "Read Aloud Family Favorites" has some of the best titles on it Out of that list I would pick: the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary (Meet Ramona Quimby, one of the best loved characters in children’s literature.) "The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Warner; orphaned children make a home for themselves in an abandoned red boxcar..

"Owls in the Family," by Farley Mowat (his stories of life as a kid in Canada are priceless. I would also add "The Dog Who wouldn’t Be") And then for more mature children, you should definitely read "The Secret Garden" by Frances Burnett. Many women have told me that this story is their all time favorite to this day. Also try "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert O’Brien. You’ll root for the rats as they outwit NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) to save Mrs. Frisby’s son, a fieldmouse.

Two others are must-reads: "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls, about depression-era Oklahoma, and "Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry", by Mildred Taylor. An African-American family’s strong ties to each other and to the land help them defy racism in the 1930’s South. Most of our children of today need these stories to help them understand our history in terms of how it affected children like them. Last year I recommended books by Lawrence Yep because they give, in story form, the life of the Chinese laborers who came to California during the gold rush and stayed to become part of the fabric of our diverse state. .

By the time you get this paper, the main library children’s room will undoubtedly have its lists of best of 2000 which you can pick up at the desk.