Hurling towards Madeline Island
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on August 14, 2012 - 4:10 p.m.
I recently returned from vacation, and I have to tell you: Madeline Island is beautiful. Here’s what I saw: A pile of sand, a patch of grass and the inside ...
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Swimming to Madeline Island
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 24, 2012 - 10:24 p.m.
The Tall Man has done most of the gardening this summer. That’s partly because he enjoys it, and partly because I’ve spent many of evenings in the pool. Sometime last ...
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Collaborate response to sprinklers
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 23, 2012 - 11:08 p.m.
Over the weekend I went to my family reunion. One of my tasks was to hold the sprinkler and terrorize the under-five set. A fine time was had by all--except ...
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Million dollar rain?
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 19, 2012 - 10:39 a.m.
Million dollar rain? Will the rain save farmers? Not completely, but it helps. The Tall Man declared that it would be good for the third hay cutting, and won’t hurt ...
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Best place to beat the heat? Whitewater.
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 17, 2012 - 8:35 p.m.
What’s your favorite place to beat the heat? I prefer the lap pool at the Whitewater Aquatic Center. The center has two pools, both inside. One has a slide, the ...
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Hug a farmer now.
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 15, 2012 - 5:25 p.m.
It rained in Fulton Township. After the rain, the Tall Man discovered one-half an inch rain in our complementary Pork Producer’s rain gauge. Unfortunately, the rest of the county didn’t ...
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Frozen vegetables and frozen feet
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on July 5, 2012 - 2:45 p.m.
In college, I lived in a second floor fire trap/apartment on Broom Street in Madison. It had no air conditioning. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I’d have to ...
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Mean about green: Ash borer madness
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 29, 2012 - 7:44 p.m.
Busy week at the Gazette and in the garden. Emerald ash borer arrived, and we all scrambled to get information into the paper that would be informative—without totally freaking people ...
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Japanese-beetle mania
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 22, 2012 - 1:36 p.m.
This year, the intern got to write the Japanese beetle story—which just goes to prove that there is a God. Not that I need convincing on the divinity thing. I ...
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Armadillos! Also, a floral and watering update
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 19, 2012 - noon
Here’s what’s on my desk this week: Knautia, snapdragons, bellflower, delphinium, yarrow, Echinacea and hosta. Got an e-mail from my sister in Birmingham, Ala. Here’s her garden update: “My garden ...
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Practical watering tips for dry times
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 18, 2012 - 3:19 p.m.
Blah, it’s hot. The Tall Man is indignant about the lack of rainfall. Even the sprinkle we got on Saturday morning annoyed him. “It was only two-tenths of an inch,” ...
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A peek at my garden and my hidden soul
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 15, 2012 - 11:36 a.m.
When I was in my early 20’s, and thinking about the kind of life I wanted to have, I always envisioned living in a second floor apartment in the building ...
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Emerald ash borer, metaphorically speaking
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 14, 2012 - 4:29 p.m.
I’m writing this while waiting for Phyliss Williams of K & W Greenery to call me back. The topic? Emerald ash borer. EAB is the garlic mustard of the tree ...
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Garden garb and musical accompaniment
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 12, 2012 - 8:39 p.m.
Over the weekend, garden witnessed the first view of the Tall Man's legs. The Tall Man's preferred garb is a ball cap, t-shirt, jeans and work boots. It was a ...
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Don't give me that tone: Equality in the green onion patch
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 8, 2012 - 4:46 p.m.
The Tall Man has done much of the gardening this year. He’s retired, loves to weed and turn compost, so it’s a perfect fit for him. The thing is—how do ...
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Phone calls vs. the weather
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on June 7, 2012 - 10:51 a.m.
It’s one of those days where I’m pinned to the telephone, waiting for calls back and wishing I could be outside. Of course, there’s a direct relationship between being at ...
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In search of perfection
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on April 6, 2012 - 5:41 p.m.
OK, who has been planting stuff early? I’ve been able to restrain the gardening urge, and have limited myself to moving perennials. This is an annual event, no pun intended, ...
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Round-up ready weekend
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on March 16, 2012 - 10:58 a.m.
Every spring the Tall Man says, “Don’t mud it in!” He’s referring to the practice of mucking around in your garden before the soil is dry enough to work with. ...
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What about Bob? Curling in Centerville
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on February 7, 2012 - 5:37 p.m.
I spent the weekend in Centerville Wis., an unincorporated crossroads in Trempealeau County, where I enjoyed the hospitality of the Centerville Curling Club and met Uncle Bob. A team from ...
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National Weather Service poetry and predictions
Posted by CATHERINE IDZERDA on January 10, 2012 - 8:41 p.m.
I love reading the “Area Forecast Discussion” page on the National Weather Service website. The discussion is written in all caps with very little punctuation. Each entry begins with a ...
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