Dora Tips&Tidbits

#18 Tip Hedges

2008-08-03T15:19:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

And Happy 150th BC Day! I hope you all are out exploring the many venues available this holiday weekend.

As promised last week, I would like to spend time on hedges from my own personal experience and from Dora's.

Dora talks in length about cedar and cypress material. All these have a shallow root system which allows you to spread their roots in a fan shape and bury them about 3 inches deep. The purpose as Dora states is: "to start them growing down away from the heat and also lets the water run out to the side roots." It has been my experience when planting and continuing on in its early seasons, tipping your plant—both tops and sides—whether bare root or container grown; will cause the hormones to travel down and begin branching into a thick screen.

"Cotoneasters have to be pruned drastically for the first three years with secateurs. They really are adapted for tidy hedges." (Note: the use of hedge clippers damage the flower or fruit stage, but secateurs give you the control to cut right down to the flower or fruit branch).

"Quince- Japonica- can be trimmed at 5 or 6 feet for a compact hedge, but will blossom more profusely if left informal."

"Berberis will grow to a very compact 3 feet. Aside from berries, and adding to its usefulness, this plant is quite thorny." If you want an area of your garden free of access, berberis will stand up to even the most staunch aggressors.

Box Hedges are those very formal, small, dense, leathery, deep greens that you often find in topiary-type gardens. They are slow growers that will reach a height of about 10 feet in 15 years, with small yellow flowers, blooming in late autumn. Dora states in her notes that if you only allow these to grow 4 inches a year, the density of the hedge will far outweigh its lack of height. I have seen these small hedges used as background mazes to offset perennial or annual beds.

A lot of people will disagree with me, on this next selection, but from many years experience, planting a laurel hedge is very cumbersome in its upkeep. Their height is endless, which is a great feature, but be prepared for some very heavy pruning. Required at least twice a year, the diameter of their stems will require a lot of muscle power and the tools to go with it. We used chainsaws to top these hedges and as the leaves have a tendency to grow flat, the use of hedge trimmers—for the sides, make it quite a challenge. If you are convinced of laurel hedging, which is a fast grower, be prepared to invest some time and possibly money in the later years as it matures.

As an aside—there were countless times as a landscape gardener that we encountered quite mature laurel hedges. Due to their vastness as a broad grower, they usually cross property lines. The benefit of blocking in your yard is beneficial for both you and your neighbour. If you don’t like your neighbour, though, this becomes a problem. We were instructed by our customer to prune so many feet off their hedge, only to have the neighbour complain and only want inches taken off on their side!

The result: A hedge which resembles stairs as its top would be two different height levels across.

One last note, remember always to have your tools sharpened on a regular basis, as this will ensure a clean cut.

Next time, in our last of our four part series, we will digress a little and touch on the odd and ends of gardening.

Until then, happy planting!

LisaBri

#17 Tip Mulches

2008-07-20T13:55:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Last time we touched on notes I had come across while doing research for Dora's book. I would like to continue on with that this week and discuss the other "M" word- Mulches.

When dealing with mulches, I remember both Dora and her brother Reg (who was our first customer and hence, how we met Dora), always used sawdust in their vegetable plots. As Dora states in her notes, "(It) is best used around cane fruits- to a depth of 6 or 8 inches. One year after putting on (the canes), wood bacteria appear and in three years plants are stronger and healthier."

Hay and straw are another set of mulches that can be used "particularly around berries." A layer of mulch between fruit and ground prevent fruit rot to your maturing plants. As a note of interest, "carrot fly does not like these mulches (and they are also) good for onions."

Peat moss mulch "(is) acid in action and safe to dig in (for example Azaleas and Rhododendrons) except around alkaline plants. (Maples including Japanese and Cotoneaster)."

A less thought of mulch, is rock mulch. "It is useful in keeping the hot sun off roots of plants and provides ideal conditions for earthworms to live and work." A cool root system plant such as clematis thrives with the simple care of placing a few strategically flat rocks at its base.

At this time of the year your grass clippings will act as good mulch in your rockeries and beds as well as your compost. If you want to save time later on, try to use grass weed free as the weeds you are trying to choke out will be replaced with those from the grass. An issue all gardeners battle with.

Landscape fabric, newspaper including shredded paper from your home office is excellent placed on the ground and covered with a mulch source. Paper can also be utilized into your compost bins at this time of the year, layered between unscreened compost from the previous year and grass clippings.

If you decide to investigate the different mulches, I would like to reiterate Dora's teachings that all mulches maintain good water moisture in the ground and help to keep weed control in check.

Next time we will look at the varieties of hedges.

LisaBri

#16 Tip - Manure (fertilizers)

2008-07-06T15:50:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Well, we have had some sun, though not as much as we all would like. There are people who prefer the lack of sun, namely, commercial gardeners who work in all kinds of weather.

I remember from our days cutting grass in 95 degree heat and pruning fruit trees in the winter when it was below freezing.

So for all you gardeners hurry up and get those landscaping jobs completed, the rest of us need the Vitamin D that the sun provides!

Along with this topic of gardening is the next set of Dora tips and tidbits. While researching topics, I came across a notebook that Dora had used during courses she took in agriculture.

I thought it would be fun to explore some of these lessons to see how the gardener today works compared to the gardener of yesteryear.

So, starting right off is the "M" word- Manure (or fertilizer as it is referred to today.)

Dora wrote about cattle manure. She said: "(it is the) heaviest- most expensive- hardest to obtain. Therefore get small patties and use it in the compost to obtain some bacterial effect" (a necessary component to decomposition.)

Okay, out of the twenty five years as a gardener/nursery worker, I never came across the local homeowner looking for cattle manure. But if the farmers can use it in their fields, why not us?

She continued with "Poultry- high in nitrogen-quicker acting-shorter life- good in compost." Chicken manure is another manure that is effective in the home garden, rototilled in amongst perennials though like cattle manure, you want to work fast or get some nose plugs.

Next we come to: "Sea:- Fishmeal and seaweed (are) rich in trace elements- minerals and vitamins- (she says) never miss an opportunity to add seaweed to (your) compost.

This is another fertilizer that is in ample use today, especially on the West coast where it is so readily available. I have seen people countless times at the beach loading up their vehicles with seaweed. It can also be made into a tea and watered on perennial or annual beds. If going to the beach is not your forte, you can purchase fish fertilizer from any local garden center and used accordingly to the instructions provided.

The final, manure type fertilizer, is of course, the compost. Dora says "All the leaves you can put into compost is never enough. They are full of minerals. Different trees have different chemical preferences. Don’t hesitate to dig them in the (garden beds for) the spring."

So there we have it. Over the years working at Dora's we also used an abundance of mushroom manure which is quite effective around plants in herbaceous borders and rockeries.

There are alternatives to the 'chemical' fertilizers as we become a green planet!

LisaBri

Courage

2008-06-22T12:52:00.003-07:00

Hello Everyone:

This is different from the usual format of Dora's tips and tidbits. It is a common thread that ran throughout Dora's life– a characterization of courage.

As I reach this stage of life, I begin to reflect on my life's choices. I recognize the courage needed to make the changes that will influence the next half of my life.

And, of course, I look to Dora.

Dora accomplished many feats in her life. She survived a Great Depression, and two World Wars.

She owned a Bookstore in Duncan which ran successfully for many years.

She was a constant sight at the rifle range, always improving her shot.

Dora took a mechanics class in the early 1930s. When women were only given the right to vote a decade before, this was no mean feat. She never thought 'I can't do this.' She just did it.

The year she started as the Bookmobile Director for the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) a historical controversy was being played out. Now a Webster's Dictionary term, McCarthyism, the anti-Communist movement spread throughout the US and did not leave Canada unscathed for nearly a decade.

Locally, it was a time of unrest with the John Marshall case happening at the GVPL. Marshall's dismissal on the basis of having 'communist tendencies' split the library board and librarians. It was a time of book burning and censorship. Of resignations from posts held for 10, 19 years. Two directors of the Bookmobile would resign before Dora took the reins, and as one friend and colleague, Philip Teece, said, "Dora was the bookmobile," until her retirement 17 years later.

With retirement, she bought land in rural Sooke, a concern of remoteness from her family. She built a log cabin in which to live until her house was built. During research I came across house plans, with quantities right down to the number of facet boards, ceiling joists, headers, and studs among other essentials required for building a home, all artistically indexed on quadrille paper in a binder. The landscaping from perennial to wild woodland was also drawn with the accuracy of a land surveyor. This was accomplished with her family being first and foremost.

As English gentlemen and gentlewomen, Dora's father and uncles and aunt left their comfortable homes and lives in England and traveled to the rural Gulf Islands of British Columbia where they cleared, and carved a home for their families. These early courageous pioneers shaped the Islands and their influence is still a part of the Gulf Islands today.

And Dora's courage? Perhaps genetic? Her Aunt Isabel Payne traveled to Saturna Island to keep house for her brother the Reverend Hubert Payne. Miss Payne, an accomplished artist and piano player, would make overnight excursions without telling anyone and a search party would be set to find her. They would find her the next day, her canvas up, painting the scenery surrounding the island. She knew no fear. As one relative, relayed to me, "Once Miss Isabel was camping and heard a scrambling noise in the tree above her head. She looked up to see a cougar watching her. With the ease of someone grown up to the wilds, Miss Isabel, picked up her rifle, fired a shot, and continued on with her activities, the cougar dead at her feet."

When Dora became ill, she faced it with courage and dignity. This is the Dora I remember, and I hope that when my time comes, I can take what I have learned from Dora, and face life's crises with the same fierceness and fearless determination.

LisaBri

~#19 Tidbit The Duck

2008-06-01T16:07:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

I remember many years ago, a youth charged with the brutal slaying of a duck in our city. His defense: There's nothing to do in the summer.

What was even sadder was our 20 year old employee defending him in front of our customers. Not good for business and not good for the standards of our youth.

I often wonder what happened to that misguided soul, now in his mid-thirties. Does he have children? And if so, how has he brought them up? Does he suffer remorse or does he have the attitude of it being 'not a big deal- it was only a duck.'

With movie theaters, recreational centers and even skate board ramps built around our city—all within walking, biking or bus distance, I wondered what Dora and the children of her time did for recreation. I wondered, is it a sign of the times, our advancements in technology, our two career parents.

So I did a little digging. And this is what I came up with.

In a letter Dora wrote to a great niece, she said "we had no organized sport, no TV, no movies, no telephone etc..." So what then did they do?

"After chores were done (cutting kindling, cleaning lamps, shinning shoes, feeding chickens and gathering eggs, fetching vegetables or fruit from the garden, filling wood boxes, cleaning windows, waxing floors-)," they "constructed rafts, continued building our seven story tree house, we had to go for at least an hours walk with the governess, rain or shine, we could read our books or play games, cards, checkers, dominoes, {We were} great on picnics {on} a fine day, {would} go for a trip around the island stopping to explore all the bays in case anything exciting had been washed up on the beach perhaps catching a few salmon on the way to be either bottled or smoked for the winter.

For a technological-free society, they certainly found plenty to do, without resorting to senseless cruelty.

It sure shames me into action now that we finally have some sunshine.

LisaBri

#15 Tip Sunday May 11 08

2008-05-11T16:26:00.008-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Ahh spring is in the air. Or is it? It is hard to tell with the rain. We are, however, definitely getting some sunshine, as I can attest to acquiring sunstroke watching my kid play in his Rugby tournament on Friday, without sunscreen or a hat. (Their team won and is City of Victoria Champs! Way to go Glenlyon Norfolk School!)

The sun snuck up on me, but being a gardener for twenty five years, one would think I had better sense.

I can tell you after this, I have learned my lesson.

And this is what this week's blog is on. A gardening lesson.

I remember working at Dora and her brother Reg's, as we laid newspaper down their vegetable garden paths.

Doing this was threefold. One, we were doing a job to battle the weeds. Two, we were recycling newspaper which breaks down. And three, it cleared the newspaper clutter in the house. (You know what I mean. The pile that grows beginning in the kitchen, encroaching in the living room, and finishing off at the back door.)

So, now the grass is growing; the townships have their monster machines out doing our boulevards and parks.

And of course, up with the grass are the weeds.

But what about our grass area? The question that is interesting here is: how much do we really care about our lawns that stay green for a few months as we pile on the fertilizers only to have water restrictions and brown grass by the middle of July?

On the way to the Rugby game, I saw a woman with a good sized front lawn, painstakingly using a container of Roundup on her dandelions in her grass. She didn’t have to worry about Roundup damage on her grass mixed with the weed, because her whole lawn consisted of 90% weeds and 10% grass.

When I said that it was painstaking, I was referring to myself. It was upsetting to watch this lady spend so much time, energy and money on many containers of Roundup and I wondered what the final project would look like. Grass or flower bed?
And did she know, whatever it was, with our focus on environmentally friendly enterprises, we do have alternatives to products which will not leach the soil preventing the planting for a year or two?

One way would be to rototill the area making sure to go deep to get all the roots, add a layer of good topsoil then seed with grass or make a berm to plant a garden.

Don’t panic when I mention rototillers. We are far from the days of the huge, bulky machines that required big muscle power. You can rent or buy small ones the size of a weed eater to do just as good a job, if not better. Towards the end of my gardening career, we purchased one and found it not only useful as a rototiller, but gone were the days of turning over garden beds or creating vegetable plots with pitchforks. The added attraction was it very neatly fitted around surrounding shrubs and perennials in herbaceous beds. Its uses far outweighed the cost.

If you do have a rototiller which has sat in your garden shed since last spring, take a lesson straight from Dora. If it doesn’t start, unscrew the spark plug, light a match to the end of it and replace it. It does work.

Take care,

LisaBri

~#18 Tidbit The Bookmobile

2008-04-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

As the weather changes, our reading takes us from inside by a warm fireplace on a dreary rainy afternoon, to the out of doors with the warmth of the sun upon our faces.

Many relatives, as well as friends of mine, whom I have interviewed over the course of my research, all remember Dora showing up with the big green bus, the Bookmobile. Children, families and adults were welcomed by Dora. She was also responsible for a shut-in service. This service reached private homes and hospitals, rest homes and nursing homes. With a clientele of over 200 people, the eldest reader was 99 years old and the youngest was only 7.

Dora was also in charge of the book depot in Brentwood Bay until her retirement.

A long standing colleague reminisced on the first day of work with Dora. They were meeting at Dora's car where they would drive out to the bookmobile located that day in Saanich or Central Saanich. When he got to her car, Dora said: 'I have to move things around before you can get in.' The back seat was occupied by a chainsaw, the front seat had chain oil, tackle and a pile of rope. He told me he was immediately set at ease by this down to earth woman who was fearless. Many years later when Dora was 87, she relinquished that chainsaw to him as he built his log cabin. She told him she no longer needed it!

Typically, the Bookmobile consisted of a clerk at the back and one at the front checking books out. Dora was constantly on the run, doing exactly what a branch librarian would be doing at headquarters but in a much smaller confined space. She answered questions and took requests. If a requirement for research was asked of Dora, she consulted the many library reference collections she had with her at all times: almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, etc….Deep research questions would carefully be noted and when the Bookmobile returned the following week, you could count on Dora to have investigated it and provide an accurate answer.

Dora's love of children took her to one of her favorite stops, the native reserve which had high priority because at that time, those kids had no access to children's books and relied on her.

Snow, sleet, rain, wind or hail never stopped the Bookmobile. A couple of dramatic spots, 10 Mile Point and Gordon Head had precarious streets especially in snow and many times they would be stuck and have to dig their way out. But they would free themselves and carry on with the days work.

One day, the driver joined them in the back for lunch. They were sitting at the top of a hill in Central Saanich enjoying the summer sun when they looked up to see scenery whipping by at a high rate of speed. They were rolling down the hill backwards! The driver dove for the emergency brake but the whole break handle came out by the roots. To save them he had to drive the tires against the curb until the friction pulled them to a stop.

Life was never dull on the Bookmobile.

The service of the Bookmobile stopped when a branch library came to be a very short time after Dora retired.

She was after all, the Bookmobile.

LisaBri

#14 Tip What Rain Brings to the West Coast

2008-04-12T22:48:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

With spring just around the corner, or do we have it now—its hard to tell with the hail and snow showers of last week, it brings with it rain, which is nothing new for the West coast.

With slight snow in winter compared to the rest of the country, we suffer from lack of sun on those many rain soaked grey days.

I've talked to many people who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). A half an hour with the use of a sunlamp and filling up with Vitamin D helps tremendously and remember the days are now becoming longer.

Our winters are green: green ivy, weeds, and leaves on trees are a testimonial to this fact. Coming from a gardening business (which is where I met Dora!), it was not uncommon for us to cut grass a week before Christmas and into the New Year. As long as it was dry, we cut.

Where trees and rain meet, it becomes a breeding ground for moss, which looks beautiful hanging from trees and forest beds in parkland settings, but plays havoc on driveways and in lawns.

Liming lawns in late fall, early spring is recommended and beneficial to maintain the pH level in the soil. (It can even be sprinkled in flower beds!).

A method I saw (and smelt) to rid moss from driveways was the straight application of household vinegar. Spray it on, it's safe for animals, non-staining for the asphalt, and this method is one which can be done at any time of the year.

When the moss is dead ( turns brown), a stiff bristled broom or power washer will take the dried moss off the driveway.

Your lawn will require a little more work depending on the amount of moss cleared away. Dethatching your lawn will rid the dead moss leaving potential areas free for new grass seed. Your last prep for your lawn is to aerate it. Those are the little holes you see on other people's aerated lawns, resembling 1.5 inch plugs the shape and size of dog Poop!

So for this week, I digressed a little with a recipe dealing with the rain of our beloved West Coast.

LisaBri

#13 Tip The Basics of Learning

2008-03-30T14:50:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

I would like to digress a little from this weeks' blog for a little something different.

Dora taught me many things in the course of our relationship and as all of you know now from your own relationships and from these blogs, Dora was a source of much information. I don’t ever remember there being a topic that Dora couldn't shed some light onto for me.

What comes to mind is where this information came from. We all know the love of books Dora had and had been a vivid reader from the time she could put two words together. Her beginning career as a librarian led way to her dedication to the bookmobile until retirement. Her many friends, from all those who passed through the bookmobile, whether once or twenty times, whether 7 or 70 years of age, left a little more informed.

But did you know, her Grandfather used to send Dora and her brother, Reg to the beach with tape measures saying he needed a stick 'x' number of inches or feet long. They would bring back the stick and he would say well I need 2 inches taken off, how much of the stick is left now? He taught them math this way. He would then send them back with another issue. Having loved the beach, her Grandfather brought together a process of learning through a fun expedition.

And Dora turned this right back onto me. While we had a contract, keeping the grounds for Holy Trinity Church, where many relatives of Dora's are buried, she would send us with a name one week and would count how long it would take for us to find his/her sites. I was always destined to write this biography.

Dora was forever doing crosswords. I can still picture her in later life with a big magnifying glass, reading the papers and doing her mind improvement tasks.

I abhor crosswords, and the reason is because I am so terrible at them.

Dora and I talked about this and one day during tea, Dora was doing a puzzle from one of her magazines about BC. She tried to get me to participate but I was having nothing to do with it—I would not embarrass myself by looking the fool not knowing the answer to even one question.

Dora said to me, "I wonder what city or town in BC would be associated with 'Huge Cutlery'" and I promptly said Grand Forks. Dora looked at me with a smile on her face and I was flabbergasted. I felt proud that day.

A niece of Dora's once told me that Dora kept a piece of paper beside her when she read, whether a newspaper, book, or magazine. When she didn’t know the meaning of a word, she would write it down and when she completed her material, she would look the words up and learned a little something more.

I have always been an avid reader, and for as long as I can remember I have a book called "Lisa's Dictionary." Its purpose—when I don’t know the meaning of a word, down it goes and out comes the dictionary.

I am proud of this little tidbit that Dora and I shared.

LisaBri

~#17 Tidbit FreeSpiritBC

2008-03-09T15:14:00.002-07:00

Hello Everyone:

It occurred to me yesterday that people have such busy lives today, and instead of a Dora tip or tidbit today, I would give you a very quick summary of the FreeSpiritBC website that I have sent by email to you.

It is a Royal BC Museum project funded by the BC government, BC Hydro, the Times Colonist to name a few.

People can send in letters, video clips, and pictures portraying stories of the history of British Columbia.

There are two parts. The first part is the website http://www.freespiritbc.ca/ where the stories will be presented as an online exhibition. It will show, for example, memories of historic events or prominent British Columbians, tales of everyday life or extraordinary adventure, and/or first impressions upon arrival and lasting traditions that enrich BC. This is under "The People's History" tab and is where I would like to submit stories surrounding the many anecdotes of the Payne family and Saturna and Mayne Islands.

They have a "Did You Know" tab updated frequently stating facts such as you could buy 3 pounds of Indian Tea in 1914 for one dollar. Every time you go to the site there is something different.

You can purchase a commemorative book entitled, Free Spirit: Stories of BC, You and Me for about $30.00. If you are interested, I have ordered a couple of copies for loan if you like.

The second part is the actual exhibit at the Royal BC Museum which is called Free Spirit: Stories of You, Me and BC celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of British Columbia as a Crown Colony. It is a journey through time and space. Like any great adventure, it starts with a party to send you off. They have invited 150 BC's best, brightest and quirkiest people from the past and present. Once you are on the way you'll encounter all kinds of surprises: see flickering images from an enormous drive-in movie projector; hidden secrets and surprising facts; and be inspired, amused and awed by everyone who has made our province what it is: a place where free spirits thrive. They say that it will always have something new during its period of running, March 13 2008- January 11 2009, if you were to go more than once.

So, in a nutshell that is what the excitement over the fresh start of writing Dora's life and history has been about.

LisaBri

~#16 Tidbit Pets

2008-02-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

In Loving Memory of My Highway 1993-Jan 2008

Hello Everyone:

I would like to thank everyone for their support as I move through the process of having laid my dog, Highway, to rest on January 25th in her 14th year.

Through out this process, I've come to learn how precarious life is and how much we take advantage of our day to day dealings with our pets. Even though I knew this day was approaching with Highway, it still shocks me that the little things she used to do are no longer a part of my life.

I think of Dora and her stories of the pets and animals she had as a child and adult. I don’t ever remember Dora without a dog in her life, and my hat goes off to her for having the loving capability that she so generously passed onto her family, friends and pets.

Looking through my files I have notes on the many pets and animals that frequented Dora's life. Whether it was bird feeders of all kinds, to camping with the 12:00 noon bear that would come by for his daily apple, baby seagulls as a kid, her worm farm I faithfully attended to every year, and according to a report from her sister, she told me "Dora even had a sheep trained to bump into me."

The one constant in Dora's life was her love of animals and all they could provide. Living in Sooke, every year she would buy a bale of straw to have her snakes nest over for the winter and for their babies to be born in. The snakes ate all the garden pests that liked to live on her plants.

She put her dog's hair in stockings hung in trees to deter the deer from eating her shrubs and plants.

When I think of Dora's love of animals, the lesson I partake is the loss of one friend leads to, yet, another that needs you just as much.

Perhaps one day, I can replace my pet. Until then, I thank Dora for her inspiration and care she had for all live animals, whether 2 or 4 legged.

LisaBri

~#15 Tidbit Our Little Feathered Friends

2008-01-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I would like to thank- all who have helped, with Dora's Tips and Tidbits since our beginning in Oct 2006!

Over the holidays, I had the pleasure of a little bird-watching, which reminded me of Dora's love for anything that walked, ran or flew.

Dora had a system of bird feeders attached to her hanging clothes line that she could reach from her sunroom. She used the pulleys to bring back, not sun-dried clothes, but empty feeders to the window that required filling with seed, every day of the year. Then she reeled them back down to a more convenient place for the birds to 'dine.' She once told me she filled those bird feeders twice a day and if the critters could get away with it, then it would be three times a day!

I remember Dora telling me how she took the time to explore their inner lives, regaling me with stories about the deaf crow, and the mentally challenged Blue Jay. "They too," she would say," have a story to tell." She watched them build their nests, care for their young, and followed their lives in the big Maple tree in her front yard.

What a delight it was for me to further a friendship and have a cup of tea all the time watching a simple hummingbird feeder- filled with just sugar and water- and all the activity that went forth. We saw no less than five hummingbirds feed in that hour and all that separated us was a pane of glass! It gave me such a sense of tranquility; of serenity, which is so often missed during my 'busy' days. I began to understand Dora's attraction to our feathered creatures.

The following day, I spent having tea with yet another friend who told stories of her bird fetish. New to her garden bird feeders was a gift of a small replica of her own home made into a bird feeder. Early that morning she had thrown out bread crumbs and by the time I arrived and began my watch, I could see no bread at all. But the birds did! Hours later, the little wee fellows were still scratching away on the patio at what looked like seemingly nothing to the human eye. But they pecked, and chased each other while dive bombing the entire time I was there.

As Dora taught me, it is the simple things in life that make us happy so for your own health, take a minute and watch the birds. We all have something to learn from them.
And best of all, it's a free show!!

LisaBri

#14 Tidbit- A Silly Blog This Week

2007-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

With Christmas just around the corner, I felt today we should have a whimsical type blog.

So, folks, how many of you remember when nylon stockings became the fad of the year? Now you don’t have to put up your hand in case you don't want to show your age, but I can safely say that I wasn't even a thought at that point.

But before we begin, a bit of history: Nylon was first produced by the Wallace Carothers' research group at DuPont, on February 28, 1935. It would take a further five years to become famous as women's nylon stockings in 1940. Its first primary use was for a bristled toothbrush.

According to a letter written to Dora from a friend in Toronto, she says, "(But), I must tell you what a huge success the Nylon stockings are. I have worn them every day for six solid weeks (got my fingers crossed) and despite the fact that they have innumerable small snags in them now, they have not run yet-nor have the feet worn out!"

It appears that something short of a miracle had been created in the realm of women's footwear.

In another correspondence, silk stockings (which were used up to this point) required a lot of work, "I, remembering hours of mending…, I have been going through a pair of stockings a week," were just a couple of comments that were made.

And the price was reasonable compared to silk. In another correspondence, a friend of Dora's was spending $1.65 per pair of Nylon stockings, compared to $2.00 a week on silk stockings.

But the nylon craze, as do most things we find great, came to a running end when, as Dora says: "Just when we thought we had solved the silk stocking problem with the very superior Nylon somebody (I won't tell you what she really called him!) declares it a defense material and leaves us out on a limb again."

Nylon did very quickly become a staple for the World War II as it was first originally intended as a silk alternative for parachutes, flak vests, and vehicle tires. Also, other DuPont employees, worked around the clock to replace the Asian silk for tents, ropes, ponchos and yes, even as a high grade paper for the US currency.

So folks, there you have it right from the horse's mouth. The next time you need a tidbit to liven up a party or conversation, you can discuss nylon stockings and all their wonders that they became.

Merry Christmas! Have a good holiday! You deserve it!

LisaBri

#13 Tidbit- "Whale Watching"

2007-12-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to the lucky #13 Tidbit. Today, with the weather being grey, I thought perhaps a fun tidbit was in order.

Have you ever been whale watching? Getting into those Zodiac boats advertising a sight of the massive beasts that rule the ocean? Or, have you been on the ferry and just as the sun sets you see them jump out majestically and sighs of "Oh's" are all around you?

Dora told a relative a whale watching story that will not match anything you have ever seen of the creatures.

What started off as a typical trip into Steveston from Saturna Island turned into a bizarre phenomenon for one of the early keepers and his small son of the East Point Lighthouse. This happened many years ago, something of the past, you will not hear of an occurrence such as this today with our state of the art communication centers and systems.

En route to Steveston, they came across a huge dead whale carcass in the Georgia Strait.

Had that been me, I promptly would have turned away and gone back or made a wide berth of it. However, I am ignorant in the value of whale fat.

The keeper had a dilemma. He wanted this whale but knew with his small craft that he had no hope of towing it back. He could turn around and go back but what about the whale? How would he find it again?

A solution came to him. Simple, yet, perhaps a little daring. He plunked his son on top of the whale, with a "Stay with him, son, I'll be back soon," and off he went leaving his son as a navigation 'beacon' for his return trip.

He arrived at Dora's beach knowing a head of time he could use their launch to drag the poor beast back to Saturna.

Did it all work out? Sure enough, when he had explained his mission, he quickly left by the Payne's launch, reached his son who was in good spirits and whisked son, launch, and decaying whale to its new home on the Payne's beach, something that is not talked about over the dinner table.

LisaBri

#12 Tidbit Remembrance Day- Blackouts

2007-11-11T17:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

As this posting falls on Remembrance Day, it is fitting to pay honor to those who fought with their lives during the wars of the past and present.

World War II started in September of 1931 when Japan invaded Manchuria; Dora was thirty years old. In December of 1941 the war expanded when Japan launched near simultaneous attacks against the United States and British. Four days later, Germany declared war on the United States.

As in times of unrest, society can pull together and at such a time, Dora along with women of her generation did what they could at home. Being resourceful became an important by product of the war and she relates to a friend just how resourceful that meant:

"When war with Japan was first declared and we had to blackout the whole town was upset for some days. The first problem was to get the necessary materials; the stores were not prepared and soon ran out of material of any sort that could be used for the purpose. I could not get any tar paper, building paper, or three-ply so had to get some gyprock".

When the final gyprock was used, she spent her evenings cutting boards to fit windows, painting them black, and fixing up fasteners to hold them in place.

Dora also took a mechanics class, simultaneously, discussing her plan in April of 1941. She said:

"From April to the end of June we may be working two nights a week as we want to completely overhaul and repair a wreck. When we have done that we will have qualified for a real mechanics certificate. [It will put us in] a position to instruct women in the ambulance corps and the Women's Service Corps. By next year they are going to need women instructors as all the good men are being snapped up for other things."

A St. John's course was added to Dora's responsibilities as was a gas course.

As the day commences, let all of us, be thankful for the men and women in the roles they played and continue to play today for our safety and freedom.

Let us always remember.

LisaBri

Mrs. Margaret Isobel Irving (1912- 2007)

2007-10-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

I'm interrupting the usual posting of Dora's blog to pay tribute to Mrs. Margaret Isobel Irving, who passed away earlier this month. Her final resting place becomes one of the most beautiful of the Gulf Islands, Pender. Margaret joins her deceased sisters, Dora and Audrey, and her brother Reg.

I became involved with Margaret in 2006 and then again this past spring, when I began interviewing her for the biography on Dora, which most of you know I am writing. I discontinued all interviewing by June of this year as an illness left me homebound waiting for surgery.

I will miss my chats with Margaret, as always armed with chocolate bars, I would sit on her bed as she sat in her easy chair, reclined, then she would begin to speak.

She talked of her childhood, growing up on Saturna Island with her brother and sisters and regaled many stories of governess' they had after their mother passed away when the children were very young.

She talked of playing "The Greasy Pole" – a log taken to the wharf, stripped of its bark and greased. The person who stayed on the longest won. It seemed debatable what the actual prize was. She talked of playing tennis in the summer mornings on Mayne Island, with her Uncle George, and how her grandparents ran the Point Comfort Hotel.

I shall remember you, Margaret, as the lady who shared these memories with me. May God be with you!

LisaBri

#11 Tidbit- Comfrey

2007-10-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Thanks for patience and understanding this past month as I underwent surgery and am now recovering, unable till now to write postings on Dora's blog.

On a happy note, this posting will mark Dora's blog one year old on Monday Oct 15 07. My, how time flies! I hope that you have enjoyed the postings as much as I have had the pleasure of writing them bi-weekly.

This weeks posting on comfrey – a perennial herb – is a glimpse into an 'old fashion' home remedy.

What springs to my mind as gardening downfalls are the aches and pains that you don’t notice right away as you pull weeds, replant trees or shrubs, and the many other tasks a homeowner and gardener undertake. How many times have you spent a day as a couch potato following a heavy gardening session?

As a partner in a gardening business, I recall the numerous times, my partner and I suffered from tendonitis - an ache or pain and stiffness to a local area of a tendon, or a burning that surrounds the whole joint of the inflamed tendon. Our elbow joints were left open to this condition as our tendons were overtaxed from the constant flexing of using shears during the pruning season.

Like most ideas, Dora had a remedy – a comfrey poultice. She partitioned off a patch in her backyard where the comfrey grew, an easy procedure due to its properties of growing anywhere. It is one of the hardiest perennials and spreads quickly. Using it as poultices can keep your comfrey area under control!

Comfrey is a perennial herb with large, broad leaves.

The recipe is to use the fresh leaves and roots, simmered with water to a paste which can be applied on the outside of the elbow bringing it around to the front. Wrapped in a bandage it can be left overnight.

Used only externally, I found comfrey to be a quick and simple remedy not only to my tendonitis but also when I sprained my ankle many years ago.

As the fall draws on and you're pruning back your garden beds, if you strain or pull a muscle, sprain an ankle or wrist, think of Dora and try out a comfrey poultice! Of course, if any of these do occur, please visit your family doctor first and tell him or her you heard about an old remedy slowly coming back into fashion.

#10 Tidbit- The Bookmobile

2007-09-16T16:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Since the creation of this blog, I have attempted to show you the different sides of Dora, her zest for life, her love of family and her interests that made her such a remarkable woman.

Her one vocation appears frequently throughout her life – books.

From her journals, as a child, she recalls reading a book a day and on any topic. Relatives tell me she had a 'treasure trove' of books and magazines; her sister recalls Dora reading to her as a child for what she felt was 'long after I was asleep,' making up stories as she went along. It is therefore, not surprising that Dora's career path was a natural transition leading her to running and owning a bookstore for ten years. She worked as a librarian from the age of eighteen, and was instrumental in the success of the Bookmobile, as director from the age of forty-three until she retired.

A colleague for many years describes Dora as 'the Bookmobile.' She was a natural. She could relate to any age level and with her outgoing personality she left a distinct imprint on everyone she met. One only needed to ask Dora a question and if her extensive references on hand at the bookmobile didn’t pan out, Dora would promptly look it up and have the answer for you the next time she came around.

A large aspect of the bookmobile service were the school stops, going from class to class handing out books and later when approved a separate service for shut-ins; in private homes, private hospitals, rest homes and nursing homes.

At one time during this period there were 212 shut-ins where the eldest was 99 years of age and the youngest was only seven.

Recently, I've talked to a librarian in regards to having such a service in this millennium. Certainly, crucial reference material is at our fingertips, but a computer can't ask you how you are feeling today with the warmth Dora so willingly shared.

The next time you see an impressive green bus-like vehicle moving through the streets, watch out – it could be a flashback to March 25, 1954, the first day the Bookmobile began its well loved service.

Take Care,

LisaBri

#8 Tidbit- Guns and more Guns

2007-08-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Yes, again I will digress from gardening lore and enter you into Dora's world of guns. Dora showed an interest in the mechanisms from a young age. When kids were scurrying around earning money to spend candy, Dora and her brother, Reg, would be saving up for bullets to collect the bounty on crows for 50 cents a head as well as food and the sheer enjoyment of hunting and shooting. Yet it wasn’t all fun. There were mishaps as Dora relates verbatim in a story she called "Duck Hunting":

"One afternoon Reg and I took the dingy to go after some ducks we had sighted in Winter Cove. We were only interested in mallard or widgeons as they were the best to eat.

When we reached the bay there was a nice groups of mallards – it would not do to get too near since they would take flight so Reg slipped the oars and reached for the twenty-two rifle.

We were broad side to the flock but several yards away so Reg had to take very careful aim and I was watching intently to see if Reg could pick one off at that distance.

What neither of us was aware of at the time was the fact that a slight breeze was moving the boat. So when Reg fired I was astonished to feel a tug on my coat sleeve and realized the bullet had torn a hole!

No duck but did we ever have a problem! We would lose the gun and all sorts of privileges if any one found out. However, Reg said if we went ashore he could find a sharp rock to disguise the hole by enlarging it. We explained the resulting hole by telling dad we had had an encounter with barbed wire."

Dora's love for guns lasted her a lifetime as did the possibility of another mishap. In a letter she wrote to a friend in 1941, I again quote Dora verbatim:

"I have been having a good deal of trouble with my gun lately. It was misfiring badly and jamming occasionally so finally I took it in to the gunsmith and he installed a new firing pin, two new springs, etc. I took it down to shooting the other night to try it out and found he had lightened the trigger pull to such a degree that it went off if you looked at it (Yikes!) which was dangerous to say the least when you are shooting with a crowd. So now it is back again having some more adjustments."

Dora set her eye high as she continues in her letter:

"In the meantime I am dickering with one of the other members about a .22 automatic but cannot buy the other unless I can sell mine for cash. One of these days, by the process of trade and barter, I may be able to own a really good model, worth about $95.00"

It is happy to report that Dora lived a long life with her guns and certainly had at least 2 lives out of a cat's 9 lives.

Until next time,

LisaBri

#12 Tip- O' Slug of Mine

2007-07-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Just when you thought I was past the gardening lore, I surprise you once again!
Since gardening was such an important part of Dora's life, I can only honor that of which she loved.

I thought summer had arrived and yet I was fooled a few weeks back when the 'November' rains began in earnest. At least that is what a number of people who accosted me on the street had to say about it. And with all the rain comes a certain garden pest more prominent with the squelchy, mucky, muddy garden beds.

I am, of course, talking about the garden slug. And I'm not referring to your partner's lack of enthusiasm when it comes to mowing the lawn! We are talking about the 3 inch slimy, yellow, green and black slug. This must be something of the West Coast. Back East, I remember dealing with the little half inch, grayish slug that you would find on a leaf or slowly making its way across a garden bed. There was no fear of them, you would just pluck them up and drop them in a pail of water.

Have you ever had the experience of taking your dog for a walk through one of our beautiful parks first thing in the morning; just before that quick cup of caffeine kicks in and your eyes are half closed and you are half asleep until squish, ewww? I don’t think I need to get anymore graphic than that.

To rid them, you can do a number of things:

1. Salting them down works, but you need to keep constantly on guard with them.

2. There is the not so popular store bought chemical way of killing slugs. I'm sure many have seen the big yellow box with a giant slug on it- like we all need to be reminded of it- but marketing is marketing. The material resembles a coarse sawdust substance that you sprinkle around the most heavily populated areas, which you usually find if not by the big ugly creatures themselves, but by the slimy trail they leave for you to follow. I have had the experience of watching people build little houses made out of margarine or such containers to keep the chemical dry. Once it is wet, it is useless and just gets leached through your garden bed. Not good! We don’t want that.

3. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the home show in the Western Communities. One display that caught my attention was of a man waving to people, happily eating slug repellent. Of course this had to be investigated. What he was eating was a mixture of very fine glass held together by honey. The supposed slug, drawn by the honey would eat this fine cocktail and slice the inside of him all up, leaving him full but, well, dead. The man was eating the concoction to show it was a very pet/child/human friendly way to rid the pests from your garden. Now I didn’t see him weeks after the show to attest to this, but all I can assume is he lived to go on to the next show. I'm not by any means suggesting you create your own glass/honey slug repellent. This was manufactured in a factory where conditions were favorable. Leave it to the experts.

4. The only one solution I have found, that Dora put me on to, was egg shells. After your breakfast, finely crush your egg shells and keep them in a baggie. When you have eaten a gross of eggs, which really isn’t hard to do, then you go out and sprinkle them along the edge of your garden bed or in a particular bad spot around your annuals or perennials. The method is that the slug will crawl along them and tear themselves up.
So, the next time you make bacon and eggs in bed for your partner on a lovely, summer, Sunday – think Slugs.

Until, next time, have a happy time.

Lisa Bri

Tidbit #7- A Summers Camp

2007-07-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Now that the gardening season is up and running, let's turn our attention to some summer fun.

During Dora's childhood, every August the West Coast Indian tribes would travel for important ceremonies to Seattle. Celebrations such as legal marriages would take place. On their way they would stop at Saturna Island and the Chief would ask permission to camp on Dora's family's land for three days. The bartering began.

The Chief was a 'stern man' – with a twinkle in his eye – who dramatized the negotiations between goods and accommodation. Used canoes and paddles were usually items Dora and her brother and sisters received in the exchange.

The many relatives I have talked to, share the same remembrance of Dora- she loved the outdoors. I have written in previous posts the childhood Dora and her siblings had living with a beach and an ocean as their backyard. They collected materials to build tree houses and repair canoes. They kept seagulls as pets. They enjoyed a wonderful Christmas one year when a boat lost its load of mandarin oranges and the boxes floated to their beach.

This love of nature opened up the world of camping to Dora since she was privy to childhood memories of the Indians. One couple remembers Dora camping on one of the Gulf Islands' Indian Reserve, every summer for a month at a time. Having attained permission to camp, she would set up entire cooking tents and tarps and with her dog and boat would invite her relatives to come and stay with her.

On a summers evening, Dora told me a story of one memorable camping trip she took on the northern part of the Island. Her voice was a whisper as I became entranced – as only a storyteller like Dora could draw –anticipating the next words. She put her forefinger beside her nose and said: "Shh. You can just hear it coming."

She called it the 12 o'clock bear. A bear, obviously used to people, didn’t settle my nerves as I listened in rapt attention to its routing around the campsite looking for food. Dora, as fearless as she was, began to leave a single apple on the bare picnic table and from that day forward, the bear showed up for his daily treat at 12 o'clock sharp.

For all campers reading this, I have one final bit of 'Dora lore' on camping. Take mac and cheese and put it in the bottom of a can, add a can of tuna on top, followed by a can of kernel corn on top. Heat it up and in Dora's words, "It makes a satisfying good camping dinner."

Enjoy your summer's camping trips!

LisaBri

Tip#11- The Art of Composting

2007-07-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone:

To finish up our mini-series on gardening lets dive into composting. On an early spring day, there is nothing more rewarding than running your hands through freshly screened compost that you broke your back over all year to produce. And your plants and trees will love it too!

Dora had a three box system where each box represented one of the stages of decomposition. The oldest box was utilized first and so on, down through the ranks. There was always one box empty for the current years grass clippings, leaves, imported worms (Yes! Dora had a worm farm. More on that shortly), a small layer of topsoil and her blended vegetable refuse from the kitchen. Each of these composting additives would be layered in the box for the next season's compost.

One year, Dora surprised us with her priceless worm farm, bred and raised on the island. It came complete with castings, worms, bins and bedding. The worms cost approximately $35/lb. That's a lot of worms for the buck! It became another winter job of sorting through the worm farm bin. We would cast the bigger ones out into the compost bins to work away while the smaller ones were left to grow and multiply for yet another season in their newly renovated homes of soil and newspaper bedding.

For the gardener who likes the three box system of composting, as did Dora, you can buy a weather resistant, cedar compost bin with different capacities. Just the other day, while in a hardware/gardening shop, I found myself face to face with a similar model of the size of a small shed. So they do come in all shapes and sizes!

LisaBri

The Wacky World of Weeds!

2007-06-17T16:43:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone:

I don’t know about you, but where I live it poured with rain all night and day. It forced me bring the laptop inside, where I had been pounding at the keys, yes, (sigh), in my lounge chair out on the patio. .

Well, what is the point? As I touched on last week, the ideal weather for lawn care is rain at night, and nice sunny days to follow. But, unfortunately for the greater population in this era, we need weed control. We are a society that snubs our neighbor if they have weeds going to seed along their nice, even , weeded herbaceous borders and lawns. All things considered, they have all the benefits we try to grow with shrubs, trees or bulbs - fertilizing, pest and mildew controls, and transplanting to grow to reproduce.

Let's take the dandelion for example. It grows in sun or shade. It requires no watering on our part. We don’t have to fertilize them. They have no aphids, mealy bug, or fungus. And if they do, who really cares, you pluck them up and an abundance of new ones will appear. This is on the maintenance part.

Now lets look on the appearance side. They flower, if left, proficiently all summer long. They are self-seeding. That area of garden you complain about every year is a clay-like substance. You pour money into it with compost, peat moss, topsoil and back breaking labor, in an attempt to 'get something to grow there to cover the mess,' Well, guess what? The dandelion is the perfect specimen. It will even grow through cement! This last attribute is not great because it does break apart the concrete but look at its stamina and attitude against us poor souls who insist on trying to rid our gardens of them.

Best of all, they are free. You could even dig a few up and give them to that pesky neighbor and show them this blog.

Finally, on the benefits of dandelions, who hasn’t heard of dandelion tea, or dandelion salad?

Dandelions are not the only 'weed' we endure. How about butter cup, a great ground cover that will grow in any type of soil and flowers all spring summer and into the winter. Then we have morning glory with white flowers and creeping vines could be a delight in an unobtrusive place against the side of a house. And finally, there is vetch, the little compact plant that has tiny white flowers used throughout England for salad makings.

A very wise customer once told me all our weed problems would be solved if only we changed our perspective and see past the 'weed' into beauty.

But for those of you who are still non believers, I offer some remedies.

The best non-chemical way to rid your garden and lawn from dandelions is simply dig them up. There are two characteristics here: one, you must get as much as the root as possible. An inexpensive weed digger will help you tremendously. Don’t just pull them up- they will be up again in a week. And two, if you fail to get them prior to flowering, make sure you get them before the seed head turns to the fluff they are famous for. If you can't get to them, pull the flower off. One dandelion can start a dozen and very quickly.

A Creeping Buttercup population will increase with frequent cutting so it is essential that you pull as much as the main root system as possible. They are one of the easiest weeds to rid of as their roots are just below the soil level and a good digger can get most up the plant root. They do; however, have a massive traveling system so keep on top of them.

Finally, I have heard of and tried many ways to rid gardens of morning glory from a vinegar solution (which I didn’t find overly helpful, but did make me feel hungry.) to a chemical solution: both proved fruitless. Again the best way is to dig them up. It will be three year project but if you are persistent it can be done. During spring get rid of all traces of the vine. Keep at it: every time you are in your garden or just passing by stop for a second and pull it out. The next year begin again and by this time you should see less growth of it and by the third year if you have been persistent by catching them during the spring before they flower you should see the results of your labor.

For the raised vegetable beds that have persistent weeds growing on the ground around the boxes, Dora always kept a winter supply of newspaper around. Placing them over the weeds, with a little sawdust or similar material will not only keep control of weeds they also serve as a dual purpose of recycling newspaper.

The key that is essential in all weed control is persistence. If you want to see results you must keep on top of it. You must also keep in mind that birds, neighbors' who don't share your weed fetish will always contribute to a weed population in your garden.

In a recent interview, with a colleague that Dora worked with, he told me that Dora always planted native plants when she was living in her log cabin property because a garden should provide beauty not a lot of work.

So enjoy your garden, in whatever form you like. Whether it is the odd shaped weed or buttercup to the other line on the continuum, riddance of all weeds, it is your garden so enjoy it.

Until next time, LisaBri

#9 Tip

2007-05-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

My working area consists of two sliding glass doors, opening onto decks, on either side of the room allowing me a panoramic view of bamboo, cedar, and prolific climbing roses upon a trellis on one side, and a terraced herbaceous perennial bed on the other. In the spring and summer, I have a fantastic view of nature in all its glory including the scent of freshly mowed lawn that I did not have to cut! For some reason, the smell is even sweeter!

Just yesterday, equipped with dog and laptop, I sat on my deck and immediately was regaled by the spinning wings of a pair of hummingbirds looking for nectar. Can you envision a lovelier atmosphere in which to write? I surely can't. It at these times, surrounded by beauty that my mind strays away from my current writing project to the past days in Dora's garden and the time we spent with her.

Her garden bed was simple but effective. A season did not slip by without the then current flower. Everything imaginable in the spring including bulbs, prolific roses throughout the summer, chrysanthemums in the fall, primula (primroses) and pansies in the winter, were among the many varieties of plants Dora had. Don’t forget the seasonal vegetable bed as well as the hedges and flowering shrubs and trees. Every fall saw the breaking apart of Michaelmus daisies, split to give to family and friends. (Hint: To divide any well established plant, place two pitchforks back to back deep in the middle of the plant, then pull the pitchforks apart. The plants should separate easily giving each a solid root foundation for their new home.).

I have often heard, through out the years that a good, even lawn will make or break the appearance of your garden. No matter how beautiful your perennial gardens look, you need a good solid grass cut and edged.

Given this theory, my last tip (Tip #8 April 01 07), discussed the beginning of a two part series of the art of lawn mowing. The most troublesome, I had found over the years was the spring lawns regatta. Remember what I said in Tip #8 about the length of grass: With a good soaking of rain and cool nights and hot, sunny days, the grass seems to grow 2 inches a day! If you have a power mower the difficulty is the bag attached to pick up the long wet grass. I never completed the first strip before I was bogged down with clogged grass in the chute and under the machine. During the 25 years as a Horticulturalist Greenhouse Nursery Worker and a partner in a successful gardening business, this was for me the most frustrating job to do. Here are some more pointers to try:

Every spring, Dora would arrive with a newly purchased can of Pam No Stick Cooking Oil spray. Spraying it it on the underside of the deck, where the blades rotate, can ease the passage of wet long grass clogging. It doesn’t solve all of the problem, but it is helpful. Always make sure the machine is off, trap doors are closed and don’t spray on any engine parts.

Get your machine serviced early in the spring before you attempt that first cut. A sharp blade, new spark plugs and oil change will go a long way. (Hint: If you have your machine serviced early in the season, for example, February, usually you can find a company that will give you a percentage off. Watch out for those flyers and get in on the deal!)

Your bag consists of many tiny holes that allow the air to flow. These holes get plugged with dirt, and grass very easily. Go to the car wash every month (if not more) and power wash the inside and outside of the bag. This will allow the air to flow from the miniature air holes incorporated in the bag. It will make a world of difference. As gardeners we power washed our bags twice if not more in a week. If I had to pick one tip that would make a world of difference this would be it.

For those purchasing recycled lawnmower, I will submit one thing: with the seasonal rains we have on the island, the grass is too long in the spring to be of any worth. You will still have the difficulties as with a regular machine. However, in the summer they work like a gem.

Never, ever use something to prop open the chute and remove the bag. Professionals have tried to save time doing this and the results were stones, and rocks, flying out at you and believe me, it hurts.

Next week, we will find the best way to tackle those pesky garden weeds.

LisaBri

#6 Tidbit- Get the HouseKeep

2007-04-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

Published in Island Tides Apr 06
This story is going through the editing process and will be available May 13 07

Thank you for your patience

LisaBri

" Get the Housekeep"

No one was immune.

You couldn't turn your back.

You needed 20/20 vision, a 100% peripheral vision and eyes in the back of your head would prove helpful. That is, if you were a governess to the Payne children: Audrey, Reginald, Dora, and Margaret.

It began as a result of a tragedy. The children's mother, Ruth Katinka Maude Payne, died at the young age of 28 leaving her husband, Harold Digby Payne to raise what one relative recalls with a trace of a smile, 'a lively, somewhat wild' group of kids.

Growing up on Saturna Island, the smallest of the Gulf Islands in British Columbia, the children had access to the land and beach and adventures quickly became second nature to them. It was summer time, the sun high in the sky and not a cloud in sight. It was a time to play and romp around the homestead; to dive into your rubbers boots and head to the water to splash and shower one another. To emerge from the sea, and sit on rocks baked by the sun while watching the shimmering heat waves rolling across the beach. It was a treasure-trove of goodies; you never knew what the bountiful tide would bring in to build, take apart, construct or create.

It was in 1918 when the flu pandemic, commonly referred to as the Spanish flu - because it received greater press attention in Spain than in the rest of the world - hit Saturna Island. The children's father insisted that while he recuperated in bed and since they had recovered, they needed a summer governess to catch up on their missed lessons while they were sick. They disagreed. It was not the time for a governess. One who would require you to sit inside, droning on the history of Canada or some such subject and be expected to remain awake, never mind attentive. Governesses only slowed them down. They wanted to be where the action was, and it certainly wasn’t in a math book.

The question was: Would they succumb to this? As Dora reminisced "This idea went over like a lead balloon." To their disappointment a governess was found shortly thereafter. They would not stand for this!

They allowed Miss Pridham her leeway, knowing her existence would be temporary. During dinner conversation, shortly after Miss Pridham arrived, she regaled them with stories of her fondness for horseback riding.

"Out of the blue there was a ray of hope!" Dora recalled. They looked at each other with knowing eyes. 'Get the Housekeep' was set in motion again.

Some time back they had rescued an old army horse that was so bad tempered no one, including their father and uncle, could ride him. Miss Pridham was not privy to this, but was told they had a horse on the farm. They did tell her; however, they had no gear. "No problem," a prideful Miss Pridham replied excitedly, "I have often ridden bareback.'' (Probably thinking this could be a way to get into the good graces with the children). With the aid of treats, the animal, 'Meatface' was caught. Showing no fear, Miss Pridham climbed the fence in order to mount the huge, raw-boned animal. It had only taken seconds. Miss Pridham hit the dirt.

''Those Payne children must be the worst in all of BC,'' could be heard as she hurried away from the homestead totally convinced Saturna Island was no place for civilized people.

Tip #8 - Lawns

2007-04-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

This week I thought it prudent to discuss a little more on gardening as the season is just about upon us.
While walking my dog in the park, I have met a number of landscapers and gardeners who have told me they're completing their third lawn cut. Dry or wet those lawns must be cut!

So we have to slug our way through that first cut of the season. It is usually the worse since it does grow a little over winter when we have those heavy frost mornings followed by a nice day of bright sunshine.

Some people ask: "Should I just cut it a little lower every week for the first cut or should I just grin and bear it and do it all at once?"

It has been my experience to just grin and bear it. What you can do is begin by cutting it on 3 inches, and then do it all over again at 2.5 inches and then finally the standard year round cut of 2 inches.

It's also best to cut more often as the weather warms. You will know when the time is right! Try cutting every 5 days opposed to 7. You will notice quite a difference in the looks, but also in the ease of cutting rather than leaving it for those extra two days. As the summer heat hits the lawns they will dry very quickly- it is only the spring cuts that will benefit you for cutting every 5 days. So don’t worry, I'm not imprisoning you for a lifetime of 5 day interval cuts!

It is also good practice to rotate your cutting designs. Cut it up and down one week and then with the next cut, cut it on a diagonal or sideways. Some people like the up and down style but to avoid a build up of permanent wheel ruts you really should cut it in a different pattern every 2 or 3 cuts. I've been asked if you cut the grass in an up and down fashion and then on your next cut, put the machine between last weeks wheel impressions, will that work?. It is still my experience that the ruts will fill into each other and once the summer heat hits, you will have an uneven lawn.

This brings me to your piece of machinery. Every year the mechanics say, "Run the mower until all the gas runs out"- literally until the machine stops so you are ensured the carburetor is emptied. I know we all say we will get around to it but somehow we never do. (Well, we did. My business partner was very meticulous about this and faithfully she drained our machines every year. Thanks Leslie!) So if you did not empty your gas mowers you may have difficulty this year.

This brings us to our tip #8. Dora had a fabulous tip for just this eventuality as well as other things mechanical.

One day we struggled to start a rototiller and after yanking on the cord for dozens of times, Dora showed up – with a match.

She unscrewed the spark plug, lit the match and let it burn on the part of the spark plug you screw in until the match burned down.

We replaced the heated spark plug and on the next pull – it purred like a kitten.

This can be used on weed eaters; ride on lawnmowers, chainsaws – the list is endless.

There is an alternative to doing all this fussy lawn mowing work and it is something I relied on for many years gardening – hire someone!

Good luck and I will see you in two weeks!

LisaBri

#5 Tidbit- Surveying

2007-03-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to our next tidbit for St. Patrick's Day. For all you Irish folk out there, I hope you had a good day yesterday.

Today I would to address Surveying. We all know it. We all see it. Usually at 5PM rush hour, construction sites are teeming with surveyors with their eyes to the instruments and further along another surveyor with a long pole for measuring.

It's always been an interest to me, figuring out how surveying works and how they can arrive at the end result. What brought me to surveying today? Through my intensive research on Dora and the Gulf Islands, I came across a different way of surveying, at least that is what the pioneers of the Gulf Islands did. They didn’t have instruments, computers, or other equipment to measure where houses, churches and other orifices should be placed. And they had to clear the land practically by hand, so they needed to be precise to the point of knowing where to place their outbuildings.

But like all pioneers of the time, they worked out a system which today would be inappropriate with our superhighways, and land extensions. But one not to be forgotten.
Our brilliant forefathers solved their problem of finding the location for a school on Saturna Island, as they did everything, with strength and agility.

When a difference of opinion arose as to where it should be, Dora's dad had the solution.
He suggested that on a given day each resident (with a population around 20) should start out to walk towards the centre of the island. Where they all met should then be the site of the school.

And so it be - no tools, no fancy computers, just leg work and a meticulous mindset and as I see this event in my mind, I picture, picnic lunches along the way and many children jumping over fallen logs.

To the early settler, this adventure would be a fun day and not even considered a work day.

LisaBri

#7 Tip- Pruning Fruit Trees

2007-03-04T16:51:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Today we prune fruit trees

As per last week: " You need equipment beginning with clippers, the hand held type, and loppers, the shears that operate on long handles, as well as heavy working gloves (welders' gloves work well). Also a can of black spray paint, and an inexpensive pruning saw. An additional piece of equipment you will likely need is Pole Pruners for the hard to reach branches. These have a 'u' shaped end where the blade resides on long (aprox 4 feet) poles with a rope attached to the outer part of the blade. The rope is as long as the poles for the ease of operating the Pruners. You slip the branch into the 'u' end and when you pull the rope it brings the cutter down with a snap action trigger giving way to a smooth cut. Some Pole Pruners come in one length whereas some can be adjusted to reach the height of any branch you are trying to cut.

It is always a good idea to scrutinize your project in order to have a sense of what your finished product will be. The first task is always to cut away any dead branches, or wood on the tree. This is universal to trees, bushes, shrubs, etc.

You want to cut away at all the water shoots that have sprung up since last year on your fruit tree. These can be found on the branches as well as the trunk. These water shoots are dead giveaways. They are the branches that grow straight up; starting thick, then going thinner near its end, along the lines of a whip. Since these shoots form in the early summer/ mid summer, many gardeners will cut off the water shoots at the end of summer. Just be careful of what you are cutting. To cut, follow the length of the water shoot to the branch it resides on and at the conjunction of the two, cut.

Now you want to start to prune the tree!

From this point you can almost visualize what the tree will look like after you have pruned it. You see the potential flat, bowl shaped specimen that you couldn’t see with all those dead branches and shoots popping up all over the tree!

You want to cut any small branch no matter where it is coming from. Anything that looks weak and is crossing into other main branches hindering their growth should be cut, especially in the middle of the tree. You want the sun to be able to reach all these places so it is necessary to keep the centre of your tree open. Again you want to cut as close to the meeting point as possible.

Finally, what you should have left is the next to final product of branches that you can see are years old (a good giveaway is the number of thick nodes at strageitic spots along a branch.) With these branches you want to cut the branch back to below the old cut, which is the cut made last year.

To find this spot, you can feel with your fingers where the old growth is rough to the feel as opposed to the new growth which is smooth to the touch. Visually, you will see a 'bump' where the old cut is.

Again when cutting anything, cut on a diagonal and as close to the node (which is actually a bud) as possible without cutting through it.

Finally, with our lesson on rose pruning, any thick branches that you cut should be sprayed with paint to seal it up against insects.

By the time you have cut your first tree, your experience will increase your self confidence and you can then look, think, then begin cutting all within a minute.

LisaBri

2007-02-25T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone:

Due to personal conflict, there will be no posting this week.

Join me on Feb 25 07 for a tip on pruning fruit trees and ornamental trees!

LisaBri

#6 Tip- Roses

2007-02-18T13:50:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone:

For those of you yet to prune your Rose bushes, today is a good time as any to start thinking of it. We, on the West Coast are fortunate that we can prune in February as we have such mild winters. (Most of the time!).Just last week I was out and pruning my roses and watching the early crocus come to life.

Since many of you will be gathering your tools, I will be putting on an additional post next week rather than waiting two weeks. Pruning roses and fruit trees do have a lot of the same elements, but the differences call for a separation for explanation. For this week, I will concentrate on roses and next week will be a Dora lesson on fruit trees and flowering trees that you may have.
You need equipment beginning with clippers, the hand held type, and loppers, the shears that operate on long handles, as well as heavy working gloves (welders' gloves work well). Also a can of black spray paint, and an inexpensive pruning saw.

Purchasing a pair of clippers is an expensive investment. They can run from twenty dollars to one hundred and fifty dollars. The Felco series of clippers are the best and have been on the market for many years, and though not cheap, you can be guaranteed a lifetime of service. I have a pair that I used when I was on the East Coast twenty years ago and aside of sharpening and the occasion squirt of WD-40, they have become an extension of my hand when working in the garden.

Equally important, when you take care of your equipment, your equipment will take care of you! So, be sure you have very sharp instruments on hand.

So, on with your gloves and grab those loppers and saw! Your first aim here is to cut away all the dead wood from the previous season. In most cases they are thick, black or brown branches found at the base of the plant and any other dead wood along the main, thick stocks, so you will have to put some muscle behind it. A pair of loppers will do the job nicely.

Now that you have the dead wood cut out and know what to look for, let's have a quick lesson on pruning techniques on 'live' branches. Most people think you grab the branch and cut. Wrong! There is a method behind it. So don’t be like most people, be yourself and after a few bushes you will have the correct technique down to your own style.

Being wary of thorns, rub your finger up and down a healthy stalk. You will feel many 'bulges' along the stalk. These bulges will become this years' new growth, so you want to be extra careful you don’t cut right into it, but a quarter of an inch directly above it. When you cut you don’t want to cut straight across as the inclination will be. You cut on a diagonal so moisture doesn’t sit on the cut which could lead to premature rotting and loss of stem. Give yourself ample room to do a diagonal cut without snipping at the bud. If you do hit the bud, just go down until you hit another 'bulge' and use that one.

As far as how much to cut off you can cut three quarters of the way down.

Next, you need to rid of all the spindly branches. These are the ones that crisscross, usually in the middle, and are about as thick as your baby finger. As a rule of thumb, always cut any branches that 'cross' over and touch other branches, no matter the size of it. Cut them right back to where they meet the branch that they come from.

The last instruction is to spray paint any thick branches you cut into. The purpose here is to discourage insects and other burrowing creatures (earwigs) from making it their new home.
What we hope to accomplish with this posting is to make the plants as sturdy and prolific as possible.

It is also a time for moving roses. Dig well away from the plant giving you ample room to get as many roots as possible. Roses are very resilient so if you cut through a root, so don’t worry about it.

Dora had a beautiful Peace rose, majestic and proficient that we moved one year and from the last day we worked for Dora, the branches sprouted up needed to be cut away every year. It just wouldn't leave its old home. I've seen roses poking their heads thru concrete so don’t ever worry about digging thru some roots.

Happy Pruning and don’t hesitate to send me an email with questions.

LisaBri

#5 Tip- SADS

2007-02-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Now that Christmas and New Years is strongly behind us, many people get 'the blues' or a depression with so much rain and little sun here on the West Coast.

Though we 'Westerners' say, "At least we are not shoveling the rain, like 'back east'" the 'back east,' have one over on us.

We regain green lawns in the winter months – and as I can attest to from having a gardening business for 15 years, we do cut grass a day before Christmas on the West Coast–where 'back east' have piles of snow providing the sun human receptacles absorbing plentiful amounts of light all winter long.

This is the difference. Lack of sunshine. The decreased sunlight causes a hormonal change that can lead to depression or any of many symptoms such as:

lethargy
loss of concentration
fatigue
loss of interest in normal activities
and an overall feeling of 'the blues'

This affliction is now recognized as a serious disorder in millions of people rightly called SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I remember asking Dora once about SAD, as it greatly affects me. Dora, a strong believer in holistic medicines such as magnet theory, home made herbal teas for sleep disorders or poultices used from her garden plants, told me of sun lamps.

Though not cheap, mine (a portable 6in x 6in) runs about two hundred dollars. But in terms of missed work, no energy to accomplish even the simplest task, it pays itself back in one winter.

I would like to thank Toni, for her input of the information below:

"Here are some ways to deal with it (SADS):

Go outside for 10 to 15 minutes between 6AM to 8AM, this is the most productive time of day to get the light into your system.

Open your curtains as much as possible in the winter to allow the light in.

Get a light box (as described above) and use for 30minutes to two hours everyday for a week and you will likely notice an improvement.

Check with your naturopath or herbal store for teas or other helpers for SADS.

In closing, I will once again, quote Toni as saying: "Remember from Dec 21 onwards we start to get a couple of minutes more daylight every day!"

Until next time, let us all work on defeating depression from lack of sunlight and if you do suffer, treat yourself to a sun lamp or light box and use it – you won't regret it!

LisaBri

Tidbit #5- The End of Christmas

2007-01-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

To finish up our series of Christmas, beginning with the tidbit from the Gulf Islands Mandarin Oranges four weeks ago, to the proper storage of poinsettia's two weeks ago, today I would like to talk about Christmas trees.

For those lucky enough to have a real Christmas tree, this would be a good time to think about where you would like to plant it in your garden for the upcoming season. Be sure to give it plenty of good soil for the roots to breathe and always make sure it has sufficient water. It would like a sunny area in your garden and can be used as a backdrop to other small shrubs or perennials. The time to plant would be anytime your shovel can dig a hole thru the earth, which means here in the West Coast, practically anytime.

The most common Christmas tree in Canada is the Scotch Pine which has stiff dark green needles. It is most popular.

Here are some Christmas tree facts: 2006 marks the 225th year in Canada for the Christmas tree. In 1981 to celebrate this formal tradition, its 200th year, Canada issued a commemorative stamp depicting a tree decorated with ornaments.

The decorated Christmas tree goes back to the ancient Romans, where during their winter festival, they decorated trees with small pieces of metal- yes metal honoring the god of agriculture , Saturnus.(No relationship to Saturna Island, I'm afraid as my research indicates.)

Over the years, Christmas trees became more elaborate coming up to the 21st century decorations. Over this expansive time frame, trees would be decorated with apples as a symbol of the feast of Adam and Eve held on December 24th, candles in the late 1500s, paper roses, apples and candies following in the early years of the 1600s.

And finally as a tidbit, in 1834 Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, was noted as being the first to bring a Christmas tree to Windsor Castle for the Royal Family.

Our Christmas routines are laced with tradition and the future will show just how much that tradition changes to meet the attitudes and lifestyle changes of the 21st century. Until then we enjoy the tradition where we celebrate, fully decorated trees, each home owner as unique as the next.

Finally, I remember, while working for Dora, that Christmas time went further than Christmas lights, and tree decoration. During the season, her home would perfume us with the burning of heather cuttings after their trim in contrast to the crackling of pine cones in the fireplace.

Christmas 2006 is now officially over, folks. Let us begin to prepare for the exciting time of spring. And to the snow gods, we've had enough thank-you!

In two weeks, we begin again, till then, take care and have some fun,

Lisa Bri

Tip #4- Poinsettia's

2007-01-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

The rush of the season is over. It is the end of a year and the beginning of a New Year.

Happy New Year, Everyone, I hope you have a prosperous 2007, and may all your resolutions come true.

Dora had a poinsettia in her sunroom throughout the Christmas year and as a tip, move them to a cool place in the house and you will see your point's outdo previous years. If you do this (and they don’t succumb to shock), plant them in your garden over the spring and summer. Bring them into the house around mid-Sept, begin watering and fertilizing and ensure they have 12 hours of absolute darkness, and I mean absolute. No television, night light, nothing. It usually works well to leave them in a warm room during the day and putting them into a closet or cupboard for 12 hours overnight. By mid November you should see signs of colored foliage at which time you can bring them out and leave them out. It may seem like a lot of work, but if you are a gardener, you may want to give it a try.

Otherwise, enjoy them while you can, and recycle them in your compost boxes when their leaves have fallen and you are left with green sticks.

For those who were fortunate enough to have had the entire week from Christmas and New Years off and from New Years until today off - prepare for battle tomorrow. The holidays are always filled with magic. The ordinary tasks for the day were put on hold as friends and family arrived for a little of that Christmas cheer. Don't kid yourself, the office awaits you. There were no gremlins that came in during the holidays. They did not finish that last piece of work that you thought would wait until the New Year.

Sorry folks, its still there.

So it is a busy time. Routines must begin again. My mind wanders as it so often does when driving; I come across yet another Xmas tree lying on the side of the road.

Please folks, drive that extra mile to a recycling depot for your Christmas tree. Our city workers have plenty to do to make Victoria, truly- The City of Gardens.

For locations on where to recycle your tree go to this website and click on the dancing trees under the heading "Christmas tree chipping sources."

http://www.crd.bc.ca/es/recycle/index.htm

Have a merry one!

LisaBri

Tidbit #3- Christmas

2006-12-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

The Christmas holidays, is a time to spend with family and friends as we begin the countdown to closing yet another year. And how fast that year goes! Christmas is more than giving and receiving, it is the opening of your heart to your loved ones. It is a time to think of the future and to reflect on the past. We hope that the future will be as nurturing and bountiful, as we sit down to our special Christmas dinner, as past years.

Children of all ages love Christmas. It fills that warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart as you watch a youngster open the gift 'he really really had to have, mom.' They open their stocking and find a treasure trove of nick knacks, candy and the topic of this week's blog, oranges.

I'm not talking about the everyday oranges we see in the supermarket, but of the small, rounded ball of orange that can come unpeeled in seconds by even the smallest of fingers. Yes, Mandarin oranges. I know Christmas is upon me as I travel the isles and come up to the perfectly stacked orange boxes with the shade of green wrapping seen thru the handle holds of the box.

Mandarin oranges are a gift all of themselves. They are pre wrapped, usually in tissue paper type substance, and the fragrance oozes from the others in neat rows, one upon another.

I recall a story Dora once told me about the abundance of Mandarin oranges. Like I have re-iterated in past posts, the kids always found such a wide range of goodies washed up on the beach.

One memorable Christmas, Dora and her siblings, found to their delight small boxes weaving and hitting the surf en route to their beach. Waiting to see what would be bestowed on them, their anxiety and sense of excitement grew. Wasting no time, they used rocks, driftwood' anything they could get their hands on to open these wooden crates. Their effort was rewarded when inside were row upon row of Mandarin oranges.

Word quickly went around the island and before too long people were showing up from all over with burlap or flour sacks and an array of devices to get these oranges to their homestead.

There was no fighting, as there were many, too much to go around in fact, as after a week of eating them, their enthusiasm wore down.

What a wonderful Christmas gift these youngsters must have had. Mandarin oranges, a commodity not to be found on the Gulf Islands at the height of war.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

LisaBri

Tip #3- Don't Throw That Goose Away Yet.

2006-12-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

As the winter storms of a fortnight ago hit I was reminded of a story Dora told me during one of our many get togethers.

As our soldiers were returning home from war in October 1918, shortly after flu symptoms hit towns, cities and rural areas with the last recorded infliction being in March 1919.

No one was immune and it took the lives of the very young all the way up to the elderly. Dora remembered it well.

"I think all old-timers will remember the post war Spanish Flu. The Gulf Islanders were not immune and the services were slim. We had one doctor to look after four islands – the hospital on Salt Spring Island consisted of a former private home so it had very restricted accommodations. (There) was not enough (beds) for their own island.

It hammered with cyclonic force driving people to find remedies to help the fallen ill. Medical help was so scarce, and store keepers took advantage of this, as one report stated: comfrey, a plant material that could be made into a poultice and placed on the chest for ease of breathing, which before the epidemic sold from less than .75 cents was rose up to $6.50 in one week.

Some of the remedies as the saying goes, 'if it tastes bad then you know it works," fell on unheard ears.

Dora and her brother often hunted mallard ducks to bring to the dinner table, knowing along with it, the grease would be saved and later used as poultices. So along came the goose grease with onions wrapped up and laid upon the chest for hours forcing the ill to a horrid stench. This remedy has been in use since the medieval times.

It wasn’t just the Spanish Flu that began this practice; it was used when the sniffles or a cold was detected. Dora told me that they stifled coughs and sneezes at the dinner table and did anything they could to look healthy, but this rarely worked. If it wasn’t goose grease, you could be well assured that pine tar syrup, as a tonic was forced down your throat and tasted as Dora said "Just Awful!! You were better off sick."

The moral of the story – the next time you get sick, don’t complain about Buckley's. I know I won't because from the way Dora's face showed a look of revulsion, we have it pretty darn easy.

Until Christmas Day, Merry Christmas to all and your families and drive safely, everyone is going to go after that lone parking space!!

LisaBri

Recycling Days

2006-11-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

As I sit here looking at the snow falling outside my window, having just disposed of the recycling for yet another fortnight, my mind wanders to a story Dora once told me that I would like share for this weeks blog.

Over the past twenty years it has become apparent with the environmentalists and homeowners alike, the need to protect our environment for the future of our sons and daughters' and each generation thereafter. Everything is being reproduced, broken down, its component parts being re-manufactured. This is our legacy to them.

Back in the early 1900s, there were no recycling programs; the issue of global warming was a thing of the future, and so our landfills and the ocean bed were our dumping ground. How many times do I remember, as a child, waiting in anticipation for the next trip to the 'dump' and all the goodies that could be salvaged from others garbage? One man's garbage was another's treasure. Isn't this the basis for our common garage sales?

Dora grew up on one of the smallest of the Gulf Islands but this, in itself, did not deter her or her siblings from enjoying the riches of the ocean and the precious cargo to be had. Childhood time was spent beachcombing and no matter what Dora and her brother and sisters wanted, they just needed to be patient, for some collier or ship would unload cargo, for a number of reasons (some interestingly legal or not), which found their way to the shore of Saturna Island and into the hands of little people- a trove of treasures to be had.

Through the love of water, Dora and her brother's need of water vessels were in constant demand. The building of rafts, repairing old boats washed up to shore, and the Indian canoes (more Indian stories in future blogs), were ongoing projects. To repair these nautical items two things were needed: tin and tar. Tar, along with bullets, and nails were the only items that had to be purchased with precious dollars that were scarce. Tin, though, was another matter.

During respites from beach hunting, scavenging for tin cans was under taken through their own barns, sheds, bins and stables as well as neighbouring homesteads. No property was immune! The tin was 'manufactured' by the kids, flattened, nailed over the holes, and sealed with the tar heated on the beach. The boats were repaired and made sea worthy. Now if this activity, full of the good outdoors doesn’t beat Space Invaders 3 on game boys and computer games for kids and teenagers, I don’t know what does!

Our early settlers were a practical lot as well. In a letter, recently uncovered, from Dora to a niece, she says,

"(Once a visitor) had sailed up to Saturna to do some hunting and found her uncle had tin plates nailed to the table. When you finished eating you wiped up the plate with a piece of bread and were ready for the next meal!"

How is that for resourcefulness? We can learn a lot from our early settlers. No need for paper plates to line our landfills! Enjoy your week, and the snow, but do drive carefully! Until next time,

LisaBri

Tidbit #1- The Most Unusual Pet

2006-11-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone:

Dora grew up among the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. In fact, her home was on the shores of the Pacific. She was, therefore, privy to the many things the sea would wash ashore.

In a recent discovered letter written by Dora to a niece, she talks about her childhood: "With no organized sport, no TV, no movies, no telephone, and no computers, the kids of today would be hard put to imagine how we spent our time."

They indeed had no spare time on their hands. Between chopping firewood, cleaning lamps, shining shoes, feeding chickens, gathering eggs, filling wood boxes, cleaning windows, waxing floors, fetching vegetables from the garden and their lessons with the governess of the day left little time for their explorations and the building of tree houses, rafts and canoes and their favorite pastime – to beach comb investigating the many crags and holes along the rocky shores.

Their little time was spent "making a trap to catch the mink who had wounded our favorite cat, build a raft, fix a large hole in the canoe, eventually make an outrigger the that same canoe, go fishing and enjoy their hourly walk with the governess.

But time could be found for important things like, seagull(s). Yes, That's Right! seagulls. Dora had the usual dog and cat and even chicken for pets. But as a child she also had, a seagull for a pet. Dora would creep around the sea gull nesting rocks and would capture a couple of the young ones. A piece of rope did the job nicely. Unusual, yes! But what is more unusual was the dedication she had to feed it a bucket of clams a day! That is a lot of clams, folks!

Another Dora tips and Tidbits have come to a close. Any correspondence can reach me at LisaBri6@hotmail.com. Perhaps, you would like to tell me about an unusual pet you or your friend had- to be put up with the next posting.

Until then, be free, be happy, but most of all, be true to yourself.

LisaBri

Tribute to Dora

2006-10-29T12:22:00.000-08:00

Hello and Welcome Everyone!

To close off last weeks post, you will recall we discussed the ways of dealing with leaves that eventually leave their splendor of color and coat our gardens, roadways, and paths. Thank-you to reader Leslie for her reminder of tomato and peony cages. Sinking them into the ground and backfilling them with leaves will protect those tender perennials over the cold winter months.

I welcome all feedback and appreciate the time and effort that goes into it. Thank-you!

Today, I would like to digress for a time, and make this weeks post a tribute to Dora (our blog namesake) who left us on October 17, 2000.

In two weeks, November 12, 2006, we will return to our tips and tidbits.

The theme that shows up from everyone I have had the pleasure to meet, from Dora's family to co-workers to friends, have all remarked upon what an incredible woman Dora was.

I only knew Dora for 10 short years, but during that time, I grew to love her as if I had known her for years. The writing of her biography is keeping her spirit alive in me and it is my hope that when completed, others will take that away with them, too.

When winter closed upon us and the garden had been put to bed, we turned our attention to indoor jobs, from painting to washing cars.

When working on Dora'a car, she told us the story of her first experience with motorized transportation. Not a car, but of a boat and how her and her brother and sisters, had to learn to swim before they were allowed to go out on their own. One interviewee explained that to pass, they were picked up at age 5, and like a mother bird throwing her babies out of the nest to use their wings for the first time, the children were 'thrown' into the water time and again until they not only learnt to swim but gained a respect for the ocean as fun could become treacherous.

When we worked on her worm farm, separating the young from the more advanced, she regaled us with stories of compost boxes, the number required for a proper set up and the ones that she had built with cedar on her own at her different properties. Look out kayakers! Dora built 'compost paddles.' These consisted of a two foot in length paddle with a small but wide grip held handle. When used in a screen fastened to 2 X 4s, it made screening compost a pleasure especially with Dora telling us stories.

Coming out of hospital, once, I called Dora and asked if she could be kind enough to pick me up and drive me home as I had no transportation. What arrived in 45 minutes notice were Dora, her current dog, Jay, and enough meals to last me a few days. All under an hours notice!

I think, though, my most memorable times with Dora were the spring and fall Saturday garage sales. We would pack up with Dora's newspaper list and would not leave a house without at least 2 trinkets for a great-nephew's birthday coming up, a niece who would love such and such and so on. If no birthdays or occasions were occurring, she would turn to me and say, "I can keep them for Christmas." I don’t think any relation no matter how far down the tree ever felt left out.

So, Dora, you may have left this earth, but your presence is felt throughout the times when I need a gentle reminder of how remarkably a woman can be.

I invite all those who knew Dora to share their stories with our readers who never knew Dora in life. And perhaps readers know a family member of their own who went the extra yard to make their families joyful and complete.

Please feel free to share with us a member of your family, who can be called a 'remarkable person.' I look forward to hearing your story.

Email me at LisaBri6@hotmail.com or leave a comment on the comment link below. As a reminder to avoid signing in, getting a pass word, etc... can be avoided by clicking in either 'others' or 'anonymous' option and if preferable at the end of your comment you can add your name or remain anonymous.

Until we meet again, may you find peace and tranquility in all of your days.

LisaBri

Tip #1- Fall Clearing

2006-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hello and Welcome To The First Ever Dora Tips & Tidbits!

My name is LisaBri and I will be your tip & tidbit coordinator. I welcome all tips & tidbits of any sort from your own lives or generations back, which can be emailed to me at LisaBri6@hotmail.com. All tips & tidbits will find their way onto the blog so don’t be shy, muster up those old home remedies, garden hints that you were always embarrassed to tell your neighbours, and little tidbits of anecdotes you just cant keep inside to yourself anymore!

With this being our first tips & tidbits get together, I would like to give you a short history on how this all came to be.

Many years ago, before any grey hair showed, I was in partnership with another woman in a landscaping/gardening business. This blog's namesake, Dora, was a great customer and an even greater friend who would regale us over coffee, with stories of family, history, and genealogy.

When we were ill with a cold, flu, tendonitis (a gardeners constant ailment), or anything else, Dora would always come up with a remedy taken from her girlhood days.

This is Dora's legacy to those who knew her and in the spirit of keeping this alive I was prompted to begin a biography on her life. After two years of research and many interviews later, a common thread began to seep through - Dora had a wealth of knowledge that must be shared.

At my writer's group one evening last spring, a writer friend planted the idea of a blog in my head where it grew quietly for many months, every so often popping up during the course of my day, reminding me gently of its presence. This then, is the by-product of that thought, which has matured into this blog.

I, therefore, welcome you to come with me every other Sunday, with tea or coffee in hand, and read what others and I will share.

We lost Dora in 2000, but her essence will be with all who knew and loved her and we extend this gift to all of you!

Please feel free to send a link of this blog to a friend. There is an envelope icon on the blog site for your convenience.

Dora Tip#1

It seems fitting to begin our tips on Fall which is here in all its glory. Fall is a transition season. Not warm enough to hit the high temperatures of summer and not cold enough to have the winter rains and snow if you live in a snow belt city.

Dora had a magnificent Maple tree in her front yard, big enough that it provided shade in the summer for the whole front lawn. In all seasons, the bird feeders would be filled, most especially in the winter, when birds would be in even more need of food.

But it was the fall that the Maple showed its real use. The hues of gold, yellow, and orange were spectacular –but almost too quickly, the leaves would begin to drop. This season would find us gardeners raking leaves week after week, from the front yard, the home next door where the leaves would drop and even in the gutters in the street from our many wind storms. Leaves are like gold to gardeners.

Halloween was a short time away, and out came the big orange leaf bags, with Jack-o-lanterns etched in black on them. These were filled with leaves until the winter showed its face and the last leaf had fallen. How many countless times did I fill a bag then sit on it to compress the leaves? The children loved it, raking big piles of leaves to jump in and filling their own 'pumpkin' bags.

The 35 bags we collected would be stored under the enormous cedar hedge, out of the way, to be applied in layers, through out the winter and next spring in the compost bins.

But you don’t have to bag your leaves. If you have a lawnmower with a recycle blade on it, you could run them over, and leave them on your lawn to decompose in bits over the winter. But be warned – you may have to run over the leaves numerous times. You want the consistency of very small pieces; otherwise they could leave patches of dead grass where the leaf lay for the winter. (This will come back in the spring with a little TLC- but why go to the trouble if you don’t have to?) If you have a bagged lawnmower, please do not be tempted to take the bag off, and jack open the chute because the machine clogs. It is too easy for that small stone you don’t see to come through the chute and cause damage or injury!

You could also use the leaves to lay your garden beds to sleep for the winter. If you have a herbaceous perennial bed filled with plants such as – Phlox, Wallflowers, Delphinium, Jacob's ladder, Columbine, Hollyhock, Sweet William, Peony, etc…a layer of leaves (with burlap on top in the colder regions)will protect them from below zero temperatures and heavy gale like wind storms. Just remember they produce a greenhouse effect of warmth so you want to uncover them just as spring comes around.

For those of you who grow your perennials in containers, (a low maintenance option prune them back, cover them with leaves and burlap and put the pots up near the wall of your house which will afford them the most protection from wind.

On that note, I will finish up Dora Tip #1. I would like to thank you for your time and if you have any suggestions, concerns, or questions, please send me an email. I will see you in two weeks, on the 29th of October, so until then be safe, be healthy, be happy.

LisaBri

Some This and Thats

2006-10-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone: Just a couple techincal issues that have arisen.

I would like you to leave comments about the site, the information presented or whatever you fancy if you wish.

To avoid the sign in procedure and giving out email addresses, I have set the comments field to accept anyone. Just remember when you leave a comment to click in any of the two radio boxes, "other" or "anonymous" and leave out "blogger" This will bypass the sign in for a blogger account.

Lastly, there may be an issue of the email 'envelope' icon on the web site. This is only used when you want to send the web page or blogger to a friend. It is not the email shortcut for myself. To send an email to me, click on "View my complete profile" on the right hand side of the web page.

If you have any problems or concerns please email me at LisaBri6@hotmail.com or else I will see you this coming Sunday.

Happy October 8, 2006 Everyone!!

2006-10-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

I hope that you will find many helpful tips and a few smiles to lighten up your day.

I will be up and running for our first tip (or is it a tidbit?) next Sunday, the 15 of October and a

following one two weeks hence.

Come prepared to explore and share your own tip (or would it be a tidbit?)

A hint: Fall is here in all its glory!!!!

I welcome all feedback by email! (LisaBri6@hotmail.com)

Then, until, next Sunday,

I will sign off by LisaBri

Introductory

2006-10-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is the new site for Dora Tips and Tidbits!

Please come back later!