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- Tuesday, May 21, 2013 DAWSONVILLE, GA
Archive By Section - Lifestyle Columnists
A hillbilly version of ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’
Mama has always been persnickety about her things. It just goes along with her O.C.D. So when she told me one evening her things in her bedroom were out of place, I knew to be worried. "Has anyone been in your house?" I asked.
Protecting trees in the yard
Trees provide great benefits to our home landscapes. They provide shade, help retain soils and add visual interest. It is important that we take care of our trees. Many of the things we do for our other plants in the landscape may provide benefits to our trees at the same time, such as watering, fertilizing and aerating. However, some maintenance practices may unintentionally damage our trees. Improper mulching may do more harm than good for our trees.
Preparing my own episode of ‘Hoarders’
I'll admit that I am a pack rat. I am scared to pieces that the minute I throw something away, I will need it.
Water quality testing
The quality of our water can have a direct and persistent effect on our health. The EPA sets standards that public water sources routinely be checked. This is not the case with private water supplies, such as a well. Having your well water tested once a year serves as a good precaution and will keep you aware of any contamination.
I have many doppelgangers, but Amy Winehouse?
They say everyone has a twin. Some people have more than one person they look like. Apparently, I have quite a few. When I was younger and insisted on blunt heavy bangs, I was told on numerous occasions I looked just like Shannen Doherty. Or anyone who grew up in the '90's may remember her as the much-hated Brenda Walsh from "Beverly Hills, 90210."
Don’t make me unleash my Southern
While at the bank recently, I got in a conversation with a man and the bank manager. Our talk turned to how other parts of the country are so vastly different than the south. "I went to California a while back," the manager said. "Beautiful state, had such wonderful fresh produce. But not the first bit of it was fried."
Blossom-end rot
One of the best parts of growing tomato plants is the feeling of seeing your first fruit setting on the vines. Unfortunately, many folks have experienced the frustration of discovering dark, sunken lesions on the bottom of their tomato fruit. This is a nutritional disorder called 'blossom-end rot.'
My horror tale of the great outdoors
There comes a time in every parent's life, where you have to share one of your personal brutal life experiences with your child. Sometimes, it's an experience that is hard, painful even, to talk about.
Avoid overwatering
As the summer heat begins to dry things out, we tend to think that more water is better. This is not always the case. Many commonly diagnosed plant diseases in Georgia are caused by excess soil water.
Pointers on pollination
I have received a number of calls in the past month concerning cross-pollination of different vegetable crops in home gardens. Most cross-pollination issues are not of huge concern to most home gardeners. A general introduction into how plants are pollinated will give you a better understanding of how your plants produce fruit.
Some people earn that well-deserved no
I've said it before and I will say it again: My favorite word is probably 'no.' I love that word.
By Clark MacAllister
If you are like me, you try to save money wherever you can. We are living in tough financial times, and I am always looking for new ways to save a few bucks here and there. Many folks often skimp on their landscape as a means of cost cutting. There are many instances in which being too cheap in the garden can cost you in the long run.
That’s a man’s job, y’all
I've never considered myself a feminist, even though I have been accused of being one a time or two. Granted, I have had a few un-girly jobs in male-dominated fields, but it was usually out of necessity more than trying to prove I could do anything a man could do.
Odds are Rogers will wish he was Mork
For a guy more uptight than a bullfrog in boiling water, State Sen. Majority Leader Chip Rogers, R-Woodstock, can be a hoot. I first discovered this when he and another senator named Chip (Pearson, from Dawsonville) teamed up a few years ago to pass a bill in the Senate banning our body parts from being micro-chipped without our permission. I thought that was pretty funny: Chip, Chip and Microchip. Get it? I wrote ...
Practical impracticality of childhood
"Mama, is the tooth fairy real?" was the question of the hour recently. "Do you believe she's real?" was my response. "Kinda. She forgets to leave me money sometimes though..." "I told you, she was out of cash that night, remember? And couldn't go by the ATM machine." "Oh, yeah." Childhood is such a magical time. There's the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, superheroes and don't forget the big ...
Articles by Section - Lifestyle Columnists
The legend of my first cat, Callahan
"Mama, do you like cats?" Cole asked one day. This was shortly after I had brought the latest puppy home a few weeks ago.
Prevent termites
I have had several cases within the past year of people coming into my office, handing me a plastic baggy or jar filled with small, winged insects and saying: "Tell me those are flying ants!" Unfortunately, more often than not, they turn out to be termite flyers.
Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes the bug
Everyone has disappointments. It's a part of life and sometimes those disappointments can offer us many learning experiences.
Mama in Wonderland
One of my biggest pet peeves is someone being late. So why I am constantly late getting my child to school, I have no idea.
When to prune azaleas
Azaleas are a staple of traditional southern landscapes.
What causes pollen
Spring is a beautiful time of year. Longer days, green grass and leaves reappearing on the trees really brighten up my mood.
Controlling moles
Have you started noticing mysterious raised tunnels forming seemingly overnight in your lawn or garden? If so, you probably have a mole infestation. Don't worry, you are not alone. We have received many calls in the past week regarding tunneling activity.
My manifesto of life to my darling son
Children learn a lot more by what they see us doing than what we tell them. I can tell Cole all day long the things he shouldn't do, but it's my example he's watching. I don't want him to follow my example, but to be better than I am at this game of life.
Take pictures for diagnosis
We have all heard the saying "April showers bring May Flowers." Rainfall in April helps replenish our plants as they gear up for another growing season. However, this precipitation also brings unwanted consequences to our landscapes - disease.
Running with the big dogs
It had been a long time since I had a puppy and I forgot how much work they are. Middle of the night feedings and potty outings, crying incessantly. I think comparing them to a newborn would be reasonable. I was on night five of no sleep - Angel the parking lot pup would wake me up at 1 a.m., wanting to play after sleeping all day. I was exhausted.
Annual 4-H rabies clinic scheduled for April 13
Dawson County 4-H Club, All Animals Veterinary Hospital and Dawsonville Veterinary Hospital will be hosting an annual rabies clinic on April 13. It will be held at several locations throughout Dawson County. Because of strict vaccination laws, rabies outbreaks have become much less prevalent since vaccination programs began in the 1940s.
Once you name the puppy, it becomes yours
There was an unspoken law at my house growing up for every stray critter that managed to find its way in our yard. Once my uncle Bobby named it, it was ours. If the animal made it to day two without Bobby sticking some name on it, we were safe according to Granny. Of course, no animal made it beyond a few hours, let alone two days.
Middle of a mid-life crisis
I think when I turned 40, something happened. Not to my posterior either - that happened a long time before I hit the big 4-0.
Use berms for looks, function
Berms, or raised areas, can be used in the landscape to add visual interest to flat or dull areas of the yard. Berms are simply mounded hills of soil that are constructed to serve a purpose in a landscaped area.
Forsythia signals the arrival of spring
Early March can be one of the blandest times in the landscape. It can be downright depressing not being able to see any green leaves or any signs of colorful flowers. However, as the month moves on, March soon becomes one of my favorite times of the year. Seemingly out of nowhere, small clusters of bright yellow flowers begin to pop up on shrubs all over town. These flowers belong to one of the most revered shrubs in our area - forsythia.
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