Jan. 6, 2008

My husband and I took advantage of this past weekend's 60 and 70 degree temperatures to finish raking, mulching and bagging the leaves in our yard. My motives are blatantly selfish; I want those mulched leaves for my garden this coming spring.

 Thanks to all the neighbors who have oak trees, the bounty was good. I got a bag and a half of mulch to store away until April and May, when I'll start planting.

 While vacuuming up leaves, I apparently disturbed a bee's nest. One very confused bee kept following me around, wondering if it's spring yet. I hope he or she found its way back to its nest before the temperatures turn cold again.

I'm so anxious for spring to come. For Christmas, I asked for and received a wood chipper. Not one of those power models that you men have, but a portable electric model that I can handle. My brother, Robert, found it for me over in Springfield, Ill., and graciously assembled it. It will take small twigs and yard waste, grind it up, and then deposit the mulch into a 5-gallon bucket. I plan to recycle all of my yard waste back into my flower garden. I've even thinking of starting a compost pile!

 Hope your winter's going great. I have some big surprises in store for you regarding our newspaper; hand around and see where my talented writers and the resources of our new parent company, GateHouse Media, will take you!

Mary Lou