Rigby Meet

Whengrief occurs, animals can provide a level of comfort beyond spoken words. That’s why we have Rigby.

Rigby is a bright, handsome goldendoodle that joined our team at Brown’s Cremation & Funeral Service. At just five months old, Rigby has an uncanny ability to sense when families are grieving and need some extra attention. He greets everyone who walks in with a kind and loving demeanor, bringing a smile to every face he encounters. Sometimes these smiles produce more tears, but families are often comforted by his attention and affection during their visits to our funeral home.

Rigby’s role as our Grief Support Animal will involve visiting with the deceased’s family and loved ones at viewings and memorials, and assisting in comforting children and young people. Although he’s still in training, Rigby loves his position and enjoys being paid in hugs, kisses and treats.

Petting a therapy dog increases serotonin and dopamine levels in our brains. That chemical reaction is sometimes the one thing that can make a person feel normal, even if it’s only for a moment. It is our hope and intention that Rigby will improve an already difficult situation for the families we serve.

Stop by and say hello to Rigby (and our staff) at any time. Rigby will happily take you on a guided tour of our facilities if you find yourself preplanning for the future.

for even the best musicians, particularly the horns. But we love the music and the challenge of faithfully replicating it in a way few other tributes can,” said Bush.

The number of hits from the

We strive to do more for our families than just disposition.

Are you a Community Concerts season ticket holder?

Get your free ticket to “100 Years of Hank,” a special concert that honors the memory and music of Hank Williams. Community Concerts teams up with the Avalon Theatre Foundation in celebrating Hank’s life, along with the theater’s centennial. Read more about this additional show in next month’s issue!

original band makes deciding which songs to pick for any given performance difficult. Each player has their favorite songs, but the band as a whole prefers playing the earlier songs from the start of the band through the hits of 1978.

As with most touring groups, hard work, fun and friendship meld during long hours of drive time between gigs. But the drive and demanding performance schedules fall to the bottom of favorite ways to spend time.

“It takes a special group of people to tour together over long stretches, living out of a suitcase and being away from family,” said Bush. “You spend so much time traveling, performing and hanging with the guys, it’s hard not to develop great friendships and a real appreciation for each band member’s talents.”

See Them Live

Beginnings will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, at the Avalon Theatre, 645 Main St. in Grand Junction. Concertgoers will have a chance to meet all Beginnings members and chat with them after the show. Select merchandise will also be available.

“We love to meet the audience and make a point to chat with folks after the show. It helps to make the performance personal for us and our fans,” said Bush.

Concert tickets are available for $35 plus fees at Ticketmaster.com or the Avalon Theatre Box Office. Call the box office at 970-263-5757.

WIN TICKETS FROM THE BEACON!

One of first singles released by Chicago featured a distinctive guitar riff at the beginning. The song did not chart, however, until it was re-released two years later. What was the name of the song?

Send in your answers by Thursday, March 16 to be entered into a drawing for two tickets to Beginnings at the Avalon Theatre in Grand Junction. Winners will be notified by March 20.

Your Name:

Phone:

Email:

Mail this entry form to: BEACON Senior News PO Box 3895

Grand Junction, CO 81502

Get the latest news and giveaways by signing up for our eblasts at: www.BeaconSeniorNews.com/pages/subscribe

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Sustainability outlines a practice that does not deplete, pollute or destroy a natural resource. Closed loop gardening overlaps that philosophy with a desire to create your own resources and utilize products from one season to the next.

We do this with composting, and we can do it by saving our seeds. This option saves money, keeps genetic lines pure and provides consistent varieties of seeds.

It was only a couple generations ago that gardeners saved their own seed because they didn’t have garden centers, supermarkets and seed websites. They traded them with their neighbors, and in the process, grew varieties of crops year after year that naturalized to their specific climate.

Growing the same varieties will make our crops and seeds stronger and more resilient with each generation. Here are some ways to preserve heirloom seeds.

For thousands of years, seed savers have been the stewards of genetic heritage. There have been concerns of losing those proven varieties and the crop nutrients they contain, which is why it is important to save seeds that grow heirloom crops.

Heirloom seeds have been around for generations and provide the true genetic characteristics of vigor, nutrients and viability. They tend to taste better and be better for your body too.

Though there are many seed suppliers, we need to look for original genetic varieties.

Too often crops are hybridized for their disease resistance, uniform maturation or ease of use in a restaurant food slicer. Each genetic modification breeds a trait and simultaneously removes a previous trait. We risk ending up with crops that lack the vitamins and enzymes they once had.

DON’T CROSS-POLLINATE

Keep the pollen isolated so that the seeds we harvest are not crosspollinated by other varieties nearby.

Many of us have had the experience of growing a bell pepper next to a jalapeño and eating a really spicy bell pepper.

There are three strategies to isolating pollen:

• Provide distance. Do some research to verify how much distance your crops need. Windbreaks or physical struc-

STORE the plant blooms and is pollinated, the bag can also catch the seeds before they release onto the ground and disappear. pulled out so they don’t cross-pollinate. We want the seed from the strongest, best plants.

After harvesting the seeds, be sure to dry them out thoroughly. Professional growers will dip the seeds in a bleach solution after harvest to kill any surface pathogens that may be present. Then dry the seeds, which is easy to do, especially in our climate.

I always do a germination test and label the storage container with which crop, what variety, where I grew it and the date produced.

Then be sure to store your seeds between 50-80 degrees. Never store seeds in a shed or garage, as the temperature swings are far too great and can harm the viability of the seeds. Under the bed or in a closet inside the house are great spots. ■ tures (like a house) can help. When I managed a seed farm, we couldn’t grow corn because its pollen could drift up to two miles and we had neighbors growing it just down the road! John Navazio’s book “The Organic Seed Grower” has comprehensive details on isolation distances.

• Use physical barriers. Professionals use fine mesh netting that pollen can’t get through but sunlight does. Paper bags are a good option for small seed crops. After

• Time the blossoms. Timing the blossom set can allow for multiple plants to be grown side by side. A short season crop like lettuce is ideal. Spacing each variety three weeks apart allows for each to bloom freely without cross-pollinating the others.

How To Save Your Seeds

For seed saving, select the plants with the best traits. Plants exhibiting any unusual growth patterns, odd fruit set or diseases should be

Grow Wild By Bryan Reed

Did you know? Mesa County Libraries’ Central Branch is installing a seed library! It will be a hub for leaving and borrowing seeds grown in our area at no charge.

Don’t miss Bryan’s FREE presentation on seed saving at Mesa County Libraries’ Central Branch on Tuesday, March 7 at 6 p.m. He will also cover topics relating to harvesting, cleaning seeds and more.

Send your gardening questions to Bryan in care of the BEACON, or email him at BCReed@ColoradoMesa.edu