Homestyle0614

Homestyle Summer 2014

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THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ALTON

Eco-friendly furniture save the environment and money

Keep your garden blooming all summer long

Staycations Have fun close to home for less

Homestyle SUMMER 2014

CONTENTS

stories

4 7 Five things you may not know about Alton 8 The good earth 10 Color my world 12 One man’s trash ...

14 A room for baby 16 Like father, like son 20 Endless summer 18 Day trippin’ 19 Genehouse Chronicles 22 The old man & the hives Operation fish pond

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8

Who’s who Homestyle ideas in Homestyle and feedback Director: Bob Strickley bstrickley@civitasmedia.com (618) 208-6446

2 Homestyle Summer 2014

Editor-in-chief: Vicki Bennington vbennington@sbcglobal.net (618) 467-1566 Content Manager: Jill Moon jmoon@civitasmedia.com (618) 208-6448 Advertising Manager: Bonnie Markham bmarkham@civitasmedia.com (618) 208-6427 Contributors: Eugene Baldwin Amanda Keefe Janette Lonsdale

Our content is reader-driven, and you, the reader, can make a difference on what we bring to each and every issue of Homestyle magazine.

Please send your story ideas, questions and concerns to Editor Vicki Bennington at vbennington@sbcglobal.net.

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On the Cover The fish pond at the home of Tim and Beth Johnes provides a nice visual as well as audible appeal with its cascading waterfall.

Photo by Vicki Bennington

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A note from the editor Finally, we are in the heart of summer, the days when extended sunlight gives us all a feeling of endless possibilities. It was a long time in coming, but at last we can enjoy the day without wondering if a sudden snowstorm or temperatures dipping to single digits will change our plans.

And hopefully, the summer issue of Homestyle will lend a few ideas to what can be done with some of those newfound daylight hours. Something about the season is energizing, and things that seem like insurmountable tasks in the deep, dark days of winter seem easy — lend us an “I can do that” attitude.

In this issue, we cover a number of ways to improve your home, your garden or personal space and your overall lifestyle. Most all will provide food

for thought and can be do-it-yourself projects if you’re up to the task, or can alternatively, be improvements that can be made by one of the great companies in the Riverbend area.

Our cover features a dazzling backyard pond constructed by local resident Tim Johnes. His attention to detail and pride in the job shines through in every aspect, and he and his family have spent many enjoyable moments near its banks.

“Endless Summer” by Amanda Keefe provides information on choosing and maintaining plants for a beautiful garden all summer long.

My story on “The Good Earth” shows how family members who band together in a common interest can not only improve their own lives, but help others in the process.

“Summer Wine” is one in a series of “The Genehouse Chronicles” by local naturalist Eugene Baldwin, depicting his walks along the bluffs and Great River

Road area.

Janette Lonsdale takes a look at choosing exterior house paint colors in “Color My World,” sifting through the trends, the traditional and the fads.

And Scott Saboff’s BBQ chicken fettuccine recipe is sure to get you out on the patio, stoking up the grill and enjoying the weather.

These are a few of the tantalizing subjects that await as you curl up to peruse the magazine in your favorite porch chair. Enjoy, the read and the summer — it will be gone before we know it.

As always, please let me hear from you. I want and wait for your ideas, comments and suggestions.

All the best,

Vicki

Vicki Bennington can be reached at vbennington@sbcglobal.net

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For Homestyle Backyard ponds can be stocked with a variety of colorful fish, depending on the preferences of homeowners.

OPERATION FISH POND

4 Homestyle Summer 2014

STORY AND PHOTOS BY VICKI BENNINGTON

Create your own backyard oasis T A S!

E E and Beth Johnes SHOP TODAY AND ON “We’ve tried all kinds. I like To provide pockets forSAVE the open my bathroom window so I When Tim R U Gbuilt their the goldfish that we found at can even hear it inside when I’m fish to hide, Tim set up rocks new home in L A Ill., 11 yearsLAWN Petco because they’re much along the sides and bottom that in the morning.” ago, they getting ready AND GARDEN SUPPLIES VGodfrey, bigger than others we’ve he hand-picked from a local When the pond is installed set out to make it a relaxing

JULY BARG M

bought,” Beth said. “We had a rock quarry, and repurposed properly and everything is in paradise that would serve as a baby catfish in with an old limebalance, Tim said it’s easy to backdrop for family living. some goldfish one take care of — the critical part is stone sidewalk Tim did much of the work year, and now we originally from the initial set up. himself with design input from have some Mississippi “You need to do some Beth, and when it came time to offunky the looking fish that look Lime Co., research and shop around so add a garden pond, it was no like a mix of the two wrapping it you know exactly what to do,” different. breeds.” around the he said. “There are a lot of A bit of a perfectionist, Tim They’ve tried sides of the has revamped the pond several online resources.” what Beth terms pond and the And there are many options times since the initial installation, “fancier fish” and depending on what is important driveway. making it a little bigger, addbluegill, but ® Beth ing more plants, different levels to an individual homeowner. of the even they don’t last as shopped for You must have an electrical for the fish to hide, and a large long, she said. water plants, supply for the pump, and you waterfall for the couple to relax The goldfish seem again at by while listening to the cascad- can choose to bury the hose, a to have the most float can be added so the pump Lowe’s, and ing water. endurance. Koi fish They knew the waterfall was will fill automatically, if desired, found her are another option, favorite water among many other options. a must, and Tim said, if pos® of the though they are lilies at The To begin, Tim first decided sible, it’s nice to build the pond much more expenGreenery in on a size and shape for the next to a little hill or incline, YOUR CHOICE sive.

Godfrey. pond, dug a hole, and started which makes waterfall installaGal. Vegetation L 143 644 B4 1.33-Gal. Extended Control And the pond has proven When with a liner in the bottom. He Killer tion easier.

T ! it came time to stock Qt. Concentrate Weed and A inviting wildlife creatures theE Grass pond, Johnes experilarge pump — eas- and “We wanted a really power- bought a 1.33-Gal. S theKiller Weed andtoGrass Killer Weed TODAY AND SAVEand ON R UE withSHOP that keep things a little interestdifferent types of said, at B4 The Home Gmented ful pump so we could Grass Killer L 171hear 822the B12 ily found,Lhe L 829 335 L 105 552 B4 A LAWN AND GARDEN SUPPLIES ing. Lots of visitors stop by — Depot or Lowe’s. water splashing,” Beth said. “I Vfish.

YOUR CHOICE

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6 Homestyle Summer 2014

Tim and Beth Johnes spend relaxing summer evenings by their backyard fish pond.

some stay, some move on.

“Right now we have a frog that we like to listen to,” Beth said. “You never know what will show up.”

Of course, occasionally, there’s a few unwelcome visitors like snakes; one year a snapping turtle stopped by and ate all the fish. But now, the family redbone coonhound, Copper, tends to guard it, and runs off the undesirable visitors.

“But when all the bushes, lily pads and water plants are in bloom, it is gorgeous, and it’s so peaceful to sit outside and listen to the water,” Beth said. “In the spring, it’s really interesting to watch the fish come out of hibernation and see if they have multiplied.”

For the winter months, Tim removes the pump and covers the pond with a net to keep out debris, which makes spring cleanup much easier.

“The fish go to the bottom and hibernate when the temperature gets cold,” he said. “I have noticed them coming to the top some years when it’s warmer, but there’s no need to feed them during the winter.”

In the spring, he removes the net and adds algae killer to the

water.

“We may have to bring the water level up a little, but it’s relatively low maintenance,” Beth said.

“It doesn’t take anything real special or difficult to keep it nice,” Tim added. “Last year, we didn’t have to use chemicals of any kind.”

He used to take everything out to clean it in the spring, but with the addition of the net covering, it’s not necessary anymore.

Tim is an avid outdoorsman, he likes to landscape, likes to build stuff and work with his hands — at home and at the family business, Quality Assured Industrial Coatings, so it was only natural that he would decide to construct the backyard pond.

“It’s really my passion,” he said. “I guess I would say building and landscaping is in my blood.”

He made his first pond about 20 years ago, pre-Internet, reading books for instruction.

“If you do it yourself, and it’s your first time, you will probably make some mistakes, but it’s fun to learn from them and figure out what you want to do

different,” he said.

For example, with the current pond, he installed the pump in the corner, not in the middle like his previous one.

He’s learned along the way the best way to put stones for the waterfall and how to install the liner so it’s smoother and doesn’t leak.

In and around the pond, the landscaping plants add to the ambiance. Water irises, perennial water plants like sweet flag, a smoke tree and weigela shrub add staggered heights and visual interest.

Beth’s parents liked the pond so much, they followed suit and now have a small one of their own.

Tim’s current project in the family backyard oasis is a stone BBQ pit.

And if do-it-yourself is not necessarily your cup of tea, there are companies who will set up a backyard fish pond for you, like The Garden Kingdom in Glen Carbon, Ill., owned by landscape architect Ken Noll.

The expense is greater, but all homeowners do not have the desire or the expertise to tackle the job themselves.

Garden Kingdom office man-

ager Jean Noll said backyard pond installation is a popular choice for homeowners, many who want a water feature other than a traditional fountain. Some of the things to keep in mind if considering a pond is budget, what you want to use the pond for (watching fish, listening to water), the terrain and grade of the yard.

“Often a waterfall and pond can be added to make an otherwise unusable space very pretty,” Jean said.

And the options and size of the pond can vary as much as the cost. Jean said depending on the homeowners desires, costs can vary from $1,000 all the way up to $25,000, which includes labor, materials, landscaping plants and rocks arranged in shelves and caves that help the fish to stay away from predators.

“Ponds are an eco-system,” she said. “It’s important to choose a spot that is not always exposed to the hot sun, and that you don’t feed the fish too much, which can cause cloudiness.”

Garden Kingdom also provides maintenance and service of ponds, usually once a year, in the springtime. n

5 THINGS

1. Number one hit You may know that Alton has had its share of musical talent. You may not know that Luther Ingram’s recording of “If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want to Be Right” was a No. 1 hit in 1973, and that he started his musical career in Alton with his brothers as The Gardenias.

2. Slowly we drive You may know that in 1994, Alton’s current 108-footwide, cable-stayed Clark Bridge was completed.

What you may not know is that the truss-design 1928 Clark Bridge that it replaced, was a mere 20 feet wide, which encompassed two single lanes of traffic that met each other with no median on the skinny structure, complete with a curve in the middle, making it a frightening, slow trek across the river.

3. It’s all downhill You may know that Alton’s West Seventh Street is more vertical than horizontal. What you may not know is that the 200 block is believed to be the steepest bricked street in the world. The bricking process must have been difficult!

you may… or may not… know about Alton

4. Family ties You may know that Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas held the final debate of a seven-debate series in Alton in 1858, as they vied for one of two Illinois’ Senate seats. What you may not know is that it is estimated only about 5,000 people came to listen that day in October, and it was the only one of the seven debates attended

by Lincoln’s wife, Mary, and their son, Robert.

5. All locked up You may know that Alton was the site old truss-style Clark Bridge of a Confederate prison and all that remains is a corner of the original building.

Around 12,000 soldiers were held within its walls during the Civil War, and it is estimated that around 2,200 of New cable-stayed Clark Bridge the soldiers died during a smallpox epidemic. You may not know that the then huge structure was originally built as the Alton Federal Prison in 1831, the first penitentiary in the state of Illinois.

Remains of the old Confederate prison.

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the good

EARTH

Brandi Pohlman works in her Jerseyville kitchen, canning garden produce while daughters, Corrina, Kennedy, and Georgia, watch and learn.

Labor and patience bring forth nature’s abundance Georgia Pohlman helps out by watering plants in the garden.

8 Homestyle Summer 2014

Story and Photos By Vicki Bennington

steve Pohlman and three of his four daughters working in the nearly one-acre garden that he and his brother, mark, tend. the garden produces an abundance of produce for their families, with plenty to share with area food banks, churches and elderly residents.

“It really is time consuming, but he loves it.”

“Mark and I both spend three or four hours a night and several hours on the weekThe luscious, black dirt on Jersey County end,” Steve said. “But I do love it. It’s a great Clerk Steve Pohlman’s property in Jerseyville stress reliever.” provided the perfect canvas for him and his The brothers grew up with a family garbrother, Mark, to create a huge garden that den at their childhood home. A few years produces an abundance of colorful, flavorful ago, Mark suggested they plant one on bounty.

Steve’s property, and they started with a Located on nearly an acre of ground, “normal-sized,” 20-foot by 20-foot plot for filled with every vegetable imaginable, along their own consumption. with a fruit or two, the garden takes work, “But Mark wanted to go bigger and but with the help of their family and a host of wanted to grow enough to provide food to local residents and volunteers from around shelters,” Steve said. “So we kept adding a the county, it yields enough food to spread little here and there until now, it’s huge.” around.

This year, they planted 15 hills of cucumBeginning the first of April and ending bers, 104 tomato plants in three varieties, sometime around Halloween with a pumpkin 70 pepper plants of different kinds, 75 hills harvest, the Pohlmans spend many hours of potatoes in white, Yukon gold and red, getting “down and dirty” in the garden. And watermelon, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, while Steve’s wife, Brandi, does love the kale, okra, cabbage, spinach, green beans, return, she jokingly said she doesn’t really Brussels sprouts — well, you get the picture. like the garden because of the hours of time Whatever vegetable they didn’t have in the that Steve devotes to it. past, someone would suggest they add, and “Steve will come out and disappear in the now there’s hardly a vegetable that exists garden, and he forgets the time,” Brandi said. that can’t be found in the garden.

“I feel like my best plant to grow personally, is the zucchini, but while everything seems to do really well, for some reason, I cannot grow garlic,” Steve said with a laugh.

Neighbors help, people loan plows.

Several friends help out with plant donations.

Huebener Farms in Brighton, Bill Ward and Denny and David “Corky” Mossman donate straw. Steve and Donna Russell of Garden Gems provide plants and use a tractor with a large tiller to help plow and till. Mike Ford of Modern Electric also helps till. John Hunter of Pioneer Seeds contributes seeds.

“There are so many people who have pitched in and helped — I know there are others I forgot to mention, but we appreciate every one of them,” Steve said. “And they can all come and pick what they need for their own use.”

The Pohlmans do not use pesticides or herbicides, and they keep weeds down with straw that comes from local farms — often from cow beds, providing natural fertilizer.

“It takes around 40 bales of straw to cover the three-fourths of the garden where we use it,” Steve said.

steve Pohlman adjusts a grapevine, one of the newest garden additions, while holding his youngest daughter, stella. yellow onions grow alongside additional onion varieties.

Rows of potatoes are lined up in the Pohlman garden, including white, yukon gold and red.

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started several years ago by Executive Director Kent White.

“I think providing fresh produce to those who use our services is essential,” Kent said.

“A lot of the people who come in are retired or out of work and can’t afford to buy fresh produce in the stores — it’s too expensive.

“We hear all the time from people like Michelle Obama who tout the need for fresh produce to combat obesity, and we know fresh food is healthy, so I think it is important to help make sure everyone has access to it,” Kent said.

Beginning a garden of their own helps Charity Works give people the benefit of fresh vegetables — and those who donate, like the Pohlmans and other area growers and farmers — add to that benefit.

Kent said they started the garden at about one-quarter of an acre that he and his wife, Dottie, currently take care of, but he wants to expand it. Charity Works operates completely through donations and the help of volunteers. Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture University of Illinois Extension office, a master gardener is assisting the organization with tips and advice on the best way to proceed with a larger garden.

In addition to the food pantry along Illinois Route 109 in Jerseyville that serves about 100 in any given month, Charity Works also has a plant nursery to bring in additional revenue for the organization, a thrift store, business clothing items for those who need them for job interviews, etc., and a diaper program, among others. n

Summer 2014 Homestyle

A few years ago, Brandi saw a “Martha Stewart tip” that recommended laying wet newspapers around the plants, covering the paper with dirt and then topping that with straw to help keep moisture in and weeds at bay.

They tried it and have been using it every year since.

“It does seem to help keep the weeds down — at least until about August,” Steve said.

“Pumpkins have about a 100day maturity, so we plant them the first part of July to be ready around Halloween, and after that, we plow it under and wait for next year,” he said.

The organic straw helps even then, adding nutrients to the soil as it breaks down, and allowing the earth to breathe.

The wide-open garden sometimes serves as a magnet for area wildlife — rabbits and deer — even in the middle of town, but Steve and Mark try to discourage unsolicited dining with cages around the plants and clattering cans that scare them away.

Brandi utilizes some of the family’s produce to can vegetables for use in the winter when it’s not available in her own backyard. She particularly likes Roma tomatoes that she uses to can dozens of quarts and pints of tomato sauce that the family uses for things like spaghetti and pizza. She cans cucumbers, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, but wanted to expand to include fruits. With more land to enlarge their endeavors, the Pohlmans just planted apple and cherry trees, blackberry bushes and grapevines.

Steve said he borrowed books from the library to get some ideas and guidelines, and their next goal is to add a large herb garden.

“We make a lot of our own bath and body products now, but we do unscented,” Brandi said.

“I’d like to use herbs to scent lotions, soaps and shampoos, and to cook with, too.”

Steve and Mark deliver food from the garden yield to local churches, Jersey Food Pantry, elderly people in the area who enjoy fresh produce, but can no longer maintain a garden of their own. And, a portion of their bounty helps to supplement produce grown in the garden at Charity Works, a local nonprofit,

Color my world Story and Photos by Janette Lonsdale

Homeowners picked a greenish-gray to complement the home’s wooded lot.

Gray

10 Homestyle Summer 2014

is the new’

beige

If you look around you, you’d be forgiven for thinking the only exterior paint color is beige. But that might be about to change according to local painting contractors who are seeing a hot new trend.

“Ten years ago it was all browns and tans,” said Jeannette Phillips, owner of Painting by Jeannette, a company that specializes in exterior restoration painting. “Now everyone wants gray.”

Doug Gregory, owner of Color Concepts, agrees.

“Gray is hot,” he said.

Gregory likes to go the extra mile to help homeowners pick exactly the right shade of gray because what looks good on

a small paint swatch can look very different on a house.

“You have to be careful with gray, it can look like blue when it is painted on the house,” he said. “But some grays have more of a green or pinkish hue to them.”

When you find a color you like, test a sample of it on your house, he advises. But don’t just paint it in a discrete spot.

The secret is to test the color in different lighting conditions. Sample the paint on the shady side of the building and in another area that gets good sunlight.

“Put a bit of tape by each color,” Gregory said. “And write the paint color and brand name on it so you don’t forget what it is.”

If you are worried about making your house look like a multi-colored mess, get some large sheets of art board—the kind with the foam center—

from an office supply store and paint each board a different color. You can move the color boards around to get an idea of what the paint will look like.

Kris Klaustermeier, store manager at Alton’s SherwinWilliams paint store, advises his customers to think about their surroundings.

“What color is your neighbor’s house?” Klaustermeier said. “Tie your house in with the colors and the natural landscape around you.”

He also advises people to be careful about the paint quality.

“You get what you pay for,” he said.

Sherwin-Williams’ Duration paint is one of the best on the market according to Klaustermeier, but he admits he might be a bit biased.

But Gregory and Phillips agree that it comes down to two things, the paint and the quality of the surface preparation.

You have to clean away the dust and mold, flaking paint must be scraped off, and the surface needs to be sanded flat. When the surface is dry, it needs to be properly primed with the right primer, and any gaps should be sealed with a good, long-life caulk.

Historic homes can pose a particular challenge.

“You have to figure out what kind of wood or brick it is in order to prepare it right,” Phillips said.

When she is working with cedar wood, she uses an oilbased primer, but if the wood is seasoned pine, then a latex primer is the best choice. The treatment for brick depends on what type it is. Some bricks are hard and others are soft, and Phillips makes a careful assessment before she picks up a paintbrush.

“Brick should be painted with a breathable coating,”

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dawn.”

Whether your house is wood, brick or aluminum siding, the experts agreed — two finish coats of paint are a must.

Gregory even tints the primer because it improves the look and color depth.

“I like to use paint with a flat finish on the body of the home,” said Gregory. “For the trim, I use a semi-gloss. That gives a nice depth of texture.”

And gray may be the new “kid” on the block, but beige is certainly not dead. It is still the color preferred by real estate agents who value this neutral staple because it appeals to the widest number of possible buyers. But even beige can show off your home and your personality. Experiment with color on the trim, the shutters, or use a dramatic accent shade to make the front door pop. n

Summer 2014 Homestyle

Phillips said. “It should allow water vapor but not liquid water to pass through the masonry.

I recommend a good quality masonry latex primer.”

On subdivision houses, homeowners are most often tackling damage caused by sun or water. If just one door is rotted and in need of painting, then the problem is usually caused by water. Phillips says she finds where the water is coming from and caulks any gaps before the painting can begin.

So when should you tackle your exterior painting project?

Phillips likes the temperature to be above 50 degrees in the daytime and no colder than the mid-40s at night.

“I will be out there from as soon as spring breaks and it is dry, until the first freeze,” Phillips said. “On 100-degree days, I have to be out there at

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One man’s trash…

12 Homestyle Summer 2014

Story and photos

by Amanda Keefe

Alton firefighter Tim Matifes spends his spare time crafting furniture out of driftwood he finds along local riverbanks. His mission is to craft whatever he can with recycled materials.

Eco-friendly can also be pocketbook-friendly In the last decade, “going green” and “sustainability” have become increasingly familiar household names.

Along with them, a similar trend — eco-friendly furniture.

Jean Ponzi, green resources manager at The EarthWays Center at Missouri Botanical Gardens, said the basis for ecofriendly furniture begins with what its name represents — reducing, reusing and recycling.

“Reduce the various impacts of the furniture’s material, as well as the distance it has to travel by getting it locally, and try to go for recyclable materials,” Ponzi advises.

While it’s good advice, the question is — where, exactly, do you find eco-friendly furniture? Online and big-box stores are good resources, but there are local avenues to accommodate one’s green needs, too.

Tim Matifes, an Alton firefighter with a serious flare for the arts, has spent the last 15 years perusing the riverfront for anything that floats ashore — particularly driftwood — to craft furniture.

Not only is it an artistic choice, Matifes practices his craft as ecofriendly as possible, recycling any way he can by using old items to create new ones.

“We’re a wasteful society,” he said. “There’s so many things that can be used … I push recycling a lot. I’ll still pull things out of the trash and remind my family, ‘This is for recycling!’”

Along the banks of Alton and Grafton, Matifes finds numerous items to serve his muse, but he’s not above visiting abandoned barns for his finds. He incorporates anything from rusted tin to old barn siding to rusted nuts and bolts into his pieces. He believes everything can serve a new purpose.

Though it’s not an intense moneymaker, he believes in his work. Matifes sells his pieces at various venues like the Alton Farmers Market, the Mississippi Earthtones Festival, The Land of Goshen Community Market in Edwardsville, the Arbor Day Celebration in Godfrey, and more.

While Matifes certainly sup-

ports green furniture, it’s not always easy to find.

Ponzi said it’s difficult to find niche shops that accommodate eco-friendly needs, noting that some existed in the area not too long ago. The shops closed, she said, because such furnishings can be found elsewhere — cheaper.

These days, Ponzi said, your best bet is a home improvement store, particularly for ecofriendly patio furniture.

“You can find readily available outdoor furniture at any home improvement store made of composite wood that is a mixture of recycled plastic — usually milk jugs — and wood dust,” she said. “That’s an excellent type of wood for any outdoor furniture application.”

She said mixing recycled plastic with composite wood allows furniture to be structurally stronger and more stable.

Ponzi said the public attitude toward recycled goods used to be rather negative, with folks stuck in the mind frame, “if it’s recycled, it’s inferior.”

Pictured are just a handful of Alton firefighter tim matifes’ collection of crafted furniture made entirely out of recycled materials. His main forte is driftwood, though he’ll attempt to use anything he finds along the Alton and Grafton riverbanks.

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up your home,” Christine said, who is also a member of the Alton Sierra Club Piasa Palisades Group. “Even plywood has chemicals and other things in it. If we were going to outfit our house, we wanted to do it in the most environmentally-friendly way we could.”

The Favillas purchased all their green furnishings online from various sources. The bed frame came from a Utah-based company that constructs furnishings out of old barns. The mattress is made of organic latex derived from a rubber tree. The sheets are comprised of organic cotton and wool.

“I would suggest this to other families,” Christine said. “It’s just about removing those possible allergens and extra chemicals from your home. It really comes to a health and quality-of-life issue.”

For more tips on living a green-friendly life, contact Ponzi at The EarthWays Center at (314) 577-0246. n

Summer 2014 Homestyle

Everybody wanted new material.

The recycling industry, she said, coupled with the rise of green culture, has worked effortlessly to counteract its inferiority complex. Still, many manufacturers may not mention whether a product includes recycled materials.

“If they’re smart, they’d use that for a marketing advantage,” Ponzi said.

The advantage of ecofriendly furniture, she said, is that its benefit outweighs the cost. Yes, it may be pricier than average furnishings, but it will have a longer lifespan. Further, chemicals normally found in other types of furniture aren’t being released into the home.

These reasons are exactly why Christine and Cody Favilla purchased an organic mattress, natural bedding and a bed frame made entirely out of wood from an old barn.

“We just feel like there’s so many plastic and chemicalbased products that make

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A room for baby

14 Homestyle Summer 2014

By Janette Lonsdale

There is a lot to think about while waiting for a new baby.

Planning, decorating and furnishing the nursery is not just important, but also one of the most enjoyable things parents get to do in the months before the birth.

For Hana and Rance Olliges of Glen Carbon, Ill., creating the nursery was a way to show their love for their new daughter and unite three generations of women in Hana’s family.

“I was very close to my grandmother, and we named Maxene after her,” Hana said.

“When my grandfather passed, my grandmother was standing by his grave and said, ‘I need a sign you are in heaven.’”

A butterfly flew out of the woods, and Grandma Maxene had her answer. Since then, butterflies have had a special meaning for the family, and they decided to use them as the anchor motif for the nursery.

They chose a bright and stimulating gender-neutral red for the walls. Then Hana’s mother stenciled butterflies in pretty shades of yellow, green and gray above the crib.

“The pictures on the wall are from my mom, too,” she said.

“She sent away for them when she was a girl to Northern Toilet Paper.”

Selecting the perfect crib and nursery furniture felt overwhelming.

“We did not know the sex of our baby, but everyone said it would be a boy,” Hana said. “So we picked dark wood furniture.”

While they wanted the nursery to look nice, it needed to be safe and functional, too.

The couple researched online, checked recalls and safety ratings and collected pictures of

Painting just one wall red adds drama without overpowering the nursery.

their favorite things on Pinterest.

In the end, they purchased a nursery set that included the crib and a dresser from Babies “R” Us. “The room is too small for a changing table, so I use the top of the dresser,” Hana said.

With baby’s needs taken care of, Dad picked out a comfortable glider chair.

“I thought I would be spending a lot of time in it,” Rance said.

But it is not just long, sleepless nights that Dad spends there. He likes to catch a game on the nursery’s wall-mounted T.V. and snuggle with his baby daughter.

Getting ready for a baby is expensive so the couple appre-

ciated hand-me-downs. Hana often shops for gently-used equipment and toys at baby resale stores such as Tot Spot in Edwardsville.

One of her best buys is the Rock and Play by Fisher Price.

“The baby’s head is slightly raised and that helps her digestive tract,” Hana said. “Our first child had reflux.”

Across the river in St. Louis, Janel MacLean, mother of 2-year-old Amelia, spent months looking for found and used things she could fix up with paint, fabric or other creative techniques. She wanted to personalize her nursery rather than buy things at Target and other big stores.

In fact, Janel, an elementary

Janette Lonsdale | For Homestyle

school art teacher, developed such a passion for baby fashions and nursery decoration that she launched a blog in February 2013, called Mini Style at www. ministyle.squarespace.com.

Every Friday she publishes an inspiration-packed nursery tour story that showcases creative décor.

Janel thinks the second trimester is the best time to start to put the nursery together.

“I think you have more energy than in the first and third trimesters,” she said. “You can be very tired at the end.”

But for Janel and her husband, Adam, the timeline was a little more complicated. The couple began the adoption process in November 2011 and

Janette Lonsdale | For Homestyle

A glider chair from Babies ‘R’ Us is the perfect place for Hana olliges to comfort baby maxene.

their nursery was ready a year before Amelia joined them.

“We did not know if we would get a girl or a boy,” Janel said. “We had to be ready, because we did not know if the baby would come in a year or the next day.”

She started by getting all the big things she needed - the crib, changing table and a rocking chair.

“Some things I bought were not worth buying,” she said. “I got an electric wipe warmer and after two weeks I wondered, ‘why did I do this?’”

The fancy bathtub also went unused — bathing Amelia in the sink was easier. The MacLeans never even used their baby monitor.

“We lived in a small one-bed condo, so we could hear her just fine,” Janel said.

However, the iPhone port and mid-century rocking chair were perfect. Janel has spent many hours sitting comfortably, while soothing Amelia and listening to music.

Both moms advise expectant parents to look around and take the time to get inspired or create storyboards on Pinterest to capture ideas, and most of all, have fun creating a space that you and your baby will love.

“It is the first thing your baby will see, and you can put it together with all your love,” Janel said. “It does not have to be perfect, and it does not matter what other people think.”

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Like Father, Like Son

16 Homestyle Summer 2014

By Vicki Bennington

Scott Saboff learned to cook by watching his father, Mike, make dinner while his mother worked the evening shift as a registered nurse at a local hospital.

Growing up in Edwardsville, Scott and his two siblings were brought up under the adage, “Don’t let food go to waste.”

Consequently, as an adult, Scott lives by the same rules.

When he grills, he doesn’t like to waste time either, so he fills the entire space with meat, then has it available for meals for the next few days. He’s not adverse to eating leftovers, and maintains that if it’s kept in the refrigerator, there’s no problem with using it for lunches and another couple of dinners.

“I was raised on leftovers,” Scott said.

“Dad would purposely make extra food when he cooked so we would have at least lunch the next day.”

When Scott decided he wanted to try his own hand at cooking while still in grade school, his father started him with breakfast food like sausage or ham and eggs.

By the time he was a freshman in high school, his dad started working an evening shift, and Scott took over the gas grill, which he thought was easier than cooking on the stove.

“It was common for me to make steaks or burgers on the grill, or maybe chicken nuggets in the oven, and my sister would make macaroni and cheese,” Scott said.

One of his earliest grill recipes came from his dad, using hamburger meat, combined with Lipton French onion soup mix and an egg, patted out thick and hearty.

“I still make the thick burgers, and add diced onion or green pepper and other vegetables in the mixture to add a little different flavor,” Scott said.

When he got a little older, he started to experiment with different spices and rubs, and found that hand-rubbing the spices into the meat, resulted in a more even absorption.

For thick-cut pork steaks he used basics like salt and pepper and added Grill Creations “Steak Dust.” When grilling chicken, he carefully worked poultry blend spices into each piece, using primarily legs and thighs.

In recent years, his dad purchased a smoker, and Scott and his brother have tried their hands at smoking ribs, brisket, chicken quarters and a turkey for Thanksgiving.

“The next thing we’re going to try is a bacon-wrapped turkey,” Scott said. “The

nice thing about the smoker is that everything comes out super tender.”

His next goal is to tackle and master his dad’s recipe for steamed, breaded pork chops.

An avid St. Louis Cardinal’s fan, Scott wears some kind of apparel related to the team nearly every day. He has T-shirts and hoodies by the dozens — in every color of the rainbow.

Scott’s real interest in the Cardinals began in 1998 when he was a young boy playing baseball and Mark McGwire was in the middle of his record-breaking, 70-home run season.

“I played on a team beginning in Kindergarten and practiced in the yard with my neighbor constantly,” Scott said.

As an adult, he began to follow the “Cards” intently, and became an enthusiastic collector of all things Cardinal, including memorabilia, like a Stan Musial limited edition poster, signed 2011 World Series photograph, clothing, bobble heads and whatever strikes his fancy. Because friends and family know of his love for the team, he often receives unique Cardinalrelated gifts and tickets to games, which he attends as much as time and finances allow.

Scott doesn’t play baseball himself

anymore, but has moved onto the next sport, golfing on a league once a week and whenever he gets the chance.

He and his girlfriend, Olivia Bennington, have been renovating the house he purchased nearly two years ago. Scott’s skills cover the gamut from concrete to electricity; landscaping to floor installation, and Olivia lends her design expertise and willingness to help with whatever is needed. Scott gained much of his knowledge working at a local hardware store as well as helping his parents build their house. Now a maintenance electrician at Prairie Farms in Granite City, he is pursuing his industrial engineering degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, hoping to apply the degree in the field of automation programming.

He enjoys skeet shooting, four-wheeling and riding his motorcycle.

“I grew up an outdoor kid, and I still like the outdoors,” he said. “And I like to say I’m a plain, country-boy cook.” n

Chicken Fettuccine 3 medium-sized skinless chicken breasts 1 pkg. Weber Just Add Juice Garlic and Herb Marinade Mix Fettuccine (using package mix or recipe below) Place breasts in pan.

Using fingertips, rub the dry mix into both sides of chicken (don’t add the juice). Let sit in pan for five minutes. Place breasts on a hot grill, pre-heated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grill breasts for seven to 10 minutes each side (depending on thickness), turning only once. When done, thickest part should spring back a little to the touch. Slice breast and place atop prepared fettuccine noodles. While preparing breasts, if desired, also prepare chicken legs for variation and to fill grill space.

Sprinkle legs with lemon pepper and/or garlic, which can be rubbed in for more intense flavor. Grill about 15 minutes on each side, turning only once. Serve the next day with a leftover fettuccine side and fresh vegetable for an easy, quick-to-prepare meal.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Prepare pasta as directed. Add olive oil and salt to boiling water with pasta. Drain.

Prepare sauce in large skillet. Combine butter, cream and Parmesan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.Cook on low heat for four to five minutes. Add fettuccine noodles and stir to cover noodles.Remove from heat, add lemon juice.

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Day Trippin’ story and photos

by Vicki Bennington

the interior of the dome in the Illinois state Capitol building.

18 Homestyle Summer 2014

the ‘new’ Illinois state Capitol building.

Ever want to get away for just a little bit? Not spend a lot of money, but still have a good time for a day or two when the pressure of laundry, meals, the dog, the cat, are out of sight — and hopefully, out of mind?

There are many ways to do just that — take a little “staycation,” with no need to fork out a lot of cash on airline tickets or make it necessary to pad a day or two on to each end of your time off just to get there and back.

Illinois and Missouri — just across that great divide, the “Mighty Mississippi” — offer history, art, nature, beauty, culture, theater, shopping, hiking, great cuisine and awesome, as well as quaint places to stay.

Take our capital city for example. I’ve been travelling to see the sites in Springfield, Ill. every few years since I was 5 years old, so it always surprises me when people living in the Riverbend and Southern Illinois area, or St. Louis area for that matter, say they have never been there.

I used to think it was almost cliché to mention that I liked to see the home and memorabilia associated with Abraham Lincoln, arguably our most famous president, because I figured everyone nearby had already seen it. Not so.

I’ve always enjoyed New Salem State Park as a good place to start a Springfield tour. Located not far from the city, New Salem is the place where Lincoln spent much of his young adult life. I like to imagine a fresh-faced Abe, dreaming of marrying a young girl and becoming a successful lawyer — before the Civil War aged him and life’s tragedies dampened his optimism.

Springfield itself is full of amazing history, stories, beauty and Lincoln-related sites, from the old state Capitol where he argued legal cases, and period enactors greet you with stories of old, to the cemetery where he was entombed and thieves tried to steal his body away.

The “new” state Capitol has a glorious dome, inside and out, and the architecture and tales of past cases argued in its courtrooms, like the famous Dred Scott case, are mesmerizing. If you get lucky, you might catch the state Senate or House in session or can take a look at the chambers where political action takes place.

The Route 66 Drive-In Movie Theater, open April to October, offers a rare, romantic and nostalgic evening.

Springfield’s Cozy Dog Drive-in is said to be the father of the corn dog, so it can’t get more authentic than that.

With a short distance of around 89 miles from Alton to Springfield, the round trip can be made in the same day, but to see all the sights, an overnight stay at one of the city’s nice, yet reasonably-priced hotels, or a bed and breakfast like the Pasfield House Inn or The Rippon-Kinsella House extends the excursion to another day of sight-seeing. Take in the Dana-Thomas House, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-designed houses, complete with furniture he also designed. Drive by the Governor’s Mansion. One of the newer and most interesting locations is the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It can take hours and hours all on its own.

And in August, Springfield hosts the Illinois State Fair, full of entertainment, contests, carnival rides, familiar and unusual foods and a host of interesting things to see and hear.

Often, people travel hundreds or thousands of miles to see what is literally in our own backyards. For some reason, people don’t always take advantage of — or realize the significance of — things they’ve grown up with, or think, “I’ll go there someday.” Make that someday, today. n Please let us know about your experiences with one- to three-day getaways in and around the area that you would like to share with our readers. Send an email to vbennington@sbcglobal.net and your exciting stay-cation might just end up on the pages of Homestyle.

Illinois Governor’s mansion in springfield, Ill.

lincoln as a young lawyer.

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Endless Summer Story and Photos by Amanda Keefe

the annual dianthus has many species that bloom in shades of pink.

20 Homestyle Summer 2014

Don’t let garden blooms get beat by the heat

can get tall and “leggy” otherwise. Paule recommended trimming select plants into mid-summer.

“About two weeks later, you’ll have a nicer, fuller flower,” Paule said. “In the long term, it’s much more beneficial for your plant.”

Through thick and thin — Shrubbery and other flowers literally — gardening remains can be pruned too, depending one of America’s favorite on growth patterns. Co-owner pastimes, perhaps because of Community Seed and Feed plants in our backyards in East Alton, Kathy Ralston, said become more like close many gardeners aren’t initially friends that, every year, we keen to pruning because, at the strive to keep around. time, the plants don’t look their In summer months, green best. thumbs have to work a bit harder “Just remember, you’re shaping to make new friends and keep the it to make it big and fat down the old, simply because plants do, in road,” Ralston said. fact, operate much like people — they With avid green thumbs themselves, need sustenance to survive.

Paule and Ralston said knowing a plant’s Area experts say maintaining a shade-to-sun ratio is just as important, healthy garden involves basic needs coupled with regular watering. Check the same we, as humans, require: with your local nursery to learn what Geraniums are a mainstay for accent pots on porches water, nutrition, sunlight and a cozy and strategic places throughout the garden area. your plants require sun-wise, whether living space. perennial or annual.

But in Midwestern heat, plants demand even more. Beth Exposure to too much sun can brown or wilt a plant. Should Paule, manager of family-owned White’s Greenhouses in this occur, Paule advised against fertilizing until the plant is Godfrey, said pruning, or “cutting back” select greenery, healthy again. maintains healthy growth. Annuals like petunias or impatiens However, when first prepping a garden during spring months,

Kathy Ralston of Community seed and Feed prunes petunias to encourage fuller growth.

small white flowers, bushy, low-growing. Supertunias: offer a variety of color, strong branches, lots of blooming “flower power.”

Perennials: Hostas: can vary in size, great garden shrub; some hosta breeds, like the Empress Wu, can reach up to four feet tall. Coral Bells: nice foliage, loves shade. Salvia, specifically “May Night:” deep purple in color; experts

Rose bushes will bloom year after year with proper care.

suggest planting in conjunction with “Knockout” roses for color contrast. Monarda: resembles fireworks, usually comes in shades of red or pink; flowers grow above its leafy bed. Echinacea Coneflower: resembles small sunflowers, yield a variety of colors. n *Suggested by Beth Paule of White’s Greenhouses

21

During the drought two summers ago, Paule said it was near impossible for area gardeners to keep plants from browning or shriveling. But even then, consistent watering kept some intact, she said.

Still, it’s not always easy to know when your plants have had too much.

“There’s no guide book on how much to water every plant,” Paule said. “Some plants require more than others when it’s hotter, others don’t.”

Ralston said to keep a daily watch on the weather, but also recommended mulching to retain moisture.

“You almost have to watch the forecast all the time,” she said. “But the most important thing is good mulch.

It keeps the weeds out and the moisture in.”

Maintaining a garden through Midwestern summers is not always easy, but both gardeners agree — it’s worth it.

“It adds beauty and value to your home, it can bring fresh veggies to your table, it shows kids how nature works and where food comes from,” Paule said. “Gardening is relaxing, so it can even lower blood pressure.”

Top perennials and annuals for a summer garden* Annuals: Cyperus King Tut: can grow up to eight feet tall, green, grassy plant that serves as nice focal piece. Coleus: a green and red shrub, can survive in both sun and shade.

Lobularia Snow Princess:

Impatiens, ferns and various grasses are nice additions to any garden space.

Summer 2014 Homestyle

fertilization is vital. Paule and Ralston said folks often forget or neglect to do that.

“You can’t live on water alone, can you?” Ralston asked. “You have to eat. So do plants.”

Paule suggested a simple fertilizer mixture she applies herself, consisting of two parts topsoil to one part compost.

Compost mixtures and topsoil can be found at a garden center or nursery. Compost is decayed, organic material used often as plant fertilizer, which gardeners also can derive at home.

Paule warned that high salt content in a compost mix can actually backfire and “burn” roots of a plant.

Both gardeners suggest an eclectic mix of perennials and annuals in a summer garden.

Perennials, which bloom just once yearly, don’t last as long in summer months as annuals do.

“Perennials all have a time to bloom, then they’re done,” Ralston said. “You won’t have many that bloom all summer long.”

Some perennials are exceptions, like coneflowers or daisies, which survive the summer longer than others of their ilk.

But nothing is more important, the ladies agreed, than watering in summer months. Paule waters her plants twice a day — once in the morning, once at night. For larger gardens, an even “coat” of water twice daily should keep plants healthy.

Petunias are an annual that bloom all summer long with careful pruning, deadheading and watering.

The old

man

&hives

Bob Albrecht in the Principia College bee yard with his student apprentice beekeepers.

the

Story and photos

by Eugene Baldwin

Bob Albrecht searches a frame of honeybees to find the queen.

22 Homestyle Summer 2014

Beekeeping teaches sustainability, increases produce The first time Bob Albrecht donned his beekeeper suit (extra large; he is a very tall man), he made his first mistake.

He hadn’t properly closed all the zippers, and a worker bee had joined him and flown into his head gear and stung him on an eyelid. Albrecht told this anecdote to a new class of beekeepers, students from Principia College who were preparing to install two new beehives on the campus.

Tyler Nichoson, Chase Schneider, Amanda Milhouse and Albrecht suited up, looking like astronauts, and began to unload their two nucs (pronounced “nukes”), which are wooden boxes of bees, and plying the nucs with incensesmelling smoke, which calms the bees, to begin the installation process. The site had been chosen because there were

mature fir trees serving as a windbreak, surrounded by forest and a nearby stream.

Albrecht learned his beekeeping skills from attending classes and being mentored by Lonnie Langley, from Vandalia, a former Illinois Beekeeper of the Year honoree. Thus, the Albrecht beekeeping operation is a variation on the Langley method. There are as many methods as there are mentors, but all share the common purpose of being stewards for honeybees.

Albrecht takes seriously what he perceives as his duty — to mentor others.

Nichoson said there were several lessons he would take away with him.

“All of us will start hives wherever we end up,” Nichoson said. “Amanda’s from south Florida, and Chase and

I are from California. And we will take our knowledge to our homes and mentor the next generation of beekeepers, and they will mentor others, and so on, in the cause of sustainability.”

Albrecht Beekeeping 101: There are multiple species of honeybees, all of them invasive to the U.S. worker bees.

The queen is female; drones are male. Only females have stingers, and only the queen is fertile.

A full-strength hive contains as many as 45,000 bees, with only 100 or so of the colony being drones. Drones live to mate with the queen, in mid-air, a process that happens once in the queen’s life. Bee colonies have traits passed to the workers and drones from the queen. An aggressive queen produces aggressive bees; the

aggression can be tempered by replacing one queen for another.

Life is fast and busy for honeybees. Workers and drones may exhaust themselves and die within 40 days in summer.

Queens can live for several years and lay up to 1,500 eggs a day. In winter, Albrecht told his charges, honeybees gather in a cluster around the queen and can generate a hive temperature of 95 degrees.

Colonies that cling together for heat and forget to eat, die. A lot of honeybees died in the harsh winter of 2013-2014.

During the recent installation at Principia, as the beekeepers unloaded frames of bees and gently inserted them into the new hives, Albrecht reminded the apprentices that just the act of beekeeping means tampering with nature (in an age

of genetic engineering, some beekeepers breed bees for special traits and raise queens for sale). But once honeybees are installed, beekeepers have an obligation to provide water, food when necessary (a mixture of sugar and water), clean shelter, and protection from predators such as raccoons and skunks.

The beekeepers, plus a young boy named Henry, son of a faculty member, searched the nucs’ frames for the queens, to no avail. Queens are the largest bee in their respective hives, but even seasoned beekeepers can have trouble locating them. Worker bees sometimes hide their queen.

A more telling sign for the health of the hive is eggs, and Albrecht’s group observed many of those. Queens spend their lives laying eggs, which are deposited into the honeycomb to become larvae then pupae, days later. A queen manipulates genetic material to create drones and worker bees. If the queen dies, a worker bee may become fertile and produce another queen.

Honeybees, considered a key sign of a healthy environment along with butterflies and frogs, have been in the news lately as their numbers dwindle for various reasons.

Honeybees are prone to diseases and mites. Ironically, genetic manipulation and breeding may be partially responsible for the decline in population. Breeding for traits can weaken a hive’s defenses

A search for the queen bee can take time and concentration. sometimes she cannot be detected if hidden by worker bees.

to disease.

Albrecht, a member of the St. Clair Beekeepers Association, recommends that beekeepers register their bees. State inspectors visit beehives for no charge and alert the beekeeper to any possible problems.

Regionally-produced honey changes in flavor according to the available flowering trees and flowers. Honey lovers are as serious about their product as are home brewers about craft beer.

Studies have suggested that honey, especially in combination with cinnamon, may ease arthritic pain and have a beneficial effect on allergies.

Plus, 66-year-old Albrecht said, “It tastes good. We eat honeycomb and put honey in so many of our dishes, and it is rewarding to enjoy the fruits

she and her husband have a sense of wonder about the cycles of honeybees and fruit trees. Their skill with growing flowers and vegetables and fruits may be attributed to their partnership with honeybees.

They grow cucumbers, asparagus, kale, tomatoes, potatoes, several varieties of lettuce, squash, blackberries and much more.

In a good year, with the right amount of rain and flowers, Albrecht may harvest of your own labor. I guess you could say, I am an old man and two extractions of honey. Six frames of honeycomb are a young beekeeper.” mounted in a 50-gallon barAlbrecht says he would be a beekeeper if he never tasted rel with a spinner and hand a drop of honey from his hives. cranked, extracting honey from frames by centrifugal force.

Honeybees pollinate the flowThink giant salad shooter. The ers of fruit trees.

The Albrecht land has apple, raw honey is bottled in Mason jars and ready for consumppear, plum and cherry trees, tion. And there are customers and the trees depend on bees lined up for Albrecht honey. for growth and healthy fruit.

“It’s nice to have a little Albrecht’s wife, Shirley, makes income in retirement,” pies and jams, and cans and freezes the fruit in autumn, and Albrecht said. n

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