Nl october15

01 5 ,2 O BE R O CT

...for discerning weeders

Inside This Issue!

Devilish Dishes Attack of the Lettuce Terror in the Aisles!

And much, much more!

The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....

An equal opportunity institution.

HERE’S TO SUMMER! The nights are getting longer (and cooler). There’s a bit less daylight to handle our garden chores. But oh, this is the season to be a gardener in our area! So many things we can plant this time of year and not die from heat prostration! Yippee!

This is also when a lot of groups are getting their speakers lined up for 2016—not to mention getting the last couple of months covered. We’ve gotten a lot of requests lately for speakers and I know that we have a lot of folks who would be able to do these requests. Don’t want to go solo? Grab a buddy and give it a try!

You’ll be very glad you did!

We have a request for builders to get some raised beds done for one of the local schools. There’s also a landscape workday that is scheduled as well as work needed on the native plant trail. The weather is cooling down and before we get bombarded with holiday hullabaloo—come on out, down, over and lend a hand!

We’ll be winding up our Master Gardener year as well with the installation of new officers and vacancies that will need to be filled in various committee chair positions. We’ll also be voting on next year’s budget. If you haven’t participated in a committee in a while now will be your chance! We need folks to step up and keep our group the vibrant and effective organization that it is!

We’ve been in hibernation for a few months to escape the heat.

Time to come out of our dens and get busy gardening!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

L. Buhrow L. Chambers A. Donatelli G. Hess D. Hickenbotham J. Jones D. Rogers D. Stever A. Young

34th Continued Training Conference October 18-21, 2015 Kissimmee, FL

Plentiful Plantings

http://www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/ gardener/index.html MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Activity Calendar

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The Devil Made Me Do It!

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Garden Glories

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Wildlife Happenings

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Queen Anne’s Lace

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Updates and Info

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Nursery Notes

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Sign in to VMS and log in your hours!

Lettuce Attack

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Call for Action

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You may access the VMS site by clicking on the link below:

Recipe Round-up

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Gardening Holidays

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Info-graphics

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Don’t forget to set your clocks back 1 hour on November 1st at 2 a.m.! Make sure you check those batteries in your smoke detectors as well!

https://florida.volunteersystem.org/ UniversalLogin.cfm An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

Last Word

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October, 2015

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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October, 2015

THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT! So you’ve had a long summer of picnics and potlucks and have probably consumed your fair share of deviled eggs over the months. Did you ever stop to think about why we call them ‘deviled’ eggs? Me either. But now that I have thought about it, I’m obsessed. (O, noooooo. Could it really be the devil at work??)

We also have deviled ham, deviled crab and so on. And of course we have devil’s food cake. Let’s set that one aside for the moment because the origins of the name ‘devils food’ for a dark chocolate cake are somewhat different than that of deviled eggs, ham, etc.

First, the Oxford English Dictionary definition of ‘deviled’ which is: ‘to grill with hot condiments’. The term is believed to date back to the 18th century when it was used to describe either highly seasoned broiled or fried dishes or the spicy ingredients themselves. The first known use of the term in print was in 1800 in a volume called ‘Oracle-Spiritual Published Journals’ in this phrase: “At half past two I ate a devil'd kidney.” The OED offers other colorful examples of usage of the term from 19th century literary works, although the references are somewhat obscure:

 1817-T. L. Peacock “If the carp be not caught, let me be devilled like a biscuit after the second bottle.”

 1831-E. J. Trelawny “Come Louis, devil us a biscuit.”  c.1845-T. Hood: “He felt in his very gizzard he was devill'd!”  1855- Mrs. Gaskell North: “The devilled chicken tasted like saw-dust.”

 1870-E. B. Ramsay: “One of the legs should be deviled.”

In America, the use of the term in print also dates back to the 19th century, with a reference by Washington Irving in his 1820 “Sketchbook” describing a spicy dish similar to curry. But why ‘deviled’ specifically? The origins of the term seem to center on the notion that spicy-hot seasonings must come from the demons of hell and that spicy foods tantalize the palate and are therefore likely to tempt one away from God. Regardless of word origin, deviled dishes were very popular throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially for seafood preparations and appetizers. The word "deviled" is now applied to a multitude of spicy dishes but most commonly to eggs. And in some parts of the world, these are referred to as “mimosa eggs,” “stuffed eggs,” “dressed eggs” or “salad eggs”—especially when served at church functions (!) —in order to avoid the association with the Devil.

by K. Harper recipe reads in part: “Make fresh eggs hard by cooking for a long time. Then, when the shells are removed, cut the eggs through the middle so that the white is not damaged. When the yolks are removed, pound part with raisins and good cheese, some fresh and some aged. Reserve part to color the mixture, and also add a little finely cut parsley, marjoram, and mint. Some put in two or more egg whites with spices.” Clearly not our idea of a deviled egg, but interesting nonetheless. Stuffed eggs, as we know them, bear a closer resemblance to a later version from 13th century Spain in which the boiled egg yolk was mixed with cilantro, onion juice, pepper and coriander and then beaten with a sauce made of fermented barley or fish, oil and salt. Somewhat closer to what we make now, but not quite there yet. On to the 15th century, when stuffed eggs had become popular across much of Europe and were filled with raisins, cheese and herbs such as marjoram, parsley and mint and then fried in oil and either topped with a sauce of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and raisins or sprinkled with sugar and served hot. A little better. At least they weren’t still using fermented fish in them. In the United States, stuffed eggs began making an appearance in cookbooks by the mid-19th century. A recipe from Fannie Farmer’s 1896 “Boston Cooking-School Cookbook” was one of the first to use mayonnaise filling. And at last we have come all the way from those Romans who ate very weird things to something we all recognize and mostly approve of.

Deviled ham is another devilish item many of us are familiar with, mostly in association with Underwood deviled ham and that very cute little red devil that appears on the can. Sometime around 1868, Mr. Underwood's sons began experimenting with blending ground ham with various seasonings. They called the process “deviling” and in 1870, the Underwood Company was granted a patent on their red devil logo, and it has become the oldest existing trademark still in use in the United States. (who knew?) The ingredients as written on the can are: ham, mustard, flour, ‘spices’ and turmeric. It’s those ‘spices’ whose names and proportions in the secret recipe are probably guarded under lock and key!

Lastly we come to devil’s food cake, which first appeared in a 1902 American cookbook called “Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book”. Of course, since we don’t put spicy seasonings in our chocolate cakes, they aren’t ‘deviled’ in the sense that eggs, ham, crab, etc. are. But it is believed that the term So what makes an egg ‘deviled’? Well, it must be hard-boiled, the ‘devil’s food cake’ did originally refer to its tempting nature. It also may be that it was dark and very heavy, as opposed to the yolk removed and mixed with spices/condiments and then restuffed into the egg white. We all have our favorite recipes, usu- lighter ‘angel food cake.’ But we all know that the real reason it’s called devil’s food is because of the curse of instant weight gain ally involving mayonnaise, mustard and seasonings, but the acwhen you polish off half of the cake instead of sharing it with tual origin of the recipe dates back to early Roman times. There is the “Apicius” which is a collection of Roman recipes, believed others. We think of devil’s food cake as being a luscious dark to have been compiled in the late 4th or early 5th century AD and chocolate but originally it was red. This is believed to have been caused by a chemical reaction between early varieties of cocoa originally written in Latin. The name is actually associated with and baking soda, which also gave the cake a soapy taste. We can Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet (I’m thinking: be very grateful that those who made processed cocoa became ‘glutton’) and lover of refined luxury who lived sometime in the better at their jobs and eventually gave us a product that works 1st century AD, during the reign of Tiberius. And we all know well with baking soda and tastes great. Some bakers still add a where those gluttonous appetites and lustiness landed the Roman Empire…Anyway, among the recipes is one for stuffed eggs, touch of red food coloring to bring back the original red color and in fact an alternative name for devil's food cake is "red similar in process to how we make deviled eggs nowadays but using such ingredients as oil, wine, broth, pine nuts, cheese, rai- devil's cake." Personally, I’ll take my devil’s food cake very, very dark and sinfully rich, thank you very much. sins, lovage and other herbs, pepper, honey, and vinegar. The An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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October, 2015

GARDEN GLORIES

Giant Swallowtail caterpillar (top); Rose Mallow Annual (right); Sarracenia (below)

The Jokester Light travels faster than sound.

That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak!

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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October, 2015

WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS October is the first Fall month in Florida, and along with breaking out the blankets for those chilly 60 degree nights, we get to see a whole new batch of animals and wildlife activity.

BIRDS Warbler migration peaks early this month. Sandhill cranes begin to move down to join our resident birds. Ducks begin to arrive for the winter. Grosbeaks, warblers, tanagers, orioles, and thrushes begin migrating south for the winter.

courtesy of www.wec.ufl.edu/extension Fall spawning of redear sunfish. Largemouth bass active in cooler waters.

INVERTEBRATES/INSECTS Monarch butterfly migration nears its peak along the Gulf coast.

MAMMALS Flying squirrels will be moving into pecan groves as the nuts ripen. Black bears feeding heavily in preparation for winter.

AMPHIBIANS Flatwoods salamanders breed with the first rains of October.

FISH Redfish and trout move up creeks and rivers in north Florida.

QUEEN ANNE’S LACE Apiaceae, also called Umbelliferae, the parsley family, in the order Apiales, comprising between 300-400 genera of plants is distributed throughout a wide variety of habitats, principally in the north temperate regions of the world. Most members are aromatic herbs with alternate, feather-divided leaves that are sheathed at the base. The flowers are often arranged in a conspicuous umbel (a flat-topped cluster of flowers). Each small individual flower is usually bisexual, with (5) five sepals, (5) five petals, and an enlarged disk at the base of the style. The fruits are ridged and are composed of two parts that split open at maturity.

Many species of the Apiaceae are poisonous, including poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), water hemlock (Cicuta maculate), and fool's parsley (Aethusa cynapium). Other species, however, are widely used vegetables, including parsley (Petroselinum crispum), carrot (Daucus carota), celery (Apium graveolens), parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), & fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Species used as herbs and spices include anise (Pimpinella anisum), dill (Anethum graveolens), coriander anise (Coriandrum sativum), caraway (Carum cavi), and cumin (Cuminum cyminum). Several species have long been used as herbal and folk remedies; e.g., gum ammoniac (Dorema ammoniacum) and goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria). Some species are grown for their ornamental value; e.g., masterwort (Astrania), blue lace flower (Trachymene caerulea), & sea holly (Eryngium maritimum).

by L. Morris summer to late winter. An invader of disturbed sites, it matures very quickly and may outcompete native plants.

Control is through hand digging by using a narrow drain spade to loosen the soil and pop the root loose. Dense patches may be treated with 5% glyphosate and surfactant solution in late summer. Better control is achieved through proper application of pre -emergent herbicides.

Sources: https://www.ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/invexse/ queenann.html Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses, p. 191 http://www.britannica.com

Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) is a biennial herb that can reach 1 to 4 feet in height. Flowers appear from May to October.

Flowers each produce 2 seeds that are released from midAn Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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October, 2015

UPDATES AND INFO

staff

 Revised—Common diseases of pepper in Florida—fact sheet

 Postbloom Fruit Drop identification and management—Two

describes the symptoms and provides control recommendations for several of the more common pepper diseases. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh054

-sided ID card including phots of blooms affected by PFD and photos of healthy blooms for comparison. The card also includes facts and tips for managing PFD. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp318

 Revised—General Recommendations for fertilization of turfgrasses on Florida soils. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/lh014

 Adonidia merrillii (Christmas Palm) - 2 page fact sheet covering biology, distribution and habitat, susceptibility to disease and general care. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st658

 Orchid pollination biology—6 page fact sheet detailing the various and often strange ways that orchids attract pollinators. Kinds of insects and orchids’ reproductive anatomies and processes are also covered. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep521

 Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum: An emerging pathogen infecting potato and tomato—9 page fact sheet covering the biology, distribution, symptoms, transmission, diagnosis, and management of the pathogen and its associated diseases. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp320

 On Tuesday September 15th 2015, Florida Commissioner of

Agriculture Adam H. Putnam declared a state of agricultural emergency due to the oriental fruit fly infestation in MiamiDade County. The oriental fruit fly is considered one of the most serious of the world’s fruit fly pests due to its potential economic harm. For general information on this destructive  Fungal Gummosis in Peach—3 page fact sheet covering the pest of fruit, see EENY-083: Oriental Fruit Fly, Bactrocera disease cycle and management of fungal gummosis in peach. dorsalis (Hendel) (Insecta: Diptera: Tephritidae) an inforhttp://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1265 mative Featured Creatures fact sheet describing the species, its distribution, life history, hosts, damage, quarantine &  Peach Rust—5 page fact sheet detailing peach rust sympmanagement, and selected references. Also see these useful toms, disease cycle and management. sources for news and information on the emerging threat: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1263 Oriental Fruit Fly Information (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)  Phytophthora identification and sampling (Citrus)— Oriental fruit fly on IFAS blogs Identification sheet including images of healthy and infested USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service roots and descriptions of leaf and root symptoms. The back (APHIS) | Fruit Flies lists sampling procedures. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss645

 Plant diagnostic clinic and HLB lab—Brochure covering the center’s history, instructions for sending samples to the HLB lab, answers to frequently asked questions, and center hours and contact information. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp319

Interesting Links: Gene bank—http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2015/08/us/seed -bank-american-story/? sr=fb090215greatamericanstorybigsqueeze830pInteractiveLink Cactus blooming—http://echinopsisfreak.com/

NURSERY NEWS

by L. Vanderpool

The nursery crew has been working really hard each Friday to develop plants for the plant sale coming up on October 24th. They have potted most of the cuttings rooted during the summer and have up-potted the plants that had outgrown their four inch pots. We have several hundred plants of over 50 varieties potted and they all should be ready to go onto the sales tables.

Stevie constructed several plantings and they will be offered for sale as well. We have a large supply of various gingers which should be planted this fall for color next spring and summer. The hidden ginger, dancing girl and Siam lily are particularly nice.

Please thank the nursery crew when you see them. They have done an outstanding job throughout the summer.

The Jokester If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn’t it follow that electricians be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

The small sale following K. Kirk-Williams’ seminar on September 16th was very successful considering that we only sold to the 40 seminar participants. Our income from that sale was $403.

If you have plants, seeds or cuttings to donate to the nursery, please bring them to the annex on a Friday morning between 9:00 - 12:00. We are always in need of new plants.

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

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October, 2015

ATTACK OF THE LETTUCE!

by D. Stever

Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is among the world's most productive freshwater aquatic plants. It is a common aquatic plant in the southeastern United States, especially in Florida. It was originally noted in Florida by explorers during the period of 1765-1774, and fossil reports in Florida date to the late-Pleistocene period.

Severe overgrowth of water lettuce can block gas exchange at the air-water interface, reducing the oxygen in the water and killing fish. Water lettuce is often used in tropical aquariums to provide cover for fry and small fish.

In Florida, water lettuce has never been the problem that water hyacinth has been; water lettuce is considered under "maintenance control" in Florida.

Water lettuce is a floating plant and as its name implies, it resembles a floating open head of lettuce. Water lettuce has very thick Water lettuce is listed as a Cateleaves. The leaves are light dull gory I invasive plant species by green, are hairy, and are ridged.

There are no leaf stalks. Water lettuce roots are light-colored and the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC). feathery. Its flowers are inconspicuous.

More Information: Under optimal environmental conditions, water lettuce can dou- http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/328 ble its population size in less than three weeks. Seed production http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/weed-alerts/ water-lettuce/ makes this plant resilient to adverse environmental conditions such as freezing temperatures and drought.

CALLING ON MEMBERS! Perhaps you’ve noticed that along with our monthly staples (weeds and invasives) we’ve also added the Recipe Round-up and Nursery Notes as regular features.

your help, we have created a good publication. Now, it will be only with your contributions that we make this a GREAT publication.

Even if you aren’t a ‘writer’ you can always send what you have. Our editors will take it from there when it comes to formatting and the ever popular grammar/spell checking.

We’ve had some articles that required a bit of work but we don’t make any major changes without getting your approval first.

We’re now hunting for a few more regular features to add to our publication and we need YOU to supply the news!

Fruit Fiesta—there’s a great interest in our area when it comes to growing fruit in the home landscape. There’s also a lot of misinformation out there as well. We want to start featuring a monthly piece on fruit that will grow in our area. Just one fruit per month—preferably one for that particular season.

Creative Crafting—have you modified something in your garden to make it work better? Have you created yard art? A wreath? Perhaps you’ve discovered a new (or old) gadget or gizmo that makes your gardening life easier? Let us know about it!

Jeepers Creepers—What’s bugging your garden? How do you deal with it? One insect per month.

We can always use book reviews, news on propagation, pruning, soil...anything that relates to gardening and garden issues. With An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

Don’t forget that we’re also always looking for pictures from your gardens and yards.

Animal, vegetable, or mineral—take the photos and send them along. Be sure to let us know what the subject is in the picture. If it’s a plant—make sure to give us the type and variety if you know it.

So there is the challenge for the upcoming newsletters. Team up with a buddy and send in an article! Believe us—if you are interested in a topic—there are a lot of other folks out there who may share the same interest. Better yet, you could introduce someone to an aspect of gardening that they never even considered!

Grab those pens, computers, laptops and tablets and send in your articles!

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October, 2015

RECIPE ROUND-UP This month’s recipe is courtesy of B. Buckellew. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to try his home-made Worcestershire sauce knows first hand that it is amazing. Well folks, here is the recipe (modified from an Emeril Lagasse recipe). This recipe makes about 1 quart.

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE

On high heat, combine the oil, onions, and chilies. Cook, stirring until soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture barely coats a spoon, about 6 hours.

Strain and let cool to room temperature.

3 tbsp. olive oil Store in refrigerator or can-process.

2 large onions, chopped 2 Serrano chilies, chopped with seeds 2 tbsp. garlic, minced 1 tsp. black pepper 2 2-oz. cans anchovies, drained 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1 tbsp. kosher salt 1 lemon, peeled and cut up 2 cups dark corn syrup 1 cup molasses 1 quart white vinegar 1/4 pound fresh horseradish, peeled and grated (buy fresh and deal with it) 1/2 cup tamarind pulp (buy pods, peel, seed and then do the best you can) 1 cup water

The Jokester Lymph—v. To walk with a lisp.

The dreaded Felinus snoozium fungus. There is no known control measure at this time.

GARDENING (AND OTHER) HOLIDAYS Apple Month Bat Appreciation Month Co-op Awareness Month Corn Month Feral Hog Month National Caramel Month National Chili Month National Field Trip Month Spinach Lovers Month Vegetarian Month 4-H Week 4th-10th Earth Science Week 11th-17th World Rainforest Week 12th-18th World Vegetarian Day 1st World Farm Animals Day 2nd An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

National Taco Day 4th National Kale Day 7th Southern Food Heritage Day 11th

If your birthday is this month: Your trees are: hazelnut, rowan, maple and walnut.

Your flower is calendula.

Your birthstone is tourmaline and opal.

Your colors are purple, navy, silver, and white.

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INFO-GRAPHICS

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

courtesy of www.gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu

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October, 2015

M. Stewart —Editor S. Farrell , K. Harper and S. Berry—co-editors

Have pictures or an idea for an article?

Send it in!

Articles and pictures are always welcome.

Mission To assist Extension Agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents.

Vision To be the most trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.

LAST WORD It’s that terrifying time of year again.

Where creaking doors open up into an unworldly place. You know that you are trapped and there’s nothing you can do about it. There! Just around the corner!

It’s Christmas! No...wait….it’s Thanksgiving…..oh for Pete’s sake...it’s Halloween!

You’ve all seen it if you’ve set one foot in any of the stores. Christmas decorations are fighting for space along side of fall leaves and leering ghouls (and I’m referring to the inflatable glowing eyed kind— not the creepy guy from appliances).

It seems that our society is in such a rush anymore that no one holiday can ever take center stage for more than say, 3 1/2 hours. The next delivery truck arrives with the next holiday (doesn’t matter that it’s over a month or three away) and those products are up on the shelves!

There is just something inherently wrong with an inflatable yard Santa sitting next to a flapping dragon with purple lights where his eyes should be. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against purple-eyed dragons but unless Santa’s reindeer are on strike (probably an EPA emissions thing) then the dragon and/or Santa is on the wrong shelf.

It used to be (and I’m showing my age now) that the only place you saw things for various holidays at different times of the year was in the craft stores. Of course you’d have to have stuff out way in advance because you were going to make something. Aunt Ethel always looked forward to the handmade ornaments the kids made so you had to get those sometime in July just to make sure they would get done in time for the last minute rush to the post office.

But now—I actually saw Christmas decorations available in a regular store before Labor Day! Actually it was wrapping paper.

I realize that the post office isn’t always the most efficient method of transport for the fried fruit cake that you send to Uncle Frank but I doubt they are really that slow.

I may be sounding like the Grinch but I don’t like having to shove a dancing penguin out of the way (can someone please explain why said penguin was wearing a hula skirt????) just to find the mosquito dunks.

In discussing this with Happy Hubby I came to a realization. (okay—he would say ranting but I say calmly having discourse— that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) The past couple of years I have had a hard time getting into the holiday spirit. Christmas is my favorite holiday. Halloween and Thanksgiving are a close 2nd and 3rd. But lately, I just can’t seem to get in the mood.

It isn’t that we don’t have young kids around. We haven’t had those for quite a few years. I was still decking the halls and

An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication

By M. Stewart singing the Hippo’ song (which drives H.H. nuts) without any problems.

I thought that maybe it was the weather.

After all, this Yankee doesn’t consider 50° F. as being ‘winter’ weather. There’s no snow. You really don’t have a whole lot of seasonal color like I was used to. Maybe that was it?

No...I have come to the realization that this blitz of commercialization of every single holiday so far in advance has made me numb. Who wants to decorate a tree when you’ve been bombarded with them (hey—when they are bright pink or chartreuse or black—yup bombarded is the right word) for three months? Who wants to hum along to Joy to the World when various versions (most of them really, really bad) have been assaulting your ears for a full month?

And another thing—what’s with having freshly cut Christmas trees available right after Thanksgiving???? There cannot possibly be one needle left on the thing if it’s bought that early. Talk about a fire hazard!

Not just available but peeking through numerous windows you’ll see a decorated tree—before you even get to place the first ornament on the Advent calendar.

When did we suddenly become a society of hurry-uppers? We have instant pudding, instant coffee, instant rice, instant mashed potatoes and yes, instant underwear. (seriously it’s a real product—just add water.)

I know a lot of folks are convinced the end of the world is coming but must we celebrate everything at once? Oh—and don’t get me started on the pumpkin spice scented everything this time of year. I actually used to like pumpkin pie. Now, I can barely stand the smell of it. Pumpkin Spice potato chips, dog treats, air freshener, every bakery item on the shelves, soap, and cat litter. Yes, folks...cat litter. I’m sure Fluffy just goes giddy over that. But when they messed with my Oreos™ they went too far.

So I’m taking a stand. No ‘seasonal’ fragrances of an unnatural variety will set foot on the premises. I will bypass all the decorations (except to turn on every single one of those dancing/jiggling/screechy stuffed things—including the hula wearing penguin). I will avert my eyes from anything that doesn’t involve bats, pumpkins, ghosts and/or hobgoblins until after the 31st. I will not tolerate Christmas preparations until the Friday AFTER Thanksgiving. So to all of you I wish you a Merry Hallowgivingmas! You know, if I were the Easter Bunny I would be seriously P.O.’d right about now.

Plentiful Plantings

October, 2015