SpringHOME
Supplement to the Wadena Pioneer Journal/Intercom April 13, 2013
• Building • Remodeling • gaRdening • landscaping
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SPRING HOME 2013
Spring busy time for Gail’s Cleaning Service BRIAN HANSEL
bhansel@wadenapj.com
Gail Vitteboe is entering the busy time of her working year as the owner of Gail’s Cleaning Service. Not only is it time people think about spring cleaning, it is time for a lot of activities when people like having their homes looking extra nice. In her 26 years in the cleaning business the Wadena businesswoman has tackled many kinds of cleaning jobs for many kinds of people and encountered many kinds of requests. “Every person is different,” Vitteboe said. Most clients realize they are paying for her time so once they are certain she understands the job they leave her to her work. Others like to visit with her as she works. “I have no problem either way,” Vitteboe said. “Some hire me to have someone to talk to.” If contacted to do a spring cleaning job in a one-to-two bathroom, two-bedroom rambler, Vitteboe said would expect to put in six hours of work before she was finished. The average spring cleaning job might include scrubbing the floors and walls, cleaning fans, cleaning out cupboards and washing the windows. With more working years behind her than ahead of her, Vitteboe is not taking on new customers. She has enough of a clientele to usually keep her busy for six, and sometimes eight hours, a day, five days a week. She has known most of her customers for many years so she knows their routine and they know hers. She even knew some of her clients when they were kids. “Now I’m on the second generation,” Vitteboe laughed. Who hires a cleaning service? Just about anyone, according to Vitteboe. “From 25 to 85 and anything in between,” Vitteboe said. “It’s just such a mixture.” Spring cleaning is only one of the reasons someone might call on a cleaning service. Vitteboe is very busy in from April through the middle of June for reasons varying from weddings to baby showers to graduations. She has cut back on the territory she covers but she still does her share of traveling. In addition to homes she also does several cabins in Otter Tail County. She works alone most of the time but for bigger jobs she brings in help. “I truly enjoy all of the people I’ve worked for and who I work for now,” Vitteboe said. “You meet a lot of people. It’s definitely a
Photo by Brian Hansel
Gail Vitteboe has been in the cleaning business for 26 years and considers it a real “people job.” Vitteboe also volunteers some of her time to cleaning places like the CyberCafe in downtown Wadena.
into a people job.” An aspect of Vitteboe’s job which she has found people very understanding about is her need to occasionally change her work schedule and shuffle jobs around to accommodate something special. “They are always very respectful of other people’s space,” Vitteboe said.
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Ten years ago I was encouraged to convert some land we own from a cow pasture to a deer hunting woods. I did not know it at the time, but it has turned out to be a terrific way to appreciate spring. At the time I began the project I spent most of my time outdoors in the summer and fall months. I liked trolling for walleyes, pounding the cattails for pheasants, scanning the morning skies for waterfowl and posting up in a deer stand. Realizing that deer like the safety of wooded cover, we started to turn a 20 acre pasture into a 20 acre woodlot. Since spring is a good time to plant it has become an important time for us. Sugar maple, silver maple, red oak, black walnut, black ash, white spruce, and Scotch pine have been added to the burr oak and green ash growing voluntarily. These are the larger trees you find in a lot of Minnesota woodlots. Oaks drop acorns in the fall that deer and wild turkey like to feed upon but it takes time for them to grow. We have been planting other trees and shrubs as well – chokecherries, flowing crabapples, hazelnuts, apricots, Nanking cherries and apple. I started a vineyard of hardy Valiant grapevines about the same time we started planting trees. Some of these have started feeding wildlife. There has been a lot of labor involved in this project. Trees and vines need planting, watering, pruning and fertilizing. In late summer I like to mow where I can. Mowing can be just as beneficial for encouraging tree growth as burning and you do not need a permit for it. The trees have been dormant for many months when April finally arrives and there is a satisfaction that goes right to the soul when you see them green up again. I would like to say all of our tree planting has been successful but such is not the case. Some varieties have taken root and others have not. Nature has a lot to say about it and we have made mistakes. The woodlot is still in the state of becoming. It is not going to be Yellowstone or even Itasca but in the years ahead it will
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SPRING HOME 2013
U of M research can aid in planting potted trees The University of Minnesota has done research on successful methods of planting trees and shrubs. Many of us have bought and will buy trees and shrubs that are potted in containers. There are a few important considerations to keep in mind when planting these trees and shrubs. You may be fortunate and have a tree or shrub which has been recently potted, and the roots are growing outwards. Or you may not be quite as lucky, and buy one which has encircling roots. You should try to see the roots of the tree or shrub before you buy it. Often times real deals, are not such good deals. Sometimes these potted trees are held over from the previous year. If the roots are badly circling and root-bound, it is ready for the trash heap, because there is no way to save it. Do not waste your money. If the tree or shrub has been in the pot for some time, the roots which should grow straight out to anchor the tree or shrub, have no choice but to start to circle around the sides of the container. In the past it has been recommended to make four vertical cuts down the sides of the root-ball to cut the circling roots and across the bottom. Research has found that root-balls treated in such a manner do not stop the roots from circling. When trees that had root systems with vertical cuts, were dug up five years later, the roots were still circling and would eventually girdle the trunk and cause the tree or shrub to die. If you purchase a container tree or shrub that has circling roots. The University of Minnesota now recommends to take a pruning saw and saw off four sides of the rootball. This is called box-cutting the root-ball. When you do this you are severely pruning the roots and shocking the plant. This will cause the tree to recover it’s root system
by growing new roots, however these roots will grow outward as nature intends them to grow and anchor the tree or shrub. Since a tree does not grow above the ground until it has it’s root system established below the ground, your tree or shrub will look like it is standing still and have smaller leaves for three to five years. However when it is established it will grow well. The University has found that the single most important element in planting container trees and shrubs, is to plant them so the first large root (may be only ¾ inch in diameter) is even or just coming at the soil level. Often in container trees and shrubs this important first large root gets buried down in the container when the tree or shrub was potted. So planting the tree or shrub the same level it is in the container may not be the appropriate level. Always dig down in the top of the container until you find the large top root that is growing out. This should be the level that the
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trunk grows the roots actually strangle the trunk and eventually cut off the water and nutrients to the tree or shrub and it dies. The same thing can happen if mulch is piled up against the trunk of a tree or shrub. This is way mulch should always be pulled back in a donut shape, four inches away from the trunk. Mulch is very important, but it needs to be applied correctly. When planting trees and shrubs dig a hole two to three times the diameter of the rootball. This loosens the soil and makes it easier for roots to spread out as they grow. After filling the hole, the uppermost root should be barely visible. Do not amend the soil going back into the hole. Fertilizers and other amendments, including compost, can harm new roots. Spread mulch correctly in a 3 to 6 inchdeep layer, in a 3 to 6 foot wide donut shape around the tree. Models XUV 825i Water the entire root zone. Roots won’t XUV 625i tree or shruban is dplanted. grow into dry soil, it is important to deeply If this first main root is buried, the root water the soil around the hole to encourage system will grow up and in a circle around roots to expand outward. Water thoroughly the base of the trunk and girdle it. As the once a week.
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Ways to weatherize your home zach kayser
old toPURCHASES be on your roof.& REFINANCES HOME
“If you have shingles that older than 20, 25 years, chances are they’re starting to Blustery winds and pelting rain can mean get pretty brittle, so if you get any sort of damage to the unprepared home, but there hail, high winds, they can be blown off and are a number of simple precautions one can cracked, things like that,” Merickel said. about long-term fixed of rateSebeka mortgages. We take to help prevent the need for repair laterAsk usRichard Gronlund Lumber service these loans so you’ll receive the best in on. Sales recommended architectural shingles To help weatherize your house againstcustomer because they interlock with each other rather service! spring storms, local supply store owners hadVisitthan relyingwith on tabs, means lessreal open one-on-one a loan which officer on your next a variety of home improvement advice. Forestate spaces that wind and moisture can use purchase. Fill out an application and get pre- to example, to prevent your shingles from beingapproved. pry them off. us If atshingles aren’t sealed Contact the location nearest you.down torn off by heavy winds, Jason Merickel of completely, Gronlund said homeowners can Merickel’s Lumber in Wadena recommend- put additional tar under them to make sure ed using an asphalt-based shingle as opposed they’re fastened all the way. to a type made only of fiberglass. Although Regarding a house’s doors, both Merall-fiberglass shingles can be cheaper, the ickel and Grondlund recommended using asphalt-based variety tend to be more dura- a steel door as opposed to more less sturdy ble, Merickel said. When replacing shingles, materials like wood. That’s not to say you’ll it’s better if the roof is stripped of the old be turning your house into a bank vault – ones first rather than simply layering the new Gronlund clarified that the steel doors used shingles on top, because it allows the pos- in houses consist of a metal shell filled with sibility of checking the roof deck itself for foam insulation. Gronlund also said to regularly caulk Remembering to check for precarious weak spots. Also, if your shingles are older “You don’t want to try to move a solid joints on windows and siding, and to also limbs on sick or dead trees near your house than a college student, they’re probably too steel door,” he said with a laugh. clear your gutters on a regular basis. is also important, Merickel said. zkayser@wadenapj.com
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SPRING HOME 2013
Morel mushroom hunting is great spring sport BRIAN HANSEL
bhansel@wadenapj.com
Gervase “Dudes” Richter
Photo by Brian Hansel
Duane “Red” Lien of Wadena has been hunting morel mushrooms in the spring for decades. Lien’s hunting equipment includes a plastic bucket and a walking stick sporting a carved figurine of Lien.
that they will be one place one year and another place the next,” Lien said. The time of the year to start looking for morels can vary. Last year, with the early spring, the morels were out in April. This
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year with all the snow, Lien is looking for a later harvest. He likes to start looking when the poplars began to leaf out. Lien’s best hunting partner for the last 40 years has been Gervase “Dudes”
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Richter. Like Lien, Richter started picking morels when he was a kid along with his father, Frank. He has also done a lot of mushroom hunting with his wife, Gladys, a good partner in her hunting days, according to Richter, because she was short and had sharp eyesight. Richter laughed when he was asked about where he gets his morels. “It’s just like fishing, you say ‘I got them in the lake,’” Richter said. Over the years, Richter said he has done pretty well southeast of Bertha and southwest of Hewitt. Richter agrees with Lien that poplar stumps are a good source of morels, but he has also found them growing See mushrooms on PAGE 7
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When Red Lien goes hunting in the spring he leaves his gun at home. Lien has no use for a gun in the kind of hunting he likes. All he needs in a bucket, a stick and a good dose of luck. The Wadena man is a Schroomer – a person who hunts for mushrooms. Like many area residents who takes to the woods in the spring, Lien is not just looking for any mushroom – he is hunting for morels. Morels are considered to be a culinary treat and fresh morels are Lien’s favorite. “You can’t compare them to anything,” Lien said. “It’s nothing like those you buy in the store.” Lien started hunting morels when he was around 12 with his dad, George. Being a dairy farmer, Red’s father was a man who well-acquainted with the outdoors. He knew where to look around the Sebeka area and he passed his know-how on to his son. Do not bother asking mushroom hunters to share information about the specific places they have found their morels. It is an unwritten rule such information is strictly private. “You don’t tell where you find them,” Lien said. Many morel hunters frequent the woods in Wadena and Otter Tail County. Lien recalls the days when the Wrightstown area, east of Parkers Prairie, was considered a good place to hunt. Being a type of fungi, morels are often found around the stumps of dead trees. Elm trees are favorite hunting grounds in some parts of the country but poplar stumps yield good results around Wadena. “One thing I’ve always said is that you can depend on when you look for them is
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Page 7
Mushrooms
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 under evergreens. Morels patches can be thin and thick. Richter recalls one time a couple years ago when he chanced upon a big patch of morels north of Wadena while hunting with Lien. They went back the next year and picked three or four at the same spot. “Once you spot them you might as well drop to your knees,” Richter said. Richter likes to fry sliced up morels in butter. He insists they are great with eggs and with hamburgers or just all by themselves. “They have a taste of their own,” Richter said. “Once you get a taste of them you don’t want anything else.” Richter said the only dangerous thing about morel hunting is how addicting it can become. “You can’t get rid of it,” he laughed.
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SPRING HOME 2013
Writer finds inspiration in days of spring zach kayser
zkayser@wadenapj.com
As an English major and a know-it-all, I can say with absolute certainty that spring has the best weather for writing. Not so long ago, humanity depended on having a good spring so that food crops could grow. I think that’s why the meaning held in this season goes a lot deeper in our collective psyches than just fluffy animal babies and baseball starting up again. That overwhelmingly positive connection we have with spring makes for strong inspiration when the change in the weather lovingly forces us to consider something greater than ourselves. I’ve heard it said that it’s hard to experience the first warm day after a hard winter and not stop to think about the forces that govern our existence. Our lives may not necessarily depend on weather patterns anymore, but nature still impacts our mood, our level of comfort and convenience, our thought process. Spring makes you think not just about the weather, but also things like time, fate, human nature, and randomness. They’re the Big Ideas that impress people when you talk about them. Now is the time to get those ideas. When spring turns to summer, we’re too busy enjoying ourselves and take everything for granted. Summer into fall, we’re too busy throwing ourselves into work to distract us from the loss of the warmest season. Fall into winter, we just want to cope with what we know is coming. When we start seeing warm weather again in March and April, though, it’s a unique opportunity to think outside our own lives. Now is the time to come up with great
writing. Even if you think you’ve never created anything profound before, I think you’ll surprise yourself if sometime soon you take a moment to sit down and record what’s on your mind. Pick a spot that means a great deal to you, where you experience deep thoughts or feelings – for example, it could be the front doorway in your house because that’s usually the first place you see your spouse when you get home each day. It could be the garden your children ran around in when they were young. When you write, don’t limit yourself to talking about the event that made that place special. Instead, think about the general feelings you had during that event, and try to write in a way that you think would inspire feelings like that in others. You want to try to let them understand what it was like to be there without describing the event itself. If you get too specific or too personal, it will shut people out of your writing. Making your writing accessible is a great way to create things you want other people to read. If you’re writing just for yourself, though, there are absolutely no rules at all. Go crazy. Write things you absolutely would not share with anyone else, just to see them on paper looking back at you. Take advantage of the new perspective this brings you, and then get rid of the paper. No matter why or how you write, spring is the best time to do it. Spring is a time of openness – the meaningful places in our lives are easy to get to again, and so are the remembered feelings associated with those places. Even if you’ve never written a word outside of school or work, I encourage you to try now – while inspiration is in the air.
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Get a great garden in Wadena zach kayser
zkayser@wadenapj.com
If you think it’s too cold or too sandy to grow a decent garden around Wadena, think again. Local growers have plenty of ways of getting around both the narrower season window and the sandy soil typical for our area. With a combination of science and elbow grease, you’ll be sure to have something green to look at besides pine trees. For protecting gardens against frost, longtime Wadena gardener Anita Small recommends creating a cold frame – essentially a miniature greenhouse around individual plants made using transparent materials like old windows or plastic sheeting. It’s easy to make and helps extends growing seasons, Small said. “It’s something that most people could do,” Small said. “You can start things a couple weeks ahead of time, or possibly even more than that for the cold crops.” With cold frames, the plant can still use the sun’s rays in photosynthesis, but is pro-
tected from the cold wind. Small said cold frames are also very effective at trapping heat energy – enough so that in some cases during warmer weather, it’s necessary to lift part of the cold frame up temporarily to prevent the plant from wilting under excess heat (condensation on the sides of the frame is usually a good indicator of too much heat). To build the ideal cold frame, Small said to give it a sturdy glass roof to protect against a buildup of snow or rain collapsing the entire structure. Also, make sure to slant the roof and face the slanted side towards the south for added light rays on your plant. If wooden boards are used to build the frame itself, it’s important that the wood be untreated to prevent chemicals from leeching into the soil and contaminating any food growing there. Besides producing safe and healthy food, the proper soil can also add one more protection factor for preventing cold damage. Laura Foust, a member of the Wadena Garden Club, said blacker soil absorbs heat, keeping plants warmer despite cold climates. Since
it may be difficult to find black dirt in our area, Foust advocated a bit of new science as a solution: vermiculture, which involves adding special kinds of worms to your compost bin to accelerate decomposition. If you can stand having compost in an enclosed, heated space like a garage, you can start vermiculture in the winter to get a leg up on your composting. “We keep a compost bin going all winter long, and now when springs comes and we get our beds ready, we’ll put in that compost and it makes really good fertilizer,” Foust said. The sandy soil can actually be an advantage in some cases, said Kyle Schulz. She said the soil in our area tends to be higher on the pH scale, which measures relative acidity. Since our soil is closer to being an acid than an alkaline, that makes it ideal for certain kinds of plants. It poses a significant advantage when you compare it to the lower pH, clay-filled soil around Fargo-Moorhead, Schulz said. “Because we have a little bit more acid-
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type soil, we can grow blueberries around here very, very well,” she said. Schulz added that the soil in Wadena was much better suited for evergreens. Also, acidity causes the leaves of deciduous trees in the area to turn red as well as yellow, but the trees near Fargo can only become yellow.
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SPRING HOME 2013
How to bring the outdoors in With temperatures heating up, you are spending more and more time outdoors. You’re working on your flowerbeds, sprucing up your garden shed and more. Oh, how you love the warm weather. It makes you want to throw open your doors and windows and bring the outdoors in. Lucky for you, you can. Here are some tips. Bring in the natural light Replace those heavy window coverings with lighter ones wherever possible. Use sheers instead of drapes. Pull up those blinds. Clean your doors and windows, open them on good days and remove anything obstructing the view outdoors. Opt for lighter, earthier colors Planning to do a little repainting this spring? Choose lighter, earthier shades, like greens, blues, browns and yellows. Any color that reminds you of nature will help bring the outdoors in. If you don’t plan to repaint, you can still bring in natural colors by changing out accessories like pillows and throws. Add natural materials Bamboo, hemp, jute, rattan, seagrass and wicker are just some of Mother Nature’s offerings you can bring into your decor. Replace your plastic mini-blinds with rattan blinds, purchase some wicker baskets for your magazines and throw down a couple of seagrass rugs.
Incorporate natural accessories Mother Nature provides some of the best accessories around, from pinecones and seashells to pebbles and stones to fruit and vegetables. Incorporate these into your decor wherever possible. Trade in that artificial floral centerpiece on your mantel for a bowl of seashells. Add a tray of lemons and limes to your dining room table. Stack some rocks on your hearth.
Entice the senses Invoke the feel of Mother Nature everywhere you can in your home. Freshen the air with some woody incense, fragrant potpourri or fresh-cut flowers. Bring the sound of water to your space with a fountain or two. Hang some nature photos or murals. Although not real, a wall-size mural of a bamboo garden or a wooded forest can make you feel like you are right there in the outdoors. Go green Anytime you make a new purchase, look for the most eco-friendly option available. When shopping for flooring, consider bamboo, cork and wood over man-made materials. When shopping for paint, look for brands low in VOCs, fungicides and biocides. Natural paint and milk paint are ideal. When shopping for linens, look for earth-friendly ones. Of course, one of the best and easiest ways to bring the outdoors is through houseplants. Accept all seedlings and shoots, visit your local nursery for other options and place all of your houseplants where they can be seen. It doesn’t take much to bring the outdoors into your space. Start sprucing it up now, and when the sun goes down and you’re forced to come inside, you might not mind it so much.
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320 Jefferson St N Address City Wadena, Mn 56482 Telephone 631-1065 or 888-631-1065
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Audrey Stearns, Agent
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Insurance underwritten by MemberSelect Insurance Company.
884287
Home IOwa OnLY 8.5" x 11"
SPRING HOME 2013
Page 11
Home office spots in small spaces Home offices set up in a spare room make great workspaces. You can get a lot done from paying bills to filing paperwork to conducting online research. Add a sofa and a TV, and you also have a great space to relax. Unfortunately, not everyone has a spare room for a home office. If you don’t, do not despair. You can still create a home office in a much smaller space in your home. Almost any under-utilized space in your home will work for a home office. Here are some of the more common spaces homeowners have set up home office. Attics or Basements Take a look at your attic or basement. See any place you could set up a home office? If it is not finished and has issues with water, temperature fluctuation and more, your attic or basement might not be a suitable place for a home office, especially one with a computer and other electronics. If it doesn’t have any issues, your attic or basement might be ideal. Just choose the best part, perhaps under a window, move in some furniture, set up some screens and
make it a private space to work. Closets Take a look at the closets in your home. Spot one you could do without? Convert it to a home office. Clean it out and either set
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up a desk inside it or build one. Attach some 2x4s to the sides of the closet walls, set some shelves on top, and you’re ready to go. You can use the lowest shelf as a desk surface and the ones above for books and other office items. You can remove the closet doors or leave them be. That way, you can shut away your office and your mess whenever you wish. Corners Take a look around your home. See a neglected corner? Turn it into a home office with a desk, chair, file cabinet and whatever else you have space for. You can set up a home office in the corner of almost any room from the kitchen to your bedroom. Entryways Take a look at your entryway. Could it serve the dual purpose of welcoming guests and doing paperwork? Move over that hall tree, slide in a desk, and you’ve got a place to work, a place for someone to sit and a place for guests to hang their coats. Hallways Take a look at the hallways in your
home. Have one that is rather wide or extra long? Tuck a home office into it. All you need is a bit of space for a small desk and chair. If there is a nook in your hallway, you might be able to build a desk into it. Sofa Backs Take a look at your sofa. Could you use a table behind it? Desks make great sofa tables. Rearrange the room, pull the sofa to the middle and add a small desk behind it to serve as both a sofa table and a home office. Stair Landings Take a look at your stair landing. Wouldn’t it make a great home office? Depending upon how large the space is, you might be able to have an easy chair for reading. Home offices do not have to be large. You can set one up almost anywhere in your home. Look for under-utilized spaces, like nooks and crannies, then make the best use of the space to create the home office you’ve always wanted but never had the room for.
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Page 12
SPRING HOME 2013
Decorating choices for the long haul Your toddler is growing up quickly, and before you know it, they will be in grade school and done with that race-car or princess bed. Here are some tips for transforming their room into one they can live in for a long time. It may be hard to imagine now, but eventually that little one dragging toys from one end of the house to another will be a teenager, and that teenager won’t like the sweet striped wallpaper you selected for their bedroom. Better to get rid of that wallpaper and make choices now that will work for toddlers to teens. While wallpaper is nice, changing it out as your child grows can be a hassle. Paint is a better choice, especially for the younger years when messy hands are not uncommon. Removing dabs of chocolate pudding from a painted wall is far easier than it is from a wallpapered wall. Trade the wallpaper for paint, and to reduce color changes over the years, choose a somewhat neutral shade that your child can live with for a long time, such as a mossy green, pewter gray or golden caramel. Think neutral for all other aspects of the room, in particular the flooring and lighting. Forget the rose-colored carpeting and the pink and purple ceiling fan. Opt for beige carpeting and a black, white or wooden ceiling fan instead. You can bring color and character into the room with fabrics and accessories that can easily be changed out.
Continue the neutral backdrop with the window coverings and linens. White or wooden blinds will grow with your child, as will solid-colored sheets and bedding. Your child may have a favorite cartoon character or color, and you can honor that in the valances, pillows, throws and duvet covers. Keep the sheets and bed ruffle khaki and pump up the color with a camouflage-themed duvet color and dark green pillows and window valances. Get rid of the race-car or princess bed and any other furniture that won’t stand the test of time. Look for sturdy, multi-functional pieces that will appeal to your child now and later. Bunk beds are great for young kids who like to have sleepovers and can be separated later for older kids. The same goes for that modular cube storage unit. You can stack the cubes one way when your child is young and another way when they are older. As for furniture color, neutral is the best choice, be careful with white furniture, as it doesn’t always appeal to teen girls. Accessories can easily be changed out, so rely on them to add color and character to your child’s room. Do keep in mind, however, how often kids’ tastes change, so don’t spend a fortune on the accessories for your child’s room. Shop for items at flea markets, yard sales and clearance sales. Choose inexpensive posters, prints and calendar pages you can frame rather than custom-framed artwork. Hang a bulletin board
for handiwork and add some wallpaper stickups to furniture and walls for pops of color. Decorating your child’s room for the long haul is not hard. It just takes some thought of today and tomorrow. Good luck, and don’t forget to get the input of your most important critic, your child. It is their room after all. Give them a say in how it looks, and you may not have to badger them as much later to keep their room clean!
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