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‘Wednestay, ‘Jantiaty 47,2004

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_ GARDENING _

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ENINSULA NEWS sey DE

iD emember |]. men-
tioned Shirle and
aS DON giving me a
rose bud on Christmas Eve?
I finally put it out yesterday,
16 days later, and it still had-
n't dropped a petal! Amaz-
ing! 1 wish I knew its name!
Shortly after Christmas I
told you that Cher had
given us a beautiful hand-
made holly wreath for the
front door, assuming that
SHE had made it. It turns
out that Roseanne
Mackenzie had done the
actual work. (Thank you
both, it is still beautiful!)

When I. mentioned we
had ONE snowdrop in
bloom, I was crushed by the
hordes of people who an-
nounced they had several
CLUMPS flowering. We
gardeners are a competitive
lot, but some’ years. ago,
when I whined that we had
NO snowdrops, I was over-
whelmed by the kindness of
people who took pity. on me
and arrived bearing clusters
of flowering snowdrops,
bulbs included.

We feed the’ birds in
earnest ... there are sacks
of seed in the utility room to
prove it: They don’t add
much glamour to this room,
but when we had the bags

- in the garage Himself dis-

covered the rats were help-
ing themselves. I was enjoy-
ing watching the little dar-
lings feeding the other day,
when THREE smallish rats

~sauntered along a planter, .
: past a feeding Junco (who |

ignored them) and disap-
peared under a small table
on the deck. Of course it is
the seed that is attracting
them, but we don’t want to

Nomination deadline near

Deadline for nominations
for the YM-YMCA of.
Greater Victoria 2001
Women of. Distinction
Awards is 5 p.m. Friday,
Feb. 23,

There is still time to pay
tribute to-the remarkable
woman who has inspired
you personally and left a last-
ing impression on your com-
munity, She could be a well-
known leader in her field or
someone who works tire:
lessly behind the scenes for
acause close to her heart,

GOUNTRY STYLE
CATERING

Catering lo all your Party
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DALLAS
ANDERSON

ownar/oparayor

655-4503

give up 5 feeding ‘the birds.

Joe B.S. suggested we buy
wide plant saucers and wire.
them under the hanging

feeders to catch. the
dropped seed. Mind you,
chickadees, if they don’t
want. a particular seed,
throw it scornfully over
their shoulders, quite likely
missing the tray completely.
Certainly worth a try,
though! »

As for those rats, we

adopted the brilliant idea

(from a clever gardener
whose name I can’t recall)
and put “Warfarin” down a

piece of P-V.C. pipe and put .
it under. the porch where
birds don’t travel; and rats

do.

The. other ‘day when I.
“went out to the greenhouse,
there was a stray cat up. on
_ one of the counters. I imag-
_ ine it was searching for rats,

but fled when I appeared.
Gardening has its thrills! I
jumped a foot when] heard
a rattle behind some pots,
but it- was just that. stray
kitty, not rats after all.

Katie D. flattered me the
other day. I consider her a

The theme this year is In-
spiration Always Leaves an
Impression. Patti. Hunter,
chair of the 2001 Women of
Distinction Awards Council
said these women leave
legacies as role models,
mentors
everyone inthe community.
Recent winners have in-

cluded local residents
Mavis Henry and. Sara
Bose.

' Nominations . may be

made in 12

and examples for

vategories: Ac-.
tive Living; Arts & Culture;

Bus”
Gifts and Gear for Gardeners”

"Clear Out On Birkenstock Clogs!!" | :

O77 rifih St, SIDNEY
ww, reenhouses 1 2.5¢ on

great gardener, but she
asked me whether she
should cut her hardy fuch-
sia back to the ground or
not, and when to do it. | con-
sulted my shrub book and it
suggested “in mild climates
it is only necessary to thin
out old or dead branches,
but where plants are subject
to freezing, top growth
may be cut to the ground,
early in the year.”

Katie says the stems
bleed heavily if cut back
later on.

This reminds me, it is
also time to prune grapes
and for the same reason. If
you prune when the sap has
started to swell, these vines
also bleed profusely. This
bleeding is not supposed to
hurt the vine, but I’m from
Missouri! It seems madness
to waste all that good sap,
when it could be saved to
feed your plant, simply by
pruning earlier.

This is also a good month
to dormant spray your fruit
and ornamental trees, and
your roses, before they be-
gin to'leaf out. This is also
time to do winter pruning,
remembering. that winter

‘pruning encourages new
growth, whereas “summer |

pruning” retards it.

'. The Horticultural Centre
of.the Pacific’ is holding.a

workshop on: The Winter

- Garden with Valerie Mur-

ray, Saturday, Jan. 27 from
10 a.m. until noon. Please
call 479-6047 to reserve a

seat. There should be lots of

interesting plants in bloom
in the Doris Page “Winter
garden” ‘to demonstrate
what you might do in your
own garden, :

Business, Professions &
Entrepreneurship; Commu-
nications & Public Rela-
tions; Community Enhance-
ment; Community Leader-
ship; Education, Training &
Development; Health &
Wellness; Leadership in the
Workplace; Lifetime
Achievement; Science,
Technology. &  Environ-
ment; and Young Woman of
Distinction, For nomination
forms, call 386-7511 or visit
the YM-YWCA at 880 Court:
ney Street in Victoria,

© 655-1400.

j out ERE

Preven
successful
since the
late 1800’s

Clients treated to a
relaxed home
atmosphere. and
complete privacy.
Waxing also available.
“Invest in yourself.” For
an appointment or
information call...

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VOGUE AND
PATTERNS ©

- Allin store stock —

vale :

Dr Paul Neuman

Caring for Your Glasses

We wash our windshields when they are dirty, why not
do the same for our glasses? Dirty, scratched, and
misaligned glasses distort our sight, and increase glare
problems. They do not, however, harm our eyes.
Scratches may weaken the lenses’ resistance fo impact.

The following are some easy tips for proper eyeglass care:

e Clean your glasses regularly using warm water and soap

or special eyeglass cleaners to remove oils and dirt from
the lenses.

e Keep your glasses in their case when not in use.

e Never set glasses down with the lenses touching the fable
or counter fop.

Put on and take off your glasses using two hands. Hold

each temple about midway, and gently slide them over
-yYOur ears.

e Avoid letting others try on your glasses as this may throw
off the alignment.

e Have your glasses readjusted periodically.

If vision problems persist even with clean, dry, and
properly ones glasses, consult your Optometrist.

Dr. Paul Neuman
Optometrist:

Brentwood. Bay. ;
10-7103 West Saanich Rd.

544-2210. >.

“| VALUE PLUS |
"SERGER
THREAD

2 1500m or 400m Cones yi