Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thanks for the lessons you've taught me over the years
Libba Wolfe
Libba Wolfe's column appears twice monthly in Extra.
Recent columns
Aren’t we all skeptical when CEOs and politicians say they’re leaving to “spend more time with my family?” What a lame excuse, especially when we see the angry crowds running them out of town. But sometimes it’s true.
This will be my last column for The Roanoke Times. I’ve written often about my large family — t he oldest member is 96 and the youngest is due in two weeks.
They’re spread out along the East Coast from Maryland to Georgia, and I’m spending more and more time on the road. It’s a happy, busy time and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.
I thought I might try getting more organized on the column. You know, work ahead, that whole routine. But I’ve made it this far in life by the skin of my teeth and it doesn’t feel like I’ll be changing that radically now. Seven grandbabies are calling and I’m outta here.
I’ve learned over the past 41/2 years that there is a large community of gardeners in Southwest Virginia. Everyone I’ve me t has been generous with their knowledge, ideas and cuttings. Whether you’re a brand-new gardener, one with years of experience or a disabled gardener, there’s an expert to answer your questions.
We are blessed to have the experts at the Community Arboretum at Virginia Western Community College, the Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension . You cannot know how patient they have been with my desperate, deadline questions. I urge everyone to take advantage of these valuable resources.
I’ve made scores of new friends by e-mail, phone and at meetings. When I wrote about the impossibility of maintaining healthy poinsettias after the holidays, my inbox and mailbox were jammed with pictures of blooming, bushy plants that readers had nurtured for years. I stood corrected.
But it’s not only garden tips I’ve heard about. I discovered that I’m not alone in my habit of lugging suitcases of rocks home when I travel. I had an e-mail from a reader in Martinsville who actually left furniture behind when she moved here from the West Coast so she could pack more rocks. Judging from the response to that column, there are plenty of folks who would have done the same thing.
I told you about my annual family beach trip to Emerald Isle. I mentioned that we use that hectic vacation to vet significant others before they join the family, to see if they’re going to do their share of cleaning and cooking. I heard that every family seems to have a member who won’t pitch in. I’m warning you, if you’re the slacker in your family, they’re talking about you and rolling their eyes when you leave the room. You had best pull a shift at the sink.
A column about growing tomatoes sparked some lovely remembrances about the special place homegrown tomatoes have in the South. I included my daughter Mariah’s recipe for tomato pie. But when I tried the recipe Cathy Leitch e-mailed to me, I called Mariah and told her to throw hers away. Cathy’s Aunt Miki’s recipe is super easy and fabulous hot or cold.
I’ll put it at the end of this column. I can’t think of a nicer way to finish up.
I started writing this column as I started work on the yard at my new house. I’ve killed quite a few plants and I’ve moved most of the survivors at least once. My vision of a lush bed of hellebores has a very lo ng way to go to hit lush. I still haven’t found a solution for the short, steep, red clay bank that is a death chamber for plants. Oh well, I’ve had some successes and I’ve had a grand time.
For my money, a dirty, sweaty day in the yard is a sure way to feel good. Sore, but good.
Come April, you’ll be hearing from Neeli Reamer, the new garden columnist for The Roanoke Times. I talked to her last week and she’s anxious that I not introduce her as an “expert.” But her credentials go far beyond just puttering around her back yard.
Neeli has a degree in journalism from UNC (Go, Heels!) and she’s studied horticulture at Central Piedmont Community College and George Washington University. She’s a Master Gardener and an avid home gardener.
She’s full of ideas and ready to go. I can’t wait to get to know her. Maybe she’ll have just the thing for steep, clay banks.
I told Neeli that the best part of this column is all the interesting folks I’ve met and heard from with questions and comments, shared experiences and tips, funny stories and poignant ones, too.
Thanks!
This will be my last column for The Roanoke Times. I’ve written often about my large family — t he oldest member is 96 and the youngest is due in two weeks.
They’re spread out along the East Coast from Maryland to Georgia, and I’m spending more and more time on the road. It’s a happy, busy time and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.
I thought I might try getting more organized on the column. You know, work ahead, that whole routine. But I’ve made it this far in life by the skin of my teeth and it doesn’t feel like I’ll be changing that radically now. Seven grandbabies are calling and I’m outta here.
I’ve learned over the past 41/2 years that there is a large community of gardeners in Southwest Virginia. Everyone I’ve me t has been generous with their knowledge, ideas and cuttings. Whether you’re a brand-new gardener, one with years of experience or a disabled gardener, there’s an expert to answer your questions.
We are blessed to have the experts at the Community Arboretum at Virginia Western Community College, the Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech and the Virginia Cooperative Extension . You cannot know how patient they have been with my desperate, deadline questions. I urge everyone to take advantage of these valuable resources.
I’ve made scores of new friends by e-mail, phone and at meetings. When I wrote about the impossibility of maintaining healthy poinsettias after the holidays, my inbox and mailbox were jammed with pictures of blooming, bushy plants that readers had nurtured for years. I stood corrected.
But it’s not only garden tips I’ve heard about. I discovered that I’m not alone in my habit of lugging suitcases of rocks home when I travel. I had an e-mail from a reader in Martinsville who actually left furniture behind when she moved here from the West Coast so she could pack more rocks. Judging from the response to that column, there are plenty of folks who would have done the same thing.
I told you about my annual family beach trip to Emerald Isle. I mentioned that we use that hectic vacation to vet significant others before they join the family, to see if they’re going to do their share of cleaning and cooking. I heard that every family seems to have a member who won’t pitch in. I’m warning you, if you’re the slacker in your family, they’re talking about you and rolling their eyes when you leave the room. You had best pull a shift at the sink.
A column about growing tomatoes sparked some lovely remembrances about the special place homegrown tomatoes have in the South. I included my daughter Mariah’s recipe for tomato pie. But when I tried the recipe Cathy Leitch e-mailed to me, I called Mariah and told her to throw hers away. Cathy’s Aunt Miki’s recipe is super easy and fabulous hot or cold.
I’ll put it at the end of this column. I can’t think of a nicer way to finish up.
I started writing this column as I started work on the yard at my new house. I’ve killed quite a few plants and I’ve moved most of the survivors at least once. My vision of a lush bed of hellebores has a very lo ng way to go to hit lush. I still haven’t found a solution for the short, steep, red clay bank that is a death chamber for plants. Oh well, I’ve had some successes and I’ve had a grand time.
For my money, a dirty, sweaty day in the yard is a sure way to feel good. Sore, but good.
Come April, you’ll be hearing from Neeli Reamer, the new garden columnist for The Roanoke Times. I talked to her last week and she’s anxious that I not introduce her as an “expert.” But her credentials go far beyond just puttering around her back yard.
Neeli has a degree in journalism from UNC (Go, Heels!) and she’s studied horticulture at Central Piedmont Community College and George Washington University. She’s a Master Gardener and an avid home gardener.
She’s full of ideas and ready to go. I can’t wait to get to know her. Maybe she’ll have just the thing for steep, clay banks.
I told Neeli that the best part of this column is all the interesting folks I’ve met and heard from with questions and comments, shared experiences and tips, funny stories and poignant ones, too.
Thanks!
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