Spooner Advocat Column-April 4,2012

Hello to all of you. Are you cold today? This weather sure has been confusing hasn't it? I hope that with the Spring like weather you did not jump the gun and go plant a bunch of things outside. We did plant  some stuff but they are growing in a southern window in the house. Although we sprinkled some morning glories and sunflowers outside and we hope they will come up when they get warm enough!

Marilyn sent me a great picture of the old store in Springbrook! I believe that is the same grocery store that is getting redone on 63. I could be wrong and please correct me if I am. It sounds like once upon a time there was two grocery stores. Was Springbrook that big at some point? What happened? I would love to hear the stories. I like history, and antiques and all the stories that get handed down! I think it would be great if we could revisit some of the local  history - especially for us that now call Springbrook our home. So if you have information on a business,  a farm, a famous person that came through here or whatever that you would like to share please let me know. I will write about it in the column and we can all get some great conversations going and learn about the area.

The turkeys are out in full swing! The toms are just awesome to see with their tails all fanned out and hanging with the hens. We saw some turkeys go flying through the tall pines and I just had to laugh because that must be a rush for them birds to fly through the tall pines and not hit a branch or a tree trunk! They sure are beautiful!

Earth Keepers Club has a great day planned for April 28 from 12:30-4:30, out at the Jacoby place. Various activities are planned that all sound awesome- story-telling, how to make bricks, touring their house! If you are planning on coming or need further information call Shari at 715-635-7811 or sharijacoby@yahoo.com They will need a head count for refreshments so please let them know how many of you will be coming to this family event.

 

Make an Apron for a Haitian Woman!

 This really is an awesome opportunity! So go dig through your stash and see what you can make to send a lovely lady in Haiti! Send me a picture too!

PROJECT 17 :: APRONS FOR HAITI :
 
It is unlikely that the average Haitian woman will ever receive anything that is special and pretty, something just for herself. Daily life for the Haitian woman is grueling and backbreaking. Most have to carry 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from miles away. Cooking is done in a pit in the ground from handmade charcoal. The few pieces of clothing they have are washed in the river and hung to dry.

To receive something as precious as an apron made with love from pretty new fabrics would go a long way in making a Haitian women feel special. We would love for you to join us as we sew and collect aprons for the women of Haiti!

Guidelines for Project Apron:
--Pretty-but-practical full or half aprons (nothing too frilly, ruffly or lacey)
--Washable fabrics only please
--Pockets are a plus
--You may include a handwritten note with your apron if you like. Someone will be available to translate when we deliver the aprons
 
--Please send all aprons to:
HAITI BY HAND
3333 Benton Road
Cedar Hill TN 3703

Again, the deadline for this project is May 31, 2012, so you can still have plenty of time.

Spooner Advocate- May 3, 2012

Good Morning Neighbors!
I hope this finds you having a wonderful Monday morning. It is grey out there but maybe you have something to keep you busy in the house. I came across a sign on Facebook and  the quote said " Happiness is a Choice "- that hit me as a good reminder that how we act or react to a situation is a choice. We can choose to be happy instead of mad or sad- it is a mindset and we CAN control it. Whatever you do this week I hope you choose to find happiness in doing it.

My daughter went to the Sustainable Living Fair last week at LCO Community College and had a great time! She learned a lot about pollinators for the garden, came home with seeds, met wonderful like minded people. Mikhaila is a "food girl" she would love to write articles on food! She went on and on about the Chef that was up there doing demos and how they got too eat wonderful food that people entered in the food contest- Congrats to Mary Ellen for winning for her Acorn Squash bread it was very good! She was very impressed with all the things she learned, tried and was able to make. A big thanks to LCO Community College and all the people that came to share their knowledge- you did a fabulous job!


On Saturday we went over to the Jacoby residence in Trego as they were having an Earth Day Celebration with the local 4Hers. What a great group of people! The kids as well as the adults learned about  solar panels , toured their house made with straw as the insulation and were told about the history of different cultures that have used and are currently using solar energy. I have to say it was quite interesting to see, hear and look at all the ways that the Jacoby's have made their house sustainable with solar power! What can you do to begin cutting down on your energy usage? One thing you can start with is turning off lights that you are not using, also if you have south facing windows open those curtains- you would be amazed at all the heat curtains block out! I will be putting a list together for next weeks column so that you can find contacts to get products that will help you start saving money! I met some wonderful people Sandy Lyonn- Thanks for reminding us of Gaylord Nelson! Skip Jones- thank you for the great music and stories. These two really reminded us that we are all responsible for our earth, our community- together we can achieve great things! We need to be active and through even small things we do we will see change! Thanks to Teresa for running an organic dairy in Sringbrook! I am glad you wanted to be a farmer! The food was great! I really LOVED the cornbread! Thank you for all the hard work it took to get ready for the day- you all did a fabulous job!

 

Spooner Advocate Column 4-26-12

Good day Neighbors!
I hope this finds you enjoying the sun that is shining today. It was chilly this morning but the sun is warming things up. How is the turkey hunting going? I have to admit I have never had wild turkey. I have eaten other wild birds, they are delicous!! I hope all the hunters are doing well. Make sure you stay safe out there!

Hey all you gardeners.. has anyone around here ever hosted a plant or seed exchange? A friend just hosted one over in Prairie Farm and it sounded like a lot of fun. People brought seeds and of course perennials that need to be split or that people just do not want any more, and then they trade with folks forplants that they would like to try. I just thought it would be a fun way to meet other gardeners and be abe to share our love of plants. I know I need more plants and don't have alot to share- there are no plants outside my new house yet!  am always looking for plants of any kind. I think I got this from my Great Grandma Marie- she would take road trips to Missouri or back to Montana, wherever she went and would bring cacti home ( she kept them in a metal horse trough in the living room) plus I just remember her vast gardens! Her peonies were awesome!  So let me know if anyone would like to rehome some plants and maybe we could make a fun event out of it! Also if anyone has non- treated dandelions that they want to cut I would love to get them from you to make some jelly with!

I want to mention some family that have lost loved ones- please keep them lifted up in prayer.
Our sympathies go out to the Dorothy Shue family- Springbrook. She past away on Jan 12, 2012.
Our sympathies go out to the Gustav and Cindy Zittlow family- Trego. They past away April 6, 2012
If you have information on birth, death, wedding annoucements please let me know so I can put them in the column in a more timly fashion.

Tara Carlson contacted me and would like to let the community know that the work on the grocery store is moving along. Sounds like they are going to try and get  gas pumps and everything installed there! That will be awesome for the community! Aso she wanted to let people know that they also have the Community Center, in Springbrook. Town Meetings are held there the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Zumba classes are currently held there on Tuesdays - more information can be obtained from Ronnie-715-520-7346 if you would like to join her for a class. Tara would like the Community to know that they are open to renting the buildiing out for meetings, receptions or whatever. We even talked a little about having a Farmer's Market over there- anyone interested? So if you have a need please give Tara a call at 651-983-2960. Lets really support businesses in our area, they really need us but our communities really need them as well!

 

Today (April 23) is World book Night. Now I have to admit we consume mass quantities of books over hereat my house! I had not heard of this event until I read about it in the Advocate over the weekend. So the gist of it is to get people- especially non-readers to read some great books! So people will be out all over the nation handing books out! How cool huh??  As I said I did not know about it or I would have ordered some books to hand out! But there is next year and for sure I will sign-up to do it. For more information here is the web-site www.worldbooknight.org Lets get a group together for next year!

 

That is what is going on in the neighborhood. If you have information to share with me please e-mail me at twogirlsandagarden@hotmail.com or call 715-766-2221. I am off to follow-up on a lead from Mr. Don Buckman.... yes I am keeping it a secret for now.

Have a great week. Why not go surprise someone with a random act of kindness? Mow a neighbors lawn, bake some cookies for someone- the possibilities are endless. It will make both of you feel wonderful!
 

This coming weekend!!!!!

Hey all you Writers or Want To Be Writers out there this is right up your alley! What better investment for you and what you love to do....writing? This sounds like it is going to be a wonderful Conference for all the seasoned writers as well as those just trying to get some pointers.
I know some of the folks that will be attending/ hosting this Conference and they are fabulous people! If you know a young writer this would be a great event to plug them into! What an investment into their future! I will always be grateful that Mikhaila has been able to really find some great support for her writing through the writers groups in the area. We both were blessed by getting to know Bernice Abrahamzon through the writer's group, her column in the Leader as well as her books. I am forever grateful to have met such a beautiful person!
If you have questions please contact my friend Denis- his info is at the bottom of the page.
If you can't go please check out www.wiwrite.org and join so that you can stay plugged in. We have a ton of very gifted writers in the great state of Wisconsin!

2012 SPRING WRITERS CONFERENCE

Friday May 4th 1:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday May 5th 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LODGE AT CROOKED LAKE
CONFERENCE CENTER
Siren, Wisconsin
Featuring: Presentations and conversations with
Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate - Bruce Dethlefsen
Authors – Anthony Bukowski, Carolyn Wedin and Carrie Classon.

Awards Ceremony for Annual Writing Contests

Book Fair

Displays by Writers from Northwest Region
Silent Auction

Sponsored by: Wisconsin Writers Association in partnership with Writers from The Northwest Region of Wisconsin.
For more information, please visit the website or contact:
L.J. Kottke  Website:
PO Box 05270 
Racine, WI 53408-52702
mbr@wiwrite.org

Denis Simonsen Website:
8851Waldora Rd
Siren, WI 54872
simonden@sirentel.net

http://www.wiwrite.org/

2012 Spring Writers Conference!

Hey all you Writers or Want To Be Writers out there this is right up your alley! What better investment for you and what you love to do....writing? This sounds like it is going to be a wonderful Conference for all the seasoned writers as well as those just trying to get some pointers.
I know some of the folks that will be attending/ hosting this Conference and they are fabulous people! If you know a young writer this would be a great event to plug them into! What an investment into their future! I will always be grateful that Mikhaila has been able to really find some great support for her writing through the writers groups in the area. We both were blessed by getting to know Bernice Abrahamzon through the writer's group, her column in the Leader as well as her books. I am forever grateful to have met such a beautiful person!
If you have questions please contact my friend Denis- his info is at the bottom of the page.
If you can't go please check out www.wiwrite.org and join so that you can stay plugged in. We have a ton of very gifted writers in the great state of Wisconsin!

2012 SPRING WRITERS CONFERENCE

Friday May 4th 1:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday May 5th 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

LODGE AT CROOKED LAKE
CONFERENCE CENTER
Siren, Wisconsin
Featuring: Presentations and conversations with
Wisconsin’s Poet Laureate - Bruce Dethlefsen
Authors – Anthony Bukowski, Carolyn Wedin and Carrie Classon.

Awards Ceremony for Annual Writing Contests

Book Fair

Displays by Writers from Northwest Region
Silent Auction

Sponsored by: Wisconsin Writers Association in partnership with Writers from The Northwest Region of Wisconsin.
For more information, please visit the website or contact:
L.J. Kottke  Website:
PO Box 05270 
Racine, WI 53408-52702
mbr@wiwrite.org

Denis Simonsen Website:
8851Waldora Rd
Siren, WI 54872
simonden@sirentel.net

http://www.wiwrite.org/

Spooner Advocate Column- April 19,2012

So for those who do not know I write a Community column for the Advocate. It has been a lot of fun and I am starting to get to know some people in the area through them telling me what is going on in the community! I thought why not post the column on my blog and get double exposure! So here is the one from last week- they will always be posted on the blog AFTER they come out in print.

Hope you have a fantastic week!

 

Hello there neighbors.
Can you believe this weather? I sure hope that the majority of you have not put the garden in!! Snow on April 16th? Well I can't really say I am surprised, however I do like  warmer weather and would like to get more things growing and out of the house. Guess this is where patience comes in.

Our prayers are with Susan Kuha and her family with the passing of her beloved sister. Prayers for strength and safe travel as you go though this sad time.

 

Sustainable Living Fair will be held at LCO Community College on April 25 from 9-4. This sounds like it will be a great event!

Here is some of what is on the Agenda.
15+ Vendors!, Free Electronics Collection-Site (4/25 only + Fees for large TV’s)

Break-out Sessions, "Green Business for the Ojibwe Entrepreneur” – LaPointe Financial (Part of money smart week)
1.Composting 101
2.Green Cleaning Products
3.“Eat your Weedies”
4.Sustainable Business: Getting Started
5.Wild Rice Pilot Project – LCO Cranberry Marsh

 

Hands-On Workshops at the Farm (Registration Required)
1.Beginner’s Gardening 101 (2-3p, 3-4p, 5:30-7p)
2.Attracting Pollinators: Make and Take (2-3p, 3-4p)
3.Build Cold Frames to Extend Growing Season: Make and Take (2-3p, 3-4p, 5:30-7p)  ,

Keynote Speaker, Cooking Demonstrations, Potluck Luncheon Contest- with Seed packets for Entries and Prize for category winners!!

If you would like to register for one of the hand-on workshops get ahold of Amber Marlow at 715-634-4790 x156 or arlowa@lco.edu

 

One oops on my part for the Earth Keepers Clubb coming up on April 28th from 12:30- 4:30 out at th Jacoby place. I said they would be making bricks and I was wrong! What they are really doing is having a presentation on how to make birdhouses out of straw and clay. This is something I want to learn! We have a ton of brds out here and I am short on my birdhouses. If you are planning on going make sure that you call Shari 715-635-7811 or shooter an e-mail sharijacoby@yahoo.com  . Sorry about the mix up.     

 

That is what I have for you this week. Remember if you have some news that you would like to share please try to let me know by Sunday evening.You can call me 715-766-2221 or e-mail me twogirlsandagarden@hotmail.com

Have a great week!