Author Archives: kkovarik

I hope that all of you have had a wonderful first part to your holiday season. Pete, my mom and I went up to Saginaw, Michigan to visit my brother and sister-in-law. Tuesday night saw some snow coming down, about an inch. Great packing snow. So we managed a white day after Christmas…but on the way back to Ohio, via the turnpike, we went through some areas that had more snow. It was rather beautiful, with the snow on the trees and the sun shining on the branches. I wish I could have managed a picture, but I was the one driving and no-one else in the car could figure out how to work my iPhone….But it was an amazing scene, the kind that I really love to see during the winter.

I’ve always been rather fond of snow. I remember as a kid dressing up in snow pants (do they still make those?) and having so many layers on that my arms stuck out. We’d make snow angels and snow forts. One of the best things to do was to entice my brother under a snow-covered tree, then shake the branch, causing snow to come cascading down, hopefully sending some of the cold white stuff down Mike’s collar. So many uses for trees!

Now for the blatant request: As the year ends, I hope that you might consider a tax-deductible donation to our growing arboretum. We are constantly looking for additional funds through grants for some of the larger projects, but every single dollar makes a difference. While grant dollars help to pay for big ticket items such as trees, research studies, etc., smaller donations can help us renew our domain name, pay for our business name registration with the Ohio Secretary of State, and assist us with other incidental costs for expenditures required for an official organization. Currently these costs come out of our board members’ pockets; this might work for now, but won’t work well for the future!

Here’s hoping that the New Year brings you all the joy, peace and happiness that you deserve.

Until next time!

It’s hard to believe this weather today. It feels more like the Ides of March than the middle of December. I know the robins are very appreciative of all the rain forcing worms out of the ground as lovely snacks. I must have seen seven or eight robins on my way to the car at work, all pulling at big, fat worms.

Speaking of work, Ohio State has planted over 20 trees on 17th Avenue between Neil and College. I ran into the landscape architect, who kindly introduced himself and whose name I promptly forgot…it’s hard growing old, but that’s another blog entirely! Anyway, I was trying my best to read the tag on one of the trees in front of Bricker Hall when this nice young man walked up. “It’s a hackberry,” he says.

“You’re kidding! My husband loves hackberry trees! They are native to Franklin County! He will be so pleased!” says me. And the rest of the trees that were being planted were white, red and burr oaks, and Kentucky coffee trees. It seemed a little late to have them going into the ground, but they are lovely, large trees as you can see by the photo (taken with my new i-phone!). I can’t wait to see how they do this spring. Ohio State has planted quite a few trees on the streets that they have worked on, which is wonderful to see. I mentioned our little arboretum, and hopefully, the nice young man has a better memory that I do, and can find our blog or Facebook page.

Well, presents are waiting to be wrapped, so I must make this short.

Until next time!

Pete and I got our Christmas tree on Friday, and I’ve managed to decorate it today. It only took me four hours! By my best guess, I have nearly 300 ornaments on the tree, mostly ornaments made during World War II.

A little history is in order. Once the war started, ornaments that were made in Germany,Czechoslovakia, and Japan were no longer available to the Allies. In order to keep up morale, companies started making their own ornaments. From 1939 to 1941, these ornaments looked pretty much like what Americans were used to seeing. However, once the United States entered the war, shortages and rationing started to kick in. Silver nitrate, which was used to make the ornaments shiny, disappeared in 1942 when it became “non-essential” and was no longer made. To make the ornaments look bright, bits of tinsel were stuck inside – at least until that ran out as well. Then in 1943, the metal that was used to make the caps was declared essential for the war effort. Paper was then used to allow the ornaments be hung.

I love decorating my Christmas tree with these ornaments. I’ve also have many ornaments made by family members or given to me by loved ones over the years. No matter who gave me the ornament, or how I acquired it, what I love best is the memories attached to it. In the case of the WWII ornaments, I don’t know what those memories are, but I can imagine someone decorating a tree, thinking about a loved one far away or no longer with them. And the ornaments given to me all bring back memories: my grandmother sewing cardinals and crocheting snowflakes, my Aunt Dorothy painting a felt barn, my mom’s old first ornaments from the 1950s (very mauve!), my mother-in-law’s love, my Aunt Jane’s flare with color, or my grandmother’s knitting skates with paperclips for the blades. More than anything else, that’s what my tree means to me: memories.

Whatever the season means to you, I hope it brings you joy and happiness, peace and love.

Until next time!

With tomorrow being Thanksgiving, I’m of a mind to list some of the things that I’m thankful for. First, my family and friends. I don’t know what I would do without either. My family (both by blood and by marriage!) are wonderful. I love the way that we always pull together whenever there is a problem or crisis. My Shoemaker family is so strong in its ties. And my friends – where to start? Many a time I’ve been down and found cheer from a friend. You are all the best.

And, of course, I’m thankful for everyone who has worked so hard to make this urban arboretum go from a “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if” conversation to a “Wow! We did it” one. And I’m thankful for all of the new trees that have been planted. It does my heart good to see them as I wander the streets of Clintonville.

I read in a book that trees have meanings, which led me to the all-knowing Internet. Some trees I knew about, being of Irish descent and mindful of my Celtic ancestors. The oak, my favorite, represents power, protection, strength, endurance, triumph, prosperity, success and stability. This tree was held in high esteem by both the Celts and Norse. So I think that this is a great tree for our little Arboretum, which will grow even stronger and more successful as the years go by.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Until next time!

Today is the kind of autumn day that I love: windy and grey, with the clouds scuttling across the sky . There’s something about seeing the trees swaying in the wind and the leaves blowing around that I enjoy, especially when the leaves are rushing across the road. Most of the leaves in our neighborhood have fallen to the ground; it seemed like one day, our maple and sour wood had every gloriously red leaf, and then they didn’t. People are out trimming back dead vegetation and roses for the winter, and raking leaves into piles. (By the way, if you have any oak leaves that you have gathered, they can be used in the ravine. We (meaning Pete!) is willing to come get them, or you can drop them off at our home. Just leave a comment in this blog if you’ve any to spare.)

I also wanted to let you know about a workshop this Thursday, November 17, 2011, on the important role that native shrubs and small trees play in urban landscaping. The program will be presented by OSU horticulturist Pete Lowe at 7pm at the Griswold Center, 777 High Street in Worthington. We have quite a few different small trees and shrubs in our own backyard, and all come together to give food and shelter to birds and other small creatures. Especially beneficial are the spicebushes that fill out much of our side yard. The bush is the host for spicebush swallowtail and the Eastern Tiger swallowtail butterflies, and robins, wood thrushes, bobwhites, catbirds, racoons and opossums like to eat the berries, which are called drupes.

Finally, I don’t know if you’ve noticed that we now have a “How To Help” button at the top of the page. We are now able to accept donations for the Arboretum with credit cards. So if you are looking for a good cause to give to, here’s your chance!

Until next time!