Category Archives: General Information

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!

Here is a wonderful opportunity to lend a helping hand (that will turn into two helping hands) for FLOW, our Friends of the Olentangy Watershed. Their work (and efforts) are so beneficial to LOUA and to Columbus’ waterways.

SAVE THE DATE!  MARK YOUR CALENDER!   On November 10, 2011, the Columbus Foundation will once again open up $1,000,000 in a 24-hour matching donation effort to help non-profit organizations throughout central Ohio.  FLOW is a part of this fantastic opportunity.  Here are the details:

Beginning Thursday, November 10^th at 11am and concluding Friday, November 11^th at 11am – all donations during the 24-hour period will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching pool.  The minimum donation is $20 and MUST BE DONE via CREDIT CARD through the secure website at the Foundation. A credit card fee of 3.3% will be charged.  It has to be done during this 11am-11am time-frame in order to be doubled – so it is time critical!

Once the event has concluded, all donations made and matched will be provided to the organization by December 31, 2011.

Please mark your calendar, tell your family and friends and consider giving to the FLOW during this event.  All monies donated during this event will go to their educational and outreach efforts.  So please consider helping FLOW out during this event and increase their capabilities greatly!  Also – these gifts are tax deductible.

To donate, follow this link to the Columbus Foundation!

Until next time!

There were two sightings of some rather rare birds in Clintonville. Pete told me that a pileated woodpecker was spotted in Glen Echo Ravine by Tom Kessel. Apparently, this bird isn’t very common in urban areas, so this is quite the event. Also, I think I saw an eagle in Clintonville. At first I thought I had to be seeing things as this bird was huge compared to the red tailed hawk next to it. But the feathers covering the eagle’s legs were very prominent. After doing a search on the Internet, I found a site for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that indicated eagles were nesting in Central Ohio. So it’s possible that I did see an eagle sitting on a telephone pole on High Street just north of East North Broadway…Amazing! But to be honest, in looking at pictures, I don’t know what it was I saw. Has anyone else seen an eagle in Clintonville? Please let me know if you have.

Eagles are just beautiful birds. When I was in Connecticut, I saw an bald eagle flying below me, we were so high up. I learned (in not a nice way!) that I am extremely scared of heights. I could barely look out over the edge as Pete exclaimed that I needed to get much closer to best see the bird. I preferred to stay several yards away from the edge, which even that seemed too close! I’ve also seen an eagle up north on State Route 23 in Delaware County.

The latest clean-up in Glen Echo last week brought us about ten volunteers. Efforts were concentrated on removing honeysuckle from the walking tract and an alley off of Medary; the chipper truck was completely filled. Then on October 29th, Mike McLaughlin and Pete helped out at another FLOW honeysuckle removal event at Clinton-Como Park. The Columbus Dispatch was there to take it all in. Pete said they discovered a hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata), the host of the giant swallowtail, that was completely covered by honeysuckle.

Until next time!

Well, we’ve placed the last trees in the arboretum, at least for this year! We had another amazing turnout of volunteers. Again, thanks to all the OSU students who showed up over the past three weeks (and all the other volunteers) because we couldn’t have done it without you. (And the Buckeyes won to cap off the day!) I’m not certain on the exact count, but  it’s over 150 trees that have been planted to date. Now, we will need to go back to check on all the trees to make sure they are being watered and trimmed and staked. I can’t wait to see how they take off next year. The oak planted in our tree lawn about three years ago has doubled in size, so I know that these trees will grow up fast, too. (I feel like these trees are all my children!)

I still can’t get over all of the new trees that I can now see in our Arboretum. And the size, too. (If you look at the photo to the right, you can see how big many of the trees that were planted.) It really is amazing that this all started with a simple, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get some native trees planted?” And we’ve come so far and have many more things in store.

Speaking of trees, Ohio State University did a BioBlitz on Saturday, counting all of the trees on campus. They hope to become a Tree Campus USA by meeting standards set by the National Arbor Day Foundation. One tree, a sycamore, is estimated to be 250 years old. I think I know which tree they are talking about as it’s close to Bricker Hall, just behind the Department of Art on 17th Avenue. Mary Maloney, of Chadwick Arboretum, estimated that the tree is providing about $450 worth of value from reducing storm runoff and carbon, and lowering heating and cooling costs. With over 1000 trees on campus, that value the trees provide really adds up.

Our little trees are adding value, too!

Until next time.

We had another great planting on Saturday. One more this Saturday, and we are done! Again, we will be meeting at the Indianola Normal School at 9 AM on Saturday, October 15.

This Saturday was the first chance I had to participate in the tree planting. The previous Saturday, my mom came down, and with the weather as awful as it was, I didn’t want Mom being outside in the cold and damp. But this past planting, I was able to see first-hand all the planning that went into getting the trees in the ground. So my hats off to Mike McLaughlin for all of his hard work and also to Laura Fey for all of the OSU students she found us to volunteer.

So after planting our group’s trees, I went out to see all the other handiwork around the neighborhood. Since the day was so gorgeous, I took some photos of the fall colors as well. So here are some pictures of the glorious trees in the Arboretum.

This one is a scarlet oak.

And this is a blackgum.

Both of these types of trees were planted in the Arboretum, adding habitat for birds and fall color for us!

Until next time!

Once again, LOUA will be planting trees this Saturday. Arboretum partners and volunteers will meet at 9 am on October 8, 2011 at the Indianola Informal K-8 School parking lot on the north side of Weber Road. An Ohio Department of Natural Resources staffer will be on hand to give everyone a quick lesson on how to plant a tree before volunteers are teamed up. If you’ve already seen the demonstration, you can head straight into planting trees.  This time around, we’ll be planting about 65 trees. and the weather’s meant to be beautiful!

Speaking of trees, those leaves are falling down. One of the things that I really missed while in Florida was the crunching, shuffling noise that leaves piled on the ground made. To this day, I love to walk through leaves, just to hear the sound. But once those leaves are all on the ground, they can be raked up, another activity that I truly enjoy.

The weekly yard waste pick-up service for Columbus is provided to 227,000 single-family homes, including households that  use 90 and 300-gallon regular trash containers (NOTE:  Yard waste should never be mixed with regular trash)

Since Fall is the peak yard waste season each year, the city has some friendly reminders on proper ways to dispose of leaves, branches, twigs and grass clippings:

• Yard waste must be put in biodegradable bags or rigid containers with the words “YARD WASTE” on the container’s side. Bags are generally available for purchase at home improvement or grocery retail stores
• Yard waste should never be placed in plastic bags and plastic bags should never be used to line paper bags or rigid containers
• Do not rake leaves into the street, gutters and storm sewer catch basins.  Leaves can clog storm sewers and cause flooding on streets when it rains.
• Cut branches should be no more than four feet in length and bundled with string or twine.  Each bundle should be no more than two feet wide.
• Yard waste includes organic waste generated during regular household gardening and landscaping activities, including:

• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Twigs
• Branches
• Shrubbery

Items that will not be collected with yard waste:

• Rocks
• Dirt
• Plastic bags
• Food waste

(Please call Rumpke at 1-888-786-7531 if you have questions about what materials are acceptable)

There is no restriction on the number of bags a household can put out for pickup. Each container, bag or bundle must weigh less than 50 pounds (Containers meeting this requirement will likely have a 30-35 gallon capacity)

Why should you recycle?

• Recycling yard waste saves tax dollars and is green
• It saves tax dollars that would have otherwise been needed to dump yard waste at the landfill (NOTE:  Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio rules prohibit the City of Columbus or others from knowingly dumping yard waste at the Franklin County Landfill)
• It extends the life of the County landfill
• It increases weekly refuse container capacity for residents
• Recycled yard waste can be composted and used in home gardens and landscaping to beautify our homes and neighborhoods

Due to the heavy demand for yard waste pickup in the fall, crews sometimes may need to work Saturdays to catch up on pickups.  Residents’ patience in these cases is appreciated.

Residents can contact the city’s 311 Customer Service Center at 311 or 645-3111 to find out which day of the week is their yard waste collection day

City of Columbus residents may still drop-off their yard waste, free-of-charge, at any of nine locations if they wish to do so.  Please call ahead for hours of operation.

Com-Til, the City’s compost facility (no grass clippings):  7000 Jackson Pike, Columbus (614) 645-3152
Kurtz Bros. and Mulch Manufacturing Inc. (leaves, small branches, grass clippings):

• 2850 Rohr Road, Groveport (Kurtz Bros.); (614) 491-0868
• 6055-C Westerville Road, Westerville (Kurtz Bros.);  (614) 882-0200
• 6279 Houchard Road, Dublin (Kurtz Bros.); (614) 873-2000
• 6747 Taylor Road S.W. (Mulch Manufacturing, Inc.); (614) 864-4004

Ohio Mulch:

• 4120 Roberts Road, Columbus (Ohio Mulch); (614) 921-9330
• 4665 Westerville Rd. (Ohio Mulch); (614) 891-3242
• 1600 Universal Rd. (Ohio Mulch); (614) 445-4455
• 537 Reynoldsburg-New Albany Rd. (Ohio Mulch); (614) 863-0445

Until next time!