FRESH TREE #36

We had an artificial tree our first year of married life, but then, what did we know?  The first year of marriage is a time of negotiation and adjustment–and no more so than at the holidays, attempting to meld two traditions into one.  But, on one issue, we both came to a quick agreement.  Every Clemens Christmas thereafter, the family tree would be REAL.

The Fragrance of Christmas!

The type of fresh tree we chose changed with experience.  Long-needles were soft, but hard to decorate.  Pines were nice and often less expensive, but had little fragrance.  We finally compromised on the Fraser fir, what I call the King of the Christmas tree forest!  They exude the smell of Christmas past and have needles that do not shed easily.

 

The size of our trees changed with the size of the house.  In our first little country ranch, Hubby tried squeezing in 8 foot trees, leaving sap marks on the ceiling.  When we moved into our restored barn 7 years ago, flight took fancy.  We now have 10 foot fresh Frasers standing in the center of the great room each season, and the one for 2009 is gloriously full and seasonally fragrant!

 

As we age, I think our trees will begin to get smaller and perhaps be erected mid December rather than week one.  We may even resort to an artificial tree–pre-lit for convenience…but I hope that will be later than sooner.  Decorating the family tree fresh from northern woods is a tradition we hope to cherish for many years to come.

 

“O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches…”

That Christmas Feeling

The staircase is draped in greens and berries, candles and wreaths crown every corner, and our ten foot Fraser fir stands tall in the center of the great room.  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Farm Grove, but the decoration that causes a flutter of nostalgic Christmas feelings is not glitter sparkling.  It is the humble cardboard nativity scene that belonged to my grandparents. 

Vintage Lithographed Manger Scene, Circa 1950

As I carefully fit the worn edges together for perhaps the fiftieth time, images of Christmas past at Grandma’s house flood my memory bank…date pinwheels, bowls of oranges, and long cellophane ropes of candy canes.  The nativity scene sat on top of Grandpa’s T.V., not pride-of-place so much as the only place it would fit in their small bungalow.  The decoration wasn’t a particular favorite for me at the time–there were cousins to play with, presents to open, and pies and cookies to eat.  But it was always there, a part of what made Christmas, Christmas. 

Now, sitting on the buffet flanked by candles and greens, Grandma’s nativity infuses my home with happy memories.  How remarkable that those worn paper figures have the power to make me feel like a child again, at Christmas.

Christmas Past & Present

SHOPPING IN THE BARN'S GREAT ROOM

Our last retail Christmas Open House is past.  We have celebrated 26 in all…and all now a precious memory.

Imagine over 200 customers waiting at our front porch and shop entrance for the doors to open.   It was difficult to move during the initial crush, but our clients told me they were able to glean treasures from the merchandise and hand-crafted decorations we assembled.  Our theme was A Christmas To Remember, and it truly was memorable.

Such home-based business merchandising can be demanding, but the benefits are many.  Do you own a home-based business?  Have you thought about it?  Share your comments or ask those “how to” questions.   The best teacher is the voice of experience. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Dresden Ornaments

Dresden Ornaments

Calling all ephemera fanatics!  If you have a passion for paper, get out the scrap pictures, vintage tinsel, mica flakes, glitter, crepe paper, ribbon and vintage bunting…create your own German-inspired ornaments for the Christmas holidays.

Finding old Victorian faces and forms of darling angels, children and Santas is a starting point.  Then dress them in crinkled crepe or swath them in cloaks of batting trimmed with tinsel.  Look for reproduction-style sheet batting in craft stores for a less bleached look.  Glass glitter and mica flakes, also available through craft supplies or web sites, add authenticity as do small glass beads or vintage ornament trims.  I salvage these from auctions and estate sales and stash them away for a rainy, crafting day.  Choose trims that remind you of Grandma’s tree–that slightly tarnished look that adds precious patina to new designs.

Dresden, Germany, gave its name to these nostalgic ornaments.  In the 1800’s, multitudes of whimsical angels and Santas stocked American stores.  Antique Dresdens are difficult to come by today, due to their fragile nature, but those you create yourself are destined to become the heirlooms of tomorrow.

Preserving Summer

This everlasting wreath, featuring dried peonies, hangs in the sitting room.  It is one of the unique gifts available only at the Farm Grove Collectables Christmas Open House, Saturday, November 21.  I fashion the wreaths from herbs grown exclusively in the Farm Grove herb garden.

Dried herbal wreaths such as this capture the scents and blooms of the summer garden in an unforgettable way.  The showy flowers rest on a background of artemesias:  ghost plant, silver queen and silver king.  Dried purple oregano blooms are an unexpected touch of heathery texture and color.  The soft celedon green of dried hydrangea creates a central band and sets off the pink and white peony blossoms.  To dry peonies, cut them JUST when they open.  They will dry one-third their size. 

If you are near Groveland, Illinois, on the 21st of November, visit our Christmas Open House, “A Christmas To Remember,” in our restored dairy barn.  It is our last open house–and our best.

 

Topping It Off

This post will cause one of two reactions:  Yea!  Only two months until Christmas!  Or…No, no!  Not Christmas decorations already!

As owners of a niche’ specialty shop, our seasonal calendar  is two months ahead of everyone else’s.  So, yes, we are decorating already.  Our annual–and this year our last–Christmas Open House is November 21, the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  That date may sound early for Christmas, but in the “trade,” it is actually a bit late.   But since this is our last promotion before retiring from the shop, we held it at a time both of our children could be here. 

Specialty shops must reach the market before they are enticed away by the convenience of malls and cluster retailing.  In order to promote our unique, one-of-a-kind, collectable and discounted gift ware, the Christmas Open House is a one-day confection of home-made cookies and the culmination of a year’s work.  In the picture above, I am topping off the Red & Gold Elegance Tree in the barn’s great room.

The Christmas Open House for Farm Grove Collectables will top off twenty-six years in the specialty retail business.  It is a bitter-sweet experience, but we intend to go out as we came in–with quality and integrity.

The Test of Time

As small business owners for over 26 years, we enjoy discovering other small businesses that have stood the test of time.  Sisters’ Sweets is one such shop; we visit it on each trip to Door County, Wisconsin.  It is not as large as many retails shops on the Door, but it has something almost undefinable–character. 

The shop is operated by sisters and their husbands as a family owned business in Fish Creek.  It is located in the lower level of The Whistling Swan Inn, just off Main Street.  Their name refers to their home-made candies.  But they also offer a sweet mix of decorative accessories and cherry-themed gifts.  We purchased charming cherry placemats for our breakfast table and gifts for my helpers at our Christmas Open House from their carefully chosen assortment.  On our way back to our room, we pick up their delicious caramels as a special treat.  Our reception at Sisters’ Sweets is always warm and appreciated, and is accompanied by an invitation to sample their candies.

As we prepare to retire from our own collectable shop, I hope we will be remembered as a business with character and warmth.  As I watched the movie You’ve Got Mail again last night, I related to the Meg Ryan character.  She was closing a book shop her mother began and moving on with her life in a fresh direction.  Life is filled with seasons of change.  Our character is defined by how we adapt to the challenges of change.

Pumpkin Display

Autumn Abundance

On the corner of Main Street, Fish Creek, a composed display of everything-autumn delights visitors to Door County.  The arrangement is compliments of the up-scale On Deck Clothing Company.  Although it looks random and natural, it is actually carefully composed.  The trick is to use a variety of seasonal materials–in abundance and at different levels.  Baskets, large pots and galvanized tubs on boxes raise pumpkins and gourds in multiple colors to new heights, adding great interest.  Tall sheafs of corn stalks also give height and interest to the display.

 A white garden pillar and quirky scarecrow echo the height of the stalks.  Potted grasses as well as potted mums take this display into the “design” realm by adding unexpected and unusual elements.  A touch not easy to see in the picture is that each pumpkin wears the scripted words “On Deck” in black.  The display is, after all, an invitation to go inside the welcoming store–just next-door.

Door County–Reprise

Yes, everyone has a favorite place.  If we can’t make it to Disneyworld, we choose Door County, Wisconsin.   What’s not to like about crystal blue water, fresh winds and the fair weather of mid September!

Rocky Out-cropping at Cave Point

Lake Michigan carves limestone formations, grottoes and caves into the shoreline at Cave Point County Park near Jacksonport, Door County, Wisconsin.  It is freeing to walk along the polished stone “beach” exposed by the crashing waves.  We climb over broken slabs of limestone,  fallen into the water.  Others have already been pounded into rubble.  Our feet make a crunching sound as we hasten the mulching of billions of tiny shells  into newly-minted sand. 

Tomorrow, we visit yummy shops and play tourist.  But today we feel one-with-nature on the shores of Lake Michigan.  Sigh.  Winter is coming soon.

A Blast From the Past

Forty-Two Years Later...

When my high school friends manage to get together, we chastise ourselves for not doing it more often.  Saturday’s mini-reunion was motivated by Charlene’s visit home from Idaho.  But the rest of us are still located in the area where we attended high school.   There is really no excuse not to meet more often.  Life just has a way of sneaking up on us.    

It seems like yesterday we were attending football games and passing notes in class.  Now we pass pictures of grandkids and discuss retirement plans.   It seems we grew up, in spite of ourselves, and wove a complex tapestry of families, relationships and lifestyles.  

Some things have changed over time, but the unique personalities of our girlfriend group still manage to mix.   The same laughs… familiar smiles… cause the years to melt away quickly.  The past was a blast–but the present is not half bad.

What Time Is It?

Chapel Garden

 The slow start to warm weather has upset my inner clock.  The calendar tells me it is late July, but it doesn’t feel like it.  Nestled in a shaded garden, the snapshot above of the chapel with summer lillies looks and feels more like autumn. 

I need a few days at the beach [Door County would be nice] or a round of 90 degree days to reset my timer.  Realistically,we have another month of possible “hot”  before I begin putting out pumpkins.  If Illinois weather resurfaces, that will happen about the time the kids return to classrooms without air conditioning… 

Guaging when to set out seasonal merchandise is tricky.  It is all about sensing the desires of your customers.  Unless I’m wrong, autumn may arrive sooner this year than expected. 

Garden Companions

Wormwood, one of the silver herbs, is a showy display plant in the garden–but she has a reputation for not playing well with others.  The wormwood known as “Old Woman,” above, can actually inhibit the growth of other plants.  But the Shasta daisies growing next to it in this bed seem to be surviving well.  I can’t say as much for the false indigo that USED to grow on the Wormwood’s left!  Indigo usually thrives, and did for the first year.  But when I planted wormwood next to it, she died back and refused to appear at all for one season.  The indigo is cautiously creeping back, but I can’t say she will decide to stay.

Since I love the silvery foliage of the wormwood, I’m over-looking its unfriendly temperment.  The white daisies look especially bright next to its silver fronds, don’t you think?  Daisies, representing innocence, perhaps can tame the bad habits of its neighbor, at least enough to live together harmoniously.  They aren’t exactly on speaking terms, but they tolerate one another.

Celebrating Freedom

Patriotic Geraniums

A simple tub of red geraniums celebrates the nation’s birthday on our brick patio, sporting small-scale flags like birthday candles in a cake.  Wherever you are this July 4th, let the stars & stripes fly.  Happy birthday, America!

Sweet Lady Lavender

Scented Blooms Line the Farm House Walkway

The picture of my lavender bed, next to my Father’s summer kitchen, is from 2008.  Unfortunately, this year’s soggy spring caused much of the large Munstead shrubs to rot.  I was forced to cut away a great deal of dead material.  Parts of the plants are attempting to sprout and come back.  One shrub is even blooming.  But the display is nothing like this glorious harvest of last season.

Herbal shrubs such as sage and lavender are prone to rot when their roots are in water too long.  It is not unusual to have to replace them after five years or so because they can also become too woody.  But I still blame the record-breaking rain we had in the Midwest for the loss of my lavender.  Such is the plight of the gardener.

The Herb, Lady’s Mantle, Has a Story to Tell

Herbs are working plants–weeds that have gained respectability because they have been found to be useful for something.  Common categories are cooking herbs, fragrant herbs, medicinal herbs, and household herbs.  Currently, I raise 45 different herbs in all of the above categories, not counting the wild herbs harvested from the fields around us.

Lovely Lady's Mantle

I also love the history of herbs.  Many have a long and impressive pedigree, having been beneficial to mankind for centuries.  Others have a story to tell steeped in folklore–but what fun to tell the story!  For example, the velvet-leaved Lady’s Mantle above was revered as a medicinal herb for “ladies’ complaints.”  In the morning, I enjoy seeing the dew stand out like beaded diamonds on the velvet leaves.  The ladies of the court in the Middle Ages would collect the dew by cupping the leaves and draining the moisture to use as a facial wash, thinking it would give them a “dewy” complexion.

Besides the lovely shape and large velvet leaves, this midevil plant produces a fluffy chartreuse flower head that can be dried and used in arrangements and wreaths.  It adds a delightful note to cut flower bouquets and is quite long-lasting.  Plant this hardy perennial in partial shade for the best results.  It is one of the few herbs that doesn’t like full sun. 

If you would enjoy more herbal anecdotes, post your comment or questions.   

From the garden,

Sharon

Memorial Day

A Red White and Blue Welcome

Busy schedules too often keep us from celebrating the moment.  Memorial Day is going to be gone before I realize it is here.  So, I am making a CONCERTED EFFORT to mark the day by proudly displaying our nation’s flag on the front porch.  Now would be the time to replace the spring wreath and hang a bolder accent on the front door in patriotic colors of red white and blue.  Some additional flags in the large vine wreath on the wall behind the porch swing add more Stars & Stripes. 

Above is a picture of our front porch, representing our nation’s colors.  Happy Memorial Day.  It is more than a day off; it is a time to remember.

Moist & Mossy

Central Illinois has gone beyond record-breaking, in terms of rainfall for the season.  We have surpassed wet to soggy and are fast approaching sodden.  It isn’t often I use the term SODDEN; I’d rather not find it so very appropriate.

Our shop is preparing for a spring promotion on Saturday, and I am finding it difficult to clean my shop patio for the event.  It is filled with water at the moment with more to come before the weekend.  The water will not stop me from bringing spring arrangements and sale prices to the shop, but I make use of the patio to display markdowns and new furniture and wanted to prepare it beforehand. 

Perhaps I will be able to do it very early Saturday morning.  Last minute prep can be exciting.  Besides, if I set up too early, everything would sprout.

Every Man Should Have His Space

My husband’s winter project elicited a great deal of skepticism from his wife.  Yes, it was unfortunate that he could not see out the window in his office.  Living in a 4-level barn is definitely interesting, but it comes with built-in limitations, such as where it is and is NOT possible to put windows.  Because of the structure, he had only one high window in his loft office–too high to see out of without perching on a chair. 

When we did stand on the chair, the view was spectacular.  The birds-eye view of The Old Towne Grove Chapel was worth the price of admission, as well as the lofty vantage point of our garden.  Beyond that?…miles of farm land spread all the way to the next town.

What’s a guy to do?  Why, build a loft in the loft–just big enough to hold a desk and a couple of handy file cabinets.   What will that look like, I thought… What a surprise to find it looked like a sturdy deck with stairs and a railing all around set in the middle of his “man room,” and creating quite a unique addition to our barn home. 

 Every guy needs his space.  My guy has created a place where he can do paper work in the clouds…almost.  Why did I ever doubt him?

From Bud to Bloom

Easter Sunday in Illinois is cool and overcast.  But the buds on the apple trees look ripe to burst.   With the unpredictable attitude of midwest weather, we could see blooms and warmer temps within the week…or not! 

My husband and I are impatient for spring, as it has been trying to make up its mind for weeks.    We’ve been teased with warm days here and there–just enough to leave us wanting more.  Then, the thermometer drops again and shorts and T-shirts are put on hold.

How quickly we forget that the trees are certain to fill with foliage and the grass will soon need to be cut.   It is the waiting we need to put into perspective.  Eventually, we’ll get tired of cutting the grass and I’ll wish I appreciated the expectation of spring.

World War II Love Story

My Father joined the Navy and was stationed in the South Pacific during World War II.  While serving on Guam and Saipan, he kept a daily journal.  I was fascinated to read his accounts of basic training, dancing at the U.S.O., shipping out from crippled Pearl Harbor, and repairing damaged bombers in the arena of war. 

He spoke of hopeful rumors of peace talks…then recorded his disappointment when the rumors were proved false.  Peace talks began in earnest when the bombs were dropped on the Japanese mainland.  It was another three months after the war ended, however,  before  he shipped home.

Using my Father’s diary accounts and time line, I created a fictional novel weaving a story of love and loss from the past into a love story in the present.  The resolution of both stories is intertwined with providence and destiny, and a healthy dose of history repeating itself. 

The present day story line is set in Door County, Wisconsin, the Cape Cod of the Midwest.   My current book is entitled Timeless and is the fourth novel in my Door County love story series.

Can a love lost in the past be redeemed in the future?  Love is for now and forever…love is Timeless.