November 20, 2006

Seattle is what everyone told me it would be! It was beautiful and I can only imagine how it looks in the spring when the rhododendrons are blooming. Another trip. Though it was a wonderful destination and would be great place to call home, I have decided to stay in Minnesota. Snowy winters, blooming springs, just the right temperature summers, and amazing fall colors are just right for me. I truly enjoy our southeastern Minnesota landscape. Within a one hour radius of Rochester, I can be in a prairie, surround myself with the beauty of bluff country, go canoeing down many rivers, and enjoy the scenery of numerous parks in the area. The beauty is right outside our backdoor, and I encourage you to spend a bit more time outside.

With Thanksgiving just at the end of the week, it is a wonderful time for me to reflect and give thanks with my family and a few great friends. My family has a 15-year tradition of taking our Thanksgiving meal to a local State Park, where we enjoy each other’s company in a lodge deep in a hardwood forest with a meandering creek nearby. After filling ourselves, we go for an hour walk in the park, whether it is 50 degrees or 20 degrees. It’s tradition to enjoy the Minnesota outdoors, and we enjoy it immensely!

Another tradition of mine is putting up a real Christmas tree. The smell of a great tree filling the house takes my breath away.  I am slowly getting into more decorating for the holidays, especially outdoor pots with spruce tops, dogwood twigs, birch branches, and other colorful branches. Sargent's on 2nd has great ideas for sprucing up my outdoor décor. Just walking around, I’ll find pots already potted up that I just have to set in my existing pots. Fresh flowers and greens are also available there. They are a wonderful addition to the sights and smells of the upcoming holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wendy Jasper
Horticultural Advisor

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