In Praise of Stuff
Books. I just got a copy of Ken Druse’s new book Planthropology. It’s a big, gorgeous coffee table book that explores the cultural history and mythology behind familiar garden plants. His stories about how plants and people intersect will give gardeners something to talk about at cocktail parties now that the election’s over. Monks once made ink from oak galls? The spiral pattern in the interior of a sunflower follows the Fibonacci sequence? Who knew? Any gardener would find this book fascinating; it’s one of those one-size-fits-all gifts.
And if you know a gardener who longs to undertake a construction project in the backyard, consider giving Debra Prinzing’s new book Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways. She visits novelist Amy Bloom’s backyard writing retreat, and describes an awesome glass shed that seems to float above a shallow moat — perfect for dangling your feet on a hot day. We can’t all build an art studio/potting shed/guest cottage in the backyard, but we can dream. It’s a cool book. Check it out. And of course, buy it at your local independent bookseller.
Labor. I was surprised by the number of gardening friends who said that all they wanted this holiday season was a little help. Somebody with some power tools and a little muscle to help build a trellis, repair a fence or haul some rocks. There are very few garden projects that couldn’t use a second pair of hands. And if you’re not handy yourself, take this opportunity to hire the services of some local tradesperson and offer their time as a gift. You’ll be giving somebody in town a day’s work, and you’ll make a gardener very, very happy. And isn’t keeping us happy what it’s all about?
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Today
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Open Gardens
outdoors / 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Humboldt Botanical Gardens, College of the Redwoods, Eureka. Roam the 44-acre fully fenced property. $5. www.hbgf.org. 442-5139.
Organic Gardening Seminar
garden / 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Shafer's Ace Hardware and Garden Center, 2760 E St., Eureka. Free lecture by Duncan McNeill on how to create a healthy environment and healthy soils for your plant’s roots. E-mail shafers@sbcglobal.net. 442-5734.
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