Ice, Snow and Sleet

Posted by Unknown ,

There was so much ice on the car on Friday morning.  It took a long time for it to defrost enough to drive.  I made the trip into work safely since there were many routes to take that didn't involve crossing bridges.  It was a quiet day, just a few calls.  A great time to hide out at the office and get stuff done. Saturday was extremely cold to begin the day and beautiful.  I hung out with at the Farmer's Market and handed out seedlings.  From there Auntie Waste went to winterfest.


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Last of a Beautiful Christmas Cactus ....

Posted by Unknown ,


I Love Christmas Cacti...

But I have never had any success with keeping it blooming through Christmas and alive into the next year to watch it bloom again.  I have several friends who have Christmas Cactus success.  So, before next Christmas I am going to learn the nuances of keeping one alive and getting it to bloom.

As a biologist who took plenty of botany, horticulture and physiology I know the importance of the circadian to the flowering of certain plants.  Until the plant is exposed to the right amount of dark it will not bloom.  Then there is the amount of water a plant needs and putting it in the right soil conditions. Almost seems like it is easier to have a pet than to try to cultivate a particular flowering plant (I know all plants flower - they have to have sex...by flowering I mean a houseplant that has a visually pleasing bloom).

Here are some sites that I want to save and revisit next November when the shops start selling Christmas Cacti...
Have you had success with Christmas Cacti?  If so please share your story with me!

Then maybe we can move onto that pesky poinsettia....





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2014 Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway Continues

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On January 11, 2014 Keep Pearland Beautiful celebrated Arbor Day with an annual tree seedling giveaway.  Over 200 people came by our two locations and picked up seedlings to nurture and grow into trees.  Keep Pearland Beautiful gives away a different assortment of trees and shrubs every year to increase the diversity of trees within the city of Pearland.

We still have seedlings in our office (American Beautyberry, Swamp Chestnut Oak, PawPaw, Pecan, Southern Crabapple, and Laurel Oak).  Information about these trees can be found on our website (www.mykpb.org).  Please come by our offices at 3523 Liberty Dr, Pearland, TX  77581 9AM-3PM Monday through Fridays until January 24, 2014 to get some seedlings.  On January 25, 2014 we will be taking the remaining seedlings to the Farmer’s Market (8AM-Noon in Zychlinski Park 2243 Grand Blvd. Pearland, Texas 77581) to give them away.    

Trees are an essential part of our native landscape and to our ecosystem in general.    They produce the oxygen we breathe and help cool our homes by providing shade.  Trees give us many benefits that can be calculated by complex formulas.  Casey Trees and Davy Tree Expert Companies have developed an online calculator that can tell you the value of a tree on your property.

Basically you just have to know the type of tree and it’s diameter.  The diameter of a tree is typically measured at 4.5 feet high on the tree (about chest high on an average size man).  To calculate the diameter you can measure the circumference at that height with a tape measure and divide that number by pi (3.142).  Then visit the following website (http://www.davey.com/arborist-advice/education/national-tree-benefit-calculator.aspx).

There are several great websites that you can visit to learn more about trees and how to take care of your trees.  

If you have questions regarding your trees, shrubs or flowers, please contact the City of Pearland Urban Forester John Walters at jwalters@ci.pearland.tx.us or 281.652.1983. The Urban Forester is unable to make house calls, but if you would like to send digital photos of your tree questions or concerns, please do so to the email address above. The urban forester is happy to provide the public with pertinent information or provide a program or informational workshop to your group or classroom.



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Pearland Community Garden

Posted by Unknown ,

What an honor! At The Pearland Neighborhood Center's Annual Soup Kitchen Open House on December 14, 2013 our wonderful partners the Pearland Community Gardens received the Good Neighbor of the Year Award.  Lead by our beautification committee chair Cassie Mitchell, the gardens have donated a lot of fresh food (over 1100 pounds) to the center during 2013!  Keep Pearland Beautiful thanks all of the Community Garden Volunteers for everything they do for our community and helping us to make Pearland the most beautiful city in Texas.


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New Year's Eve 2013

Posted by Unknown ,

Hope


Hope for the future!  Hope for better days.  Hope for happiness...

Actually all of these things are in my control.  So, today as the last day of 2013 will be a good day and the first day of better days to come.  It is my hope that everyone take this step.  Towards that goal I am going to work hard to make someone else smile every day.  Doesn't have to be someone I know.  It can be a stranger, a person I pass on the street.  Sometimes all it takes to make someone smile is to simply smile at them.  The key to success is making eye contact and being genuine. 

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Good Cheer

Posted by Unknown ,

Being of good cheer isn't always easy to maintain.  So many things influence your mood on any given day, at a given time.  Other people and the things they say affect how you feel, sometimes more than you would care to admit.  Little things said by the right person can thrill you, lighten your mood and make the day suddenly seem brighter.  Conversely, a single word or phrase from someone can do the opposite.  A smile always brightens my day, it doesn't even matter who smiled at me.  Smiles are infectious.  The more you smile, the easier it is to smile.  A warm genuine smile that reaches your eyes can touch a stranger.  A simple hello and hope that you have a good day will have impacts that you can't measure. Try to be that positive force out there in the world tomorrow.  Keep a smile on your face and say something nice to a stranger.  You never know when those words might be making a huge impact on that stranger and improve their day.

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Community Garden Folks

Posted by Unknown ,

Friday evening started at Mexseaco with the Pearland Chamber Ambassador Party, and then moved to a home where I dropped in on the Community Garden Christmas Party.  These volunteers have worked hard to bring something to Pearland that is an incredible community asset.  In the past year the Community Garden donated more than a 1000 pounds of produce to the Pearland Neighborhood Center.  They recently received an award from the Neighborhood Center for all of their hard work and fresh produce donated! I am so proud to know these folks.  I enjoyed my time at this party.  As much as I like catching up with friends I haven't talked to in a while, I especially enjoyed my time with the youngest of the Mitchell clan. Playing with Corbin reminded me how much fun a little one can be. Bringing back memories of my little ones (26,23,19 and 16 now) so they aren't so little any more, they are still fun in their own ways.

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