FOR YOUR HEALTH: Innovative Technology Improves Patient Experience For Women Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment

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(NAPSI) — A mother, a sister, a friend…many of us know someone who has been touched by breast cancer, the most common cancer among women, affecting an astonishing one in eight women in the United States.

Thanks to technological advances in detection and new treatment approaches, women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer can opt to keep their breast with less invasive surgery and with breast-conserving treatments. In fact, the American Cancer Society estimates that 59 percent of women with an early breast cancer diagnosis (Stage 1 or 2) undergo breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) versus 36 percent of women who decide to have a total mastectomy. Research has shown that breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy is as effective as a mastectomy in decreasing the risk of local cancer recurrence for most women*.

“One way that breast-conserving surgery is now easier is due to a new innovation in breast cancer treatment—SAVI SCOUT® Radar Localization. This resolves one of the most difficult aspects of breast conservation surgery by eliminating the need to place a wire inside of the breast tissue to locate a tumor,” said Dr. Barry Rosen, Chairman of Department of Surgery at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago; and Assistant Professor, University of Illinois College of Medicine. “Many of my patients who have undergone a procedure with SCOUT® are impressed with the benefits, including shorter procedure times and decreased anxiety.”

Prior to 2015, surgeons generally relied on wire localization to locate a tumor during a lumpectomy procedure. With wire localization, a radiologist guides a thin, hooked wire through the skin and into the tumor on the day of surgery. The surgeon then uses the wire to identify the area of tissue targeted for removal. This resulted in long days of surgery for women, with two procedures performed on the same day. With SCOUT, a tiny reflector, the size of a grain of rice, is placed at the tumor site at any time during the patient’s treatment and well in advance of surgery.

The SCOUT Wire-Free Radar Breast Localization System uses safe, nonradioactive, radar technology to provide real-time and precise surgical guidance during the surgery.

The ability to precisely locate tumors increases the probability of complete cancer removal and reduces the likelihood of needing follow-up surgery, allowing any additional treatments to occur sooner. In addition, the ability to strategically plan the incision may result in better cosmetic outcomes.

SCOUT is also used to effectively localize lymph nodes and tumors prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy administered prior to surgery) and can be used with any type of imaging over the course of a patient’s care. More than 350 hospitals have implemented the SCOUT System, and to date, over 45,000 women have had a wire-free localization experience.

Learn More

If you would like to learn more about SAVI SCOUT or the SCOUTCare™ program, visit www.ciannamedical.com.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: T-shirt sayings and confessions

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by Debbie Walker

I was not going to do anymore of the T-shirt sayings, honestly I didn’t think there could be anymore out there. Wrong! A couple of them are my all-time favorites. Hope you find a favorite, so far that seems to have be this one: “Training your wife is like trying to baptize your cat!” Let’s see if any of these make you smile.

Physically I’m here; mentally I’m in a galaxy far away.
It’s a beautiful day. I think I’ll skip my meds and stir things up a bit.
I can’t play stupid with you. You’re too good at it.
Mister Rodgers did not adequately prepare me for the people in my neighborhood.
I had my patience tested, I’m negative.
Whew that was close, almost had to socialize.
Crazy is like diarrhea, you can only hold it in for so long.
Keep talking. I’m diagnosing you.
Once in a while someone amazing comes along. Here I am.
Daddio of the Patio
A little gray hair is a small price to pay for all this wisdom!
75 percent of my brain capacity is wasted on song lyrics.
My Bucket List: 1. Keep Breathing
Pretty sure I’m going to be one of those senior citizens who bites everyone.
PUNK: Professional Uncle No Kids
Fun Fact: Alcohol increases the size of the send button by 86 percent.
Life is too short to waste time matching socks.
Okay, so maybe there are more than a couple of new ones I really appreciated:
Hello, Yes. I’d like a refund on my body… It’s kinda defective and really expensive.
Tomorrow – A mythical land where I get all my stuff done. (Just way too true).
Okay now for my two top favorites!
I’m more confused than a chameleon in a bag of Skittles
*** Go Braless …. It will pull the wrinkles out of your face!***

The response to my column last week, about collections, certainly hit home with a lot of people. Ken, my significant other, also found out he was not alone in questioning the ‘hoarding’ possibility. I did make a reference to my having a lot of interests. So next you will probably find out more than you will need to continue to support Ken.

I have wigs!! Some I really enjoy and wear often. There are many others that I save just for wearing to school in some of the stories I ‘act out’ for the kids or for a holiday like green for St Patrick’s Day, red or pink for Valentine’s Day, etc. Some of those my mom actually bought!

I have junk jewelry, when I buy some new piece of clothing I can usually come home and pull out earrings to match. I have been collecting those for at least 50 years! (Man I am getting OLD). In the past few years I have added watches, rings, and the list goes on. I also buy it cheap to take apart and make something else for gifts. I have been known to buy earrings to paint different colors; I use nail polish for colors!

Books, as I mentioned last week, play a big part in my clutter. Books about fairies, Native American nations, kids’ books, my collection of Farmer’s Almanacs, clothes, and the list goes on, really. I am sure you are getting a clear picture and I am running out of this week’s words.

I’m just curious how much you will confess to collecting. Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com with questions, comments and confessions!

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Musician: Louis Armstrong; Composer: Berlioz

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Louis Armstrong

Early Satch
Philips 429739BE, 45 ep, extended play, Holland release. Originally 78s from 1927-1928.

Louis Armstrong

Four sides from the group known as the Louis Armstrong Hot Five are contained in this mid-’50s Dutch Philips reissue. All were recorded in Chicago; two done in May,1927 with the others in December, 1928. Several highest quality instrumentalists joined Satchmo and his second wife, pianist and singer Lil Armstrong (they duet back and forth in the classic That’s When I’ll Come Back to You).

Fatha Hines does piano turns in Chicago Breakdown and Basin Street Blues. Kid Ory’s trombone, Johnnie St. Cyr’s banjo, Don Redman’s alto sax and Baby Dodds’s and Zutty Singleton’s drums blend their unique sounds, adding to the cornet and trumpet notes that leader Armstrong mastered so thoroughly and beautifully. And the 4th track, Tight like This, is in a class of its own.

Berlioz

Harold in Italy
Violist Guenther Breitenbach with Rudolf Moralt conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra; Vox Pantheon 6700, mono LP, recorded 1950.

Hector Berlioz

Composer Hector Berlioz wrote this Symphony with viola obbligato for his friend, violin virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini. The violinist then rejected the music because it wasn’t flashy enough for him and his constant need to show off his technique. However the work has become a huge favorite since its 1834 premiere.

This oldish, antique performance and recording is very good for its time and one eloquent listening experience in its individual musicality. I bought it in 2002 for $2 at the now gone annex of the NYC Tower records at Fourth and Broadway and played it several times since then. The late Harold C. Schon­berg’s annotations are astute and engaging.

Bluebloods

Tom Selleck

I have watched the first three episodes of this show’s 8th season on Netflix, where I enjoyed the previous seven seasons immensely. Tom Selleck, as the New York City police commissioner Frank Reagan, heads a superb cast of regulars who keep the story lines moving along.

 

 

 

SOLON & BEYOND: Many craft fairs going on this time of year

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning my friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

Don’t forget about the Solon Congregational Craft Fair on this Saturday, November, 10, at the Solon Elementary School from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Lots of these fairs going on at this time of year. There will be another one on Friday, November 9, put on by the Redington Fairview General Hospital, in Skowhegan, from 8 a.m.until 4 p.m., in the Main Lobby and the MOB (Medical Office Building lobby). There will be numerous vendors, holiday decorations, goodies, miscellaneous food items, handcrafted items: knit, crocheted, sewn, canned, painted, baked… list goes on. Jewelry, floral arrangements and more. There will be a raffle also.

The next Embden Historical Society event is scheduled for Monday, November 12, at 5:30 p.m., for a potluck meal; 6:30 p.m. business meeting and 7 p.m. Yankee Swap. Please bring a casserole or salad to pass and a $5 unisex gift wrapped and enjoy the good food, fun and fellowship. Plates, plasticware, yeast rolls, dessert and drinks will be provided.

The 2019 programs will be available to pass out at that time. Please come by to pick up yours.

The Embden Community Center will be hosting a complete Thanksgiving meal at 5 p.m., on Saturday, November 10. Donations will be welcome.

It was a sad day on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, when the doors closed at the old Solon Methodist Church as a Thrift Shop and Food Cupboard.

I went there on that day and walked in and asked Linda French, (who is my niece and knows me very well,) if I could ask one request? I could almost see her heart beating rapidly as I asked, but she calmly answered, “Yes, if you promise not to cry!” And then I followed Linda up that beautiful, ancient, old, curving stairway up to what was the worship area for many, many years…. and don’t tell Linda, but my eyes watered a bit on that trip! We stood and talked of some of our memories in that special old building. I had joined the Solon Congregational Church in that building over 60 years ago when we moved down from Flagstaff. When we moved, I had been given a letter from the Flagstaff Congregational Church, saying that I had been a member there.

And now for Percy’s memoir, (he died two years ago today):

Remember what’s Most Important…

It’s not having everything go right; it’s facing whatever goes wrong.
It’s not being without fear; it’s having the determination to go on in spite of it.
What is most important is not where you stand, but the direction you’re going in.
It’s more than never having bad moments; it’s knowing you are always bigger than the moment.
It’s believing you have already been given everything you need to handle life.
It’s not being able to rid the world of all its injustices; it’s being able to rise above them.
It’s the belief in your heart that there will always be more than bad in the world.
Remember to live just this one day and not add tomorrow’s troubles to today’s load.
Remember that every day ends and brings a new tomorrow full of exciting new things.
Love what you do, do the best you can, and always remember how much you are loved.

(words by Vickie M. Worsham.)

SOLON & BEYOND: News from Embden Community Center; thrift shop moves in Solon

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Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

This is one of those weeks when I only have one item of real news to share with you, and on top of that, it’s one of those rainy, foggy days we’ve had so many of lately! But don’t get down and discouraged and stop reading, this is some very important information about what’s going on in Embden at their Embden Community Center.

Their regular events are:

Neighbor to Neighbor Thrift Shop/Lending Library, 10 a.m. -12:30 p.m., Wed. and 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

Suppers: 5 p.m., on the second Sat. each month, except December.

Country Sunday: 1 – 4 p.m., second and fourth Sunday, by donation.

Sewing class: 1 0 a.m. – noon on Wednesdays.

Weight Watchers: 5 – 6 p.m., on Wednesdays. Come in and sign up, new members excepted.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 10:30-11:30 a.m., on Wednesdays.

Community Center meetings: 6:30 p.m., on Thursdays prior to the second Saturday Supper.

Yoga: 6:30 p.m. ( 1 hour). Bring your mat, etc., second Sat.

If you have any questions, contact Wayne at 474-1065.

They will be serving a Complete Thanksgiving meal starting at 5 p.m., on Saturday, November 10. Donations welcome.

My very many thanks go out to Carol Dolan for sharing the Embden news with us, she is one of my most faithful friends to do so!

Just a little more about the weather before I get to more pleasant things, and I hope I’m not stirring up some people by doing so! But I have a question for all you weather experts, “Do you believe that caterpillars can forecast what the weather is going to be like this winter?” Old time legends say it depends on how wide the stripe is on their back as to how much snow we will get this winter, the wider the stripe, means the more snow we will get……I sure hope that is not true, because I saw a pretty little fella recently that had a really long stripe covering his whole body, except for black on both ends of him!

I am so very sorry to tell you of this very sad news that I just received from Linda French, of Solon, who has been running the Solon Thrift Shop. On Saturday, October 31, 2018, will be the last day that it will be open at the old Methodist Church, on Pleasant Street, in Solon. (I’m going to have to read my cheerful words over again myself, I could cry after hearing that bad news! But there was nothing that could be done to keep it at that place on Pleasant Street. And so after about two weeks of moving all of the items to 46 South Main Street, in Solon, it will be opening again! I admire Linda’s courage immensely! Keep watch this column for more news.

Now I’m going to let Percy’s memoirs have more space this week, so you will be happier after reading them, from what I’ve heard, I think that’s why some of you read this column!! The following one comes from a book entitled, “Don’t Ever Give Up Your Dreams.” It’s natural to feel disappointed when things don’t go your way, It’s easy to think…”I can’t do it, so why try?” But no matter how scared you are of making a mistake or how discouraged you may become, never give up… because if you don’t try and if you don’t go after what you want in life , it won’t come to you, and you’ll be forced to accept things you know could be better… Success is not measured by whether you win or whether you fail— there’s always a little bit of success , even if things don’t go your way — What’s important is that you’ll feel better about yourself, for the simple reason that you tries. (words by Amanda Pierce)

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Thoughts for the year

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by Debbie Walker

Once again I got involved with reading a few of my Farmers’ Almanacs. I have ordered some of the older issues because I enjoy them all and the words carry such wisdom. I am going to list these to hopefully give us thoughts on this past year and our future years.

One can complain because rosebushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.

Smiling is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it in one spot.

People with weak arguments have to develop strong voices (I think of politics).

Why do shipments go by car and cargos go by ship? (I love these things!)

You can never make the same mistake twice because the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake, it’s a choice.

You don’t have to attend every argument you’re invited to.

The trouble with being a good sport is you have to lose in order to prove it.

An auction is a place where if you aren’t careful, you’ll get something for nodding.

The quickest way to kindle a fire is to rub two opposing opinions together. (yes, I am again thinking politics!)

Compassion has no limit. Kindness has no enemy.

Don’t press your luck, you might pop it!

When you find a stumbling block, use it as a stepping stone.

There is no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.

A relaxed mind is a creative mind. (not sure I agree with that one.)

The best way to forget your own problem is to help someone else with his or hers. (we often find ours wasn’t quite as bad as we thought.)

Age is the price of wisdom.

Undertake no more than you can perform (words from 1887, I hope this one sticks with me.)

It is bad manners to be more polite to your neighbor’s wife than to your own (or the rest of your family) words from 1904.

When drink enters, wisdom departs (1886).

Honesty is the best policy. The reason we don’t hear more about it is probably because it has expired. (Teach the policy anyway, that makes you unique.)

Be careful of your thoughts: they may break into words at any time. (1966)

Don’t be too anxious to give your children what you didn’t have, as you might neglect to give them what you did have.

When you point the fingers at others, you are pointing three at yourself! (Politics!)

If you’d like to have some company, just leave your house messy. (unwritten law!)

In diagnosing the illness of society, many are willing to write the prescription, but few are willing to take the medicine.

The past is precious; the future is fantasy; the present is priceless.

The new year lies before you like a spotless track of snow; be careful how you tread on it, for every mark will show.

Live your life as an exclamation(!) not an explanation.

These PHILOSOFACTS are from Farmers’ Almanac from 2017, 2018, 2013 and 2001. Please enjoy their website, FarmersAlmanac.com. I’m just curious if you enjoy the Farmers’ Almanac as much as I do. Please let me know at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Don’t forget we are online, too. (P.S.: I did make the comments at the end of some.) There is a great New Year headed our way!

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Composer: Bartok; Musician: Sidney Bechet; Comedians: Jonathan Winters & Dean Martin

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Bartok

Divertimento; 5 Chants for Children’s Chorus and Orchestra; 12 Miniatures for Orchestra
Vassil Kazandjiev conducting the Sofia Chamber Orchestra, with the Bodra Smyana Children’s Chorus directed by Liliana Bocheva singing the five chants – Balkanton/Harmonia Mundi HMB 103, stereo LP, released early 1980s.

Vassil Kazandjiev

Also a noted Bulgarian composer and now 84, Vassil Kazandjiev conducts these very fine performances and recording of three Bela Bartok compositions, the haunting, eloquent 1939 Divertimento for strings; the earlier Five Songs for Children’s Chorus and Orchestra and the Twelve Miniatures for Orchestra. All of these add up to a solid program of three works of the great Hungarian composer (1881-1945).

I have CDs of Kazandjiev conducting the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique and Beatrice and Benedict Overture and the Brahms 1st Piano Concerto with Ivan Drenikov, soloist, all three very well-conducted.

The Best of Sidney Bechet

18 sides for Alfred Lion’s Blue Note label, 1939-1953.

Sidney Bechet

The brilliant clarinet and soprano saxophone player Sidney Bechet, 1897-1959, recorded such classic standards as Summer­time, St. Louis Blues, Muskrat Ramble, All of Me, etc., included on this Blue Note CD transfer reissue with guitarist Teddy Bunn, pianists Meade Lux Lewis and Art Hodes, drummer Sid Catlett and trumpeter Jonah Jones among the sidemen working with Bechet.

Jonathan Winters and Dean Martin

At the Bar: 12-minute comedy YouTube from the 1970s Dean Martin Show.

Dean Martin

Jonathan Winters

The late comedians, Dean Martin as the bartender of his own nightclub, and Jonathan Winters as four characters with different personalities and voices, one of them an 86-year-old lady. Dino works with a script while Winters is totally unpredictable, with nobody ever knowing what he is going to say and do. As the old lady, she comments on her figure as an “uprooted rubber plant.” In the sketch of the grieving relative driving 2,500 miles that day to attend the burial service of a step-cousin dropped in an open grave wearing only poker dot trunks, he laments the inconsiderate behavior of his only heir, a 15-pound tomcat receiving $4,000, as not even bothering to attend the funeral.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Four Ideas For Health Care Planning In Retirement

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(NAPSI) — The Employee Benefit Research Institute estimates that a typical 65-year-old couple will spend a total of $265,000 in health care costs over the remainder of their lives. This staggering amount of money has the potential to derail even the best-laid retirement plans.

Vanguard and Mercer recently developed a new framework, “Planning for Health Care Costs in Retirement,” that identifies practical tips for forecasting your health care expenses. Here are four top ideas:

  1. Personalize health care costs. Start by understanding how your health history and current health status will influence expenses. Even your geographic location, marital status and age at retirement will impact your forecasts.
  2. Plan for long-term care. This is a tough one to assess because half of retirees won’t even incur these costs, but on the other end of the spectrum, 15 percent of retirees will spend more than $250,000. Consider potential long-term care options, such as unpaid care from family and less-expensive available facilities.
  3. Create a hedge in your budget for other expenses. Research shows that retirement spending in virtually all categories other than health care tends to decline with age. By forecasting steady spending in other expense areas, you may create a buffer in your budget to deal with rising health care expenses.
  4. Forecast costs in annual spending. There are so many variables involved in estimating health care costs in retirement that trying to plan around a total lifetime budget can be overwhelming. Experts recommend that you focus on annual spending plans instead, provided that you understand costs will rise as you age.

For seniors who are struggling to find cash in their retirement budgets to offset unexpected health care expenses, it may be a good idea to take stock right now of all your assets. Many seniors are surprised to learn that one potential asset for generating immediate cash is a life insurance policy.

You should review your life insurance policy from time to time and determine whether or not it’s still needed. A life insurance policy is considered your personal property, so you have the right to sell it anytime you like. When a consumer sells a policy—something called a “life settlement” transaction—the policy owner receives a cash payment and the purchaser of the policy assumes all future premium payments, then receives the death benefit upon the death of the insured. Candidates for life settlements are typically aged 70 years or older, with a life insurance policy that has a death benefit of at least $100,000.

If you own a life insurance policy you no longer need or can afford, you may be able to generate immediate cash to pay your health care expenses by selling that policy for immediate cash.

To learn more about life settlements, visit www.LISA.org or call the LISA office today at 888-921-3793.

COMMUNITY COMMENTARY: Where are all the employees? – “No one wants to work”

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Gary Kennedyby Gary Kennedy

If you drive around the state of Maine you will notice everywhere, “Now Hiring.” Even on the back door of most tractor trailers you see the words, “Drivers Wanted.” Yet there are those who state there is no work to be found. Well, it is true most of these offers are for non professional, low paying jobs. However, that has changed somewhat because of the laws of supply and demand. Many of the jobs that didn’t pay much yesterday are very attractive today. Companies need employees so direly they are opting to offer a very nice wage compared to yesterday’s standards. Teachers should be researching this area for the future of their students.

This article and research was prompted by my recent visit to Sears at Cook’s Corner, in Brunswick. I brought my vehicle there for a tire check and rotation. I noticed there was only one person working in the garage. I spoke with the manager, Jeff Perkins, and asked him what was going on with his labor force. He replied, “No one wants to work and those who do want more than we can pay. They know that they can work out of their garage and make more money and at the same time, be their own boss.” There is some freedom in that persuasion; you can work your own hours and at your own speed, and at the same time you get to keep all the money and pay no taxes. There are a couple of things wrong here; one, you aren’t paying your share of taxes and, two, you are interfering with the balance of things.

Maine has a depleted work force as it is. My two sons are Master Masons, living in Florida, as they can live in a nice weather situation and they can make far more money there than they can here. My daughter was head chef at a restaurant in the resort area of the mountains of Idaho. Now she owns a gourmet restaurant with her husband. My boys and daughter have employees and pay taxes somewhere else. I miss them, but I understand why they left Maine. In my opinion, in Maine we should have learned some good lessons by now with the advent of a forest rich state with paper and lumber mills closing. Also, look at textiles, we had so many factories producing leather products, cloth and clothing as well as shoes, etc.; where have they gone?

They are only memories now with Maine becoming a medical service state with computer overtones. Everyone seems to want to be a geek and not a mechanic, carpenter, electrician, plumber or machinist. What’s happening and how do we change it? I interviewed Rick Larrabee, a part owner in Mid Coast Calibration Company, which is a machine shop. He stated he travels all over the country and everyone is in dire need of machinists, and they pay a professional wage, with benefits.

One of the lowest paying jobs is companies such as Dunkin’ Donuts at $10 per hour to start. There are some construction flaggers being paid $12 to $15 per hour. The benefits aren’t there but the wage is and growing because of the lack and quality of applicants. We must teach that benefits and the future are very important to those of the future work force.

Retail stores are starting at $10 to $11 per hour. These wages are much higher than a couple of years ago. Good for a second job but no benefits. We also need to think about our time with family.

I had the pleasure of meeting a very innovative administrator at Capital Technical School, Jim Holland. He graciously agreed to speak with me. Although they are having great success with their students it remains to have limited enrollment in proportion to state needs. There are 26 tech schools in this area. But in my opinion the numbers are far too small for our needs. Classes are only 10 to 15 students at a time. Enrollment is down slightly from the norm to 388 students. Everything is based on populations; which is another area for review. Maine has tittered around a population of a million and a half people for decades now. We are losing our children/grandchildren to another state that pays more; we need to learn to be more competitive.

We also need to vote and know who we are voting for, and what they really stand for. That can only be done by searching their history. We have so many kids running for office when we need to be looking for maturity and experience as well as their previous track record.

Well, I’ll leave that part of it up to my readers and the parents who influence the children’s direction. Just remember there is a very large market out there in the trades and we need that badly. Those kinds of jobs now pay more than many jobs we consider professional and offer benefits. It takes a pretty smart person to plumb a house or wire one. Think about it!

Now is really the time to think about your vote. When I think of Harvard, for example, I think of billionaire Bill Gates who dropped out to become the founder of Microsoft; also Steve Jobs, loved by millions, known for Xerox applications and the IPods, phone industry, a billionaire, who also dropped out of Reed College his first year.

You can be who and what you want without the Ivy League touch. That charisma is dying. I never regretted my educational path and I wasn’t rich, so no Harvard, just the university system and military schools. This election year, please vote and choose wisely. You can find the answers in your computers or at your local library. Be part of it all; your children’s futures and our state of Maine are at stake. God bless.

Community Commentary is a forum The Town Line makes available for citizens to express their opinions on subjects of interest to our readers. The Town Line welcomes, and encourages, supportive comments, differing opinions, counterpoints or opposing views. Keep the rebuttals positive, and informative. Submissions containing personal attacks will be rejected.

GARDEN WORKS – Distracted gardening: How to cope when you can’t tend to the garden

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Emily Catesby Emily Cates

Dear readers and garden friends, I’m sure you’re wondering where I’ve been the past few months. Well, I’ve been caring for a family member with a prolonged illness. Truth be told, I haven’t had a chance to write until now. Anyone with their hands full understands it’s not always easy to garden (or write about gardening) when you’re busy!

However, I’ve had plenty of time to think about what to write, and this article is just about that – gardening on the go, when there’s not a lot of time and energy to do so. Let’s take a look at some helpful hints that can get us through the season when we’re unable to be there in the garden as much as we’d like to be. Among a few ideas we’ll explore are mulching, delegating, and preparing for next year.

First of all, always remember that Nature will go on regardless of what we are able to do ourselves. Many noteworthy gardens of times past have been abandoned and rediscovered. Most importantly, it helps to think of ourselves as part of a bigger picture. It’s the bigger picture that can help put things into perspective and not get discouraged.

Even if we don’t get a chance to do anything and the garden goes completely wild, what’s the worst that can happen? Look on the bright side: the land gets to rest. The soil will likely retain a measure of richness. Yes, weeds will grow and form offspring, but can always be removed at a later time. In many cases, the area could simply be mowed over, the soil underneath waiting patiently for future activities.

Countless times this season I’ve found it necessary to take deep breaths and to tell myself, “Begin again.” Remember you are in good company with others throughout all times and realms who could use encouragement. Don’t hesitate to accept assistance if someone offers to help! Oftentimes I’ve found the best memories I’ve had gardening were helping others with their gardens, or when they’ve helped me with mine. The fellowship in such a space outdoors can bring joy to all involved and make each day easier to deal with.

From a practical viewpoint, mulching is one of the best options to keep the soil workable when garden work is on pause. It’s what Nature does on its own, after all. This can be accomplished by living mulches – such as ground-covers and cover crops – or by adding layers of materials such as straw, plain newspaper, untreated cardboard, and the like. Tin roofing, old rugs, and garden fabrics do the job as well (albeit on the unsightly side). Either way, weeds are suppressed and the soil ready to be turned next time it is convenient.

Also, remember that a garden need not be exclusive. If we are unable to work in the garden, then perhaps we could share it with someone else who would also benefit from taking care of it, happy to maintain it and grow some veggies for us and themselves. And if it looks like our garden is a good candidate for becoming a legacy, then what better way than to pass this legacy along to a new generation? What better way to show gratitude to the land that sustains us than to keep it sustained?

Well, thanks for reading. I hope your season is as productive as possible, your harvest happy and abundant. Your feedback is certainly appreciated, so if you have any helpful ideas, hints, and even recipes, feel free to comment on our website or Facebook page – or send us a good old-fashioned letter!