Blog Post
Fall Leaves: Five Ways to Say Goodbye
by Debbie G.
The City of Ann Arbor Fall Leaf Management Guide offers five ways to manage leaves this fall:
-Mulching
-Compostable pickup
-Compost at home
-Free Leaf Drop-off @ Ann Arbor Compost Center
-Free Leaf Drop-off @ Recycle Ann Arbor
Grab a Rake, Help a Neighbor . . .
Neighborhood Senior Services is coordinating its 35th annual fall chore day on a Saturday, in mid-November from 10-2. Volunteers sign up online by Oct 31 at www.nssweb.org and assist raking leaves, checking smoke alarms, and helping seniors throughout Washtenaw County. 734.712.7775. Groups, individuals, and families are welcome to participate.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #284
by muffy
Once in awhile, a book comes along and moves you so unexpectedly that you keep thinking about it long after you'd turned the last page. Vanessa Diffenbaugh's debut The Language of Flowers * (being released today) is as memorable as anything I have read of late.
32 foster homes, 18 years of abuse, neglect and disappointment fail to prepare Victoria Jones for life on her own after being emancipated from the California foster-care system. Squatting in the local park is dangerous but it allows her to care for the personal garden she secretly (and illegally) cultivates. Flowers and their language she understands. People she avoids.
When a local florist discovers Victoria's gift with flowers, she offers her a job and soon her talent is in demand as word gets around that her bouquets have the ability to transform and affect change. All the while, Victoria guards her solitude - until a mysterious vendor at the flower market marks her with his own unique offerings, the meaning of which sends Victoria to the San Francisco Public Library, and forces her to come to terms with a secret that haunts her.
Readers wanting to learn more about the symbolic language of flowers would be pleased to find a glossary included at the back of the book. Or check out The Language Of Flowers : Symbols And Myths by Marina Heilmeyer and Kate Greenaway's definitive The Illuminated Language Of Flowers.
Readers might try She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb for another moving, character-driven, bittersweet, coming-of-age story of grief and self-acceptance. In Julie Orringer's debut collection How to Breathe Underwater: stories we meet young protagonists trapped in awkward, painful situations who discover surprising reserves and wisdom in themselves.
* = Starred review (and one on NPR)
Blog Post
2011 Nichols Arboretum Peony Festival
by hamiltonb
It's almost time to stop and smell the peonies at the Arboretum! The Peony Gardens will be in bloom during this year's Peony festival June 4th to June 12th, and there's lots to see and do. Peonies will be available for sale on June 4th and 5th, with proceeds benefiting the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum. There will be live music Saturday June 4th from 11 to 1pm, and guided lunchtime tours at noon June 4th through June 10th. Click here for the official event listing, where you can learn about the festival's Peony Photo Contest, more about the Peony Garden, hours and directions for the Arboretum, and more! Want to start your own flower garden? Check out the AADL's flower gardening resources!
Blog Post
Teen (and Parent) Magazine Update -- Home Schooling, Conspiracy Theorists and Luchador Socks
by MariaK
As winter and spring duke it out for supremacy, a beautiful new collection of magazines has blossomed in our teen room. Check out these lovely flowers:
For Teens:
Audrey -- All about Actress Olivia Munn, plus an article on the presence of Asian-Americans in mainstream TV shows.
ESPN Magazine -- See athletes strut their stuff in this special Style Report, in more ways then one, plus Derrick Rose shows off his luchador socks.
Rolling Stone -- Where else can you see Snooki, rock star Sammy Hagar and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in the same place? Plus, 2011's coolest new faces.
Sorry, parents, I've only got one magazine for you this time, but it's a good one:
Home Education Magazine has ideas on teaching your kids about gardening and food, as well as a list of books for Women's History Month!
Get out your umbrella and come check out these cool magazines!
Blog Post
Learn to Mulch Leaves and Win a Lawnmower - Now That's an Event!
by Debbie G.
Tired of raking and bagging those fall leaves? Come to the City of Ann Arbor's leaf mulching demo on Sunday, Oct. 10, 1:00 p.m. ~ 2:30 p.m. at Wheeler Park and learn several ways to mulch those nutrient-rich leaves. There will be cider, donuts, and kid activities. Carpenter Brothers Hardware will be demonstrating lots of cool ways to use mulching mowers and then at 2 p.m. .... the big drawing for a new Lawn Boy mulching mower. Wow! Winning a lawn mower will more than make up for losing to the Spartans on Saturday, right?
Blog Post
Compost Can Change Your Life
by Debbie G.
Your garden will grow better, your grass will be greener, your plants prettier with certified City of Ann Arbor compost. Need a lot? Then the bulk sale is for you. Bring your truck to the Platt Road Compost Center. Need just a bushel or two? Then head to the Recycle Ann Arbor Drop-off Station. Pick up a copy of A Little Piece of Earth: How to Grow Your Own Food in Small Spaces at AADL and your table will be plentiful next year.
Blog Post
This Saturday is the Homegrown Festival
by manz
That’s right! Are you ready for local food, local beverage, local live music, and good times? You’ll find it at the 3rd annual Homegrown Festival this Saturday, from 6pm – 11pm in the Kerrytown market area. The festival aims to promote awareness of local foods, farmers, resources, food security, and community support. There will be heirloom tomato tasting, kids activities, chef demos, non-profit booths, a silent auction, games, and more. Check out the website for full schedule, including a list of the fabulous food vendors. For more local food love keep an eye on 2011’s Local Food Summit, and keep in mind that September is Local Food Month!
Blog Post
Check Out a Museum Adventure Pass!
by monkk
Looking for something fun and free to do now that the kids are out of school? Come to any of our branches and check out a Museum Adventure Pass! There are over 30 museums you can visit, and the passes admit 2 or 4 depending on where you're headed. A new participant this year is the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where you can participate in a wealth of activities and resources for families, gardening enthusiasts, hikers, birders, scientists, volunteers and students - or to those simply seeking an escape into nature.
Blog Post
The Urban Homestead
by manz
The urban homestead: your guide to self-sufficient living in the heart of the city, by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, features a wealth of information for eco-conscious city dwellers looking to do their own food harvesting and preserving and get involved in urban homesteading. Recently released is also a revised and expanded edition of the book that features new projects. For further information, the authors also maintain an excellent blog (The Homegrown Evolution) for those interested in this topic.
The Urban Homestead focuses on how to depend less on big box living and features ways of living a more self-sufficient life by growing your own food, saving energy or producing your own, preserving food, all while living in an urban area with limited land.
Blog Post
Dig these historical gardens
by amy
Over the years local historian Grace Shackman has written about the history of gardens and gardening in Ann Arbor. In May 2001, she covered the history of UM's botanical gardens. She also wrote about the history of garden shows in Ann Arbor from 1926-1941; antique plant specialist, Scott Kunst; and Carl Weinberg's famous Peony Garden.
This weekend Matthaei Botanical Gardens holds their 30th Annual Spring Plant Sale and Fundraiser and next weekend, the Dexter Garden Club will offer plants for sale at the gazebo in Dexter's Monument Park.