Ep 186. Merry Season of Memories

Mary Stone reflects on Christmas memories, decorating her holiday garden, including her brother’s and Ellie's Memorial trees, and protecting broadleaf evergreens from dehydration that causes winter burn.

She reminisces about her late dogs Sara and Ellie and shares her Merry Season of Memories continuing traditions with Jolee.

While we long for years gone by, Mary encourages you to go home for Christmas in your most beautiful memories and dreams. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
 
Thanks for tuning in!

Related Posts and Podcasts you’ll enjoy:  

Merry Season of Memories - Blog Post

Ep 86. The Revival of an American Holly
Holiday Decorating Reflections - Blog Post

Ep 37. Merry Season of Love Over Fear
Merry Season of Love Over Fear - Blog Post

I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.

You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.
Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

Ep 186 Merry Christmas Memories
Sat, Dec 21, 2024 11:22AM • 9:25
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Christmas memories, garden decorations, snowy yard, evergreen protection, dog tricks, holiday traditions, memorial trees, rhododendron care, Japanese forest grass, wreath hanging, holiday reminiscence, new beginnings, family gatherings, seasonal reflections
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:26
Hello there. It's Mary Stone and welcome to the screen porch. It's kind of cold out here, but a beautiful sunny day, and we had an inch and a half of snow that was a surprise earlier in the week, and it brought such joy, and it has melted by now, but it was a pleasant run around the yard I'm going to share with you. It was a wet snow and that coated the evergreens and branches. Such a lovely scene to wake up to inspiring me to get out there and decorate the weeping Hemlock my brother's Memorial tree and Ellie's Memorial American Holly with shatter proof Christmas ornaments that look like the classic, delicate, shiny kind. While doing so, I thought about a story from years ago that I'd like to revisit with you today, adding updates about my recent gallivant as we were on the cusp of Christmas and Hanukkah, which begins the same day this year, December 25.

Mary Stone  01:18
But first, thanks to those who reached back after the last episode, Preservation of the Paulinskill and Overcoming Hardships. There will be a sequel to the story, because the topic of dragonflies came up. I look forward to sharing that. But on to Merry Christmas memories, or should it be Christmas reminiscing and new memories unfolding. And it starts like this.

Mary Stone  01:40
Hello, fellow lovers of all things green, miss. Ellie learned to flail her tail by the door where the ribbons of bells hang, making a sound like a reindeer making a landing. The bells are right next to where we stash her biscuits. Ellie's cleverness earns her retreat. Fluffy snow and frigid temps greet us the morning of this write, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This story, by the way, is a scene from 2017 and as we speak, it is December 2024. The ribbons of bells are hung at the same spot, but Jolee, whose tail lacks the feathers that Ellie had, hasn't learned the bell ringing for a biscuit trick. 

Mary Stone  02:17
The fresh snow enticed a quick cross-country ski around the yard, I noticed the rhododendrons curled up leaves, protecting them from transpiration, the water loss from the stomata, the tiny pores on the undersides of the leaves. Thankfully, I sprayed them with anti-transparent to prevent dehydration, which can cause die back and an unsightly period of recovery. And it's not too late to protect your broadleaf evergreens. But wait until the next dry day of over 32 degrees and make sure the foliage is dry before you spray them with a natural resin, such as wilt proof. 

Mary Stone  02:52
Just as I grabbed the shovel to clear the walk, Ellie grabbed a tennis ball from the two sitting in front of the charming golden angel statue below the viburnum that Sara used for a respite spot during hot afternoons, she always played with two balls, which stems from when I had the couple of pups. After Sadie died that tragic Valentine's Day, the two-ball game continued. Getting the portrait I adore of Sara with two balls in her mouth was challenging, just as I'd come out with the camera, she dropped them at my feet before I got the shot. Until that one birthday where she sat below the shagbark hickory, as if to say, okay, Mom, get the photo. It's framed and it sits on the kitchen counter to this day. The angel was a gift I received after Sara passed away. 

Mary Stone  03:41
Ellie's ball playing is sporadic and not nearly as skilled as my ballaholic, but it brings a smile when she brings me one of Sara's balls for a few tosses. I have a photo above my desk of another snow with Ellie dutifully pulling the fuzz off the tennis ball with her paws packed in snow, making it look like she's wearing fuzzy slippers. When I reflect on that moment and look at the photo now, it feels like the two moments in time coming together, as if Sara were passing the ball to Ellie. And now Jollee plays tennis from time to time, but like Ellie, Jolee is not the stellar player Sara was. Chasing squirrels and chipmunks is her thing. We stopped for a pose shot in front of the weeping Hemlock planted in memory of my soulful twin Bill, who passed just before Christmas, 11 years ago. It's hard to imagine how fast time has gone by. They're solace in imagining that Bill and our mama, called home four years after Bill, are now together with dear old dad.  But I miss Christmas caroling behind the piano while visiting them in Florida, as we used to do, and sometimes we take it on the road. Caroling door to door, Bill on guitar.

Mary Stone  04:54
 I decorate the hemlock each year with a big red Christmas ball and adore the portrait of Ellie in front of the tree. I tried encouraging Jolee to pose for the same shot, but she's always on the move, and so I snagged an action shot that I'll add to the post. I love how the weeping hemlocks form compliments the wispy Japanese forest grass planted in the nooks and crannies of the rock garden. It's my favorite ornamental grass, especially dry in the golden glory. Japanese forest, grass doesn't flatten with the weight of the snow, nor requires cutting back the new growth will push out the old. Come spring, you can take a soft rake to help the shedding along. But bringing in the new comes easily, a lesson we can bring to our own garden of life. 

Mary Stone  05:40
After the photo opportunity, I hung a gifted wreath on the front door from dear friends, adorned with Cypress branches, pinecones and sprigs of sage, then moved the undecorated stand in and hung it above the covered foot bridge over the pond, adding a few stems of buried holly to gussy it up. It could use a red bow, but the one I had handy was classified as trash per Curt. It is worn having served many years decorating the wooden sled left behind by the previous owners. I often wonder if the sled is sturdy enough to ride down the front yard, or am I. Then think a rocky landing in the brook below may be too risky. I still have that bow and sometimes sneak it on the wreath between the garages. The history of the years that decked the halls earned its weathered look. Signs of age, just as with people are beautiful, a sign of life well lived. 

Mary Stone  06:35
In episode 86 I shared the revival of an American Holly about Ellie's Memorial tree that dropped all its leaves that first spring, I rallied to fertilize and keep the soil moist, and it came back to life, though lopsided. There's beauty and imperfection. On Monday, while decorating the tree with Jolee, I marveled at how the tree is filling out and wiggly. Jolie sat still for me to take her portrait. Perhaps Ellie encouraged her to do so from above.  I encourage you to listen to that episode. It is such a delight, I think. And so, I will put a link in the show notes. The year before, I planted the holly, a balled and burlap blue spruce was our Christmas tree to serve as Ellie's Memorial tree afterward, and it died as the summer unfolded, a bad dig. Not enough roots were dug when harvested by the grower to support the transplant. Watching Ellie's tree die felt incredibly sad. It was about the anniversary of her passing that I accepted it as gone. So having the leaf drop on the replacement, Mary Holman Holly, added to the sadness, but now it's thriving, a lesson of not giving up hope and providing nourishment and love instead. 

Mary Stone  07:47
But sometimes it's time to say goodbye. All living things return to their source. There is life and no life, and then new beginnings sprout, fed by the nourishment from the generations before, and there is love that never ends or dies. The holiday brings reminiscence that trigger a longing for years gone by. I hope you find comfort in going home for Christmas in your most beautiful memories and dreams, Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Garden Dilemmas. Ask MaryStone.com.  

Mary Stone  08:23
So thank you so much for visiting with me, as you do each time. It's so meaningful to me that you have been tuning in for all these episodes. And I just cannot believe it's the end of the year. It seems to come around so quickly every day that we live is truly a gift. May you have a beautiful season in this merry season of love and share that love with all of those that you come across. That's the greatest gift of all. Thanks again. See you next time on the screen porch. You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at GardenDilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag. Mary Elaine Stone. Garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.