beds


I’ve been watching the apple buds, waiting to see swelling begin, waiting for color to start showing. Last week I was excited to finally see a bit of color. Then, snow and overnight lows in the low twenties hit, which is just like last year, when we had no apples. I hope the cold doesn’t kill the blossoms and my apple crop again this year.

Each season brings its joys and its challenges. I’m excited after winter to see the delights of Spring with all the blooming forsythia, flowering plums, daffodils, and other plants displaying their colors. I generally forget the spring problems until suddenly I’m seeing ground squirrels, ants and weeds. All of a sudden, I feel as if I have to hurry to catch up with the pests.

Gov. Steve Sisolak has issued a broad emergency directive ordering, not asking, all non-essential businesses in the state to close effective midnight on Friday, the latest drastic step taken by the state to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Carson Tahoe Health (CTH) is unveiling several “Karma Boxes” (wooden/Plexiglas donation cabinets) at its various locations to house toiletries, first-aid items, and nonperishable foods for those in need, all available at any time and at no cost.

This simple, yet powerful concept is best summed up by its slogan, “If it’s empty, fill it. If you need it, it’s yours.”

I just read an interesting article called “How are gardeners adapting to climate change?” in the British magazine “Gardens Illustrated.” The authors interviewed head gardeners at National Trust properties across the United Kingdom. All the gardeners were seeing effects of climate change such as “floods to drier summers.”

Breezy northeast and east winds may result in another round of blowing dust Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Dust kicked up from nearby dry lake beds may produce localized areas of visibility reduced below 4 miles, including portions of Reno and Carson City.

In recognition of February as American Heart Month, Carson Tahoe Health will be participating in and hosting several educational and awareness events throughout the month.


On and off, on off. That’s what I keep doing with our irrigation and hoses as the daytime temperatures stay warm, but with nighttime temperatures below freezing. On, water; off, open spigots and hoses and drain them. While this is tedious, I am enjoying the beautiful weather.

Wednesday marks 13 years since the opening of the outdoor Labyrinth located at the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center. The unique space was made possible through a generous donation from the Rotary Club of Carson City.

In 2006, under the leadership of past president Rafael Cappucci, the Rotary Club contributed $75,000 to build the Labyrinth, and gave another $200,000 in support of the Cancer Center project over a four-year period.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in downtown Carson City at the corner of Telegraph and Division streets will host its annual Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Items available include hand-crafted notecards, hand-made apparel, accessories, and items for the home. Raggedy Ann dolls and Christmas bears will provide unique gifts.

I have a hero whose name is Rosalind Creasy. This landscape designer coined the phrase “edible landscaping” in her first book, The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping first published in 1982 and updated three times since 2010. Since I first read this book, and her Gardener’s Handbook of Edible Plants, I have dreamed of foodscaping our yard.

Long overdue, there’s a new place in Carson City that will be able to comfortably house visitors — and that means friends and family who want to stay more than a few days in your place — in a comfortable home-like setting. You know what Ben Franklin said about visitors staying more than three days: “Fish and visitors stink after three days.”

Good yard sanitation in the fall is as important to year-long plant health as proper planting, watering, fertilizing and pruning are. This is particularly true for next year’s crop of vegetables and fruit. Remove or cut back all the plants in the vegetable garden that are done for the season.

CARSON CITY — Nevada residents and visitors are invited to celebrate Nevada Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 28 with a “fee-free” day at Nevada’s State Parks. Park fees, including entrance, camping (Saturday night) and boating, where applicable, will be waived at state parks throughout Nevada.

2019 was the inaugural year for the Northern Nevada Gambler 500. What is the Gambler 500 you ask? The Gambler 500 was born from a dream. A dream of giving forgotten, tossed aside and abandoned autos new life and a chance to become legendary.

About this time of year, I find my interest in gardening waning a bit. For one thing, it’s hot. For another, it’s already September and the first frost may not be far off, so why bother. In years past, I reminded people to expect the first frost around September 15 in most areas.

When the families and friends of Lyfe Recovery clients were introduced to the facility, they were sold on the idea that their loved ones would be in a supervised sober environment to help them beat their addictions. However, what Lyfe Recovery turned out to be was a shell, barely meeting the minimum requirements. Unfortunately, for Joe Tummarello, the minimum for his own needs weren’t met during his time at the Carson City based sober-living facility, which allegedly contributed to his death.

On July 25, Joe Tummarello, a long-term client with Carson City-based sober-living facility Lyfe Recovery, passed away at Carson Tahoe Hospital. By all accounts, a month before his death he had been in fine health for a man of 76. He dealt with COPD and needed an oxygen tank to breathe in the high altitude of northern Nevada, but a check-up with his doctors during May of 2019 showed he was nowhere near the brink of death.

However, after being relocated to Carson City from Lyfe Recovery’s Reno facility, Joe’s medication was withheld and he was denied medical intervention after a rapid deterioration of his health, which ultimately, it is alleged, led to his death.

As summer winds down, fall events in Tahoe South are ramping up. And the secret’s out: Fall in Tahoe South is one of the most idyllic times to visit with mild weather, off-season lodging rates, more beach space and numerous events starting Labor Day Weekend.

The University of Nevada has announced that students who were set to be put up in the Argenta Dormitory at the Reno campus will now be relocated to a tower at Circus Circus following the July 5 explosion that destroyed a good amount of the building and left a handful of students with minor injuries.

In addition, the resident dining facility on the first floor of Argenta, in which all dormitory students with paid meal plans eat during the year for most meals, was also damaged and will remain closed for the next academic year.

Since last week, when the State Fire Marshal announced preliminary findings regarding the cause of the explosion that damaged Argenta and Nye Halls on July 5, the University has made significant progress in several areas regarding the students affected, making arrangements for the upcoming Fall 2019 semester and planning for the longer-term. Here are some of the most recent developments:

Demolition began Monday in Yerington at Lyon County's former public safety complex, which was built in 1976 and moved to a new complex in 2013, said County Manager Jeff Page.

Gardener’s heaven! That’s what I feel when I visit a botanical garden. Last week we went to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens at Fort Bragg, California. It’s not simply the plants that put me over the top. It’s seeing what is done with the design: how the textures and shapes go together; how the colors are coordinated for complement and contrast.

There are still six garden beds available for use this season at the Carson City Community Garden for residents who are interested in growing their own vegetables, herbs and flowers.

CARSON CITY — Carson Tahoe Health is proud to announce the completion of a recent renovation to the emergency department triage area. The newly designed space maximizes resources for quick care (testing and treatment) and serves as a monitored, internal waiting area. Newly carpeted and furnished, the triage area was completed and opened to patients just last week.

What the heck is hugelkultur? That’s what I asked my friend Will after he said he was going to try it. He had just finished cutting down a tree and had a load of branches and bark to get rid of. According to centuries’ old Eastern European and German tradition, it starts with no-dig raised beds made out of logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost and/or other organic matter. Top this raised mound with soil and then it’s ready to plant.

It’s long been established that addiction is a disease, one that can be overcome with treatment. Carson City’s courts, through options such as alternative sentencing, drug court, and the most recent addition of misdemeanor treatment court, has taken steps to combat addiction.

However, there is a hole in their treatment process, and a large one at that: safe, sober housing.

CARSON CITY — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center has achieved a 4-star rating for an acute care hospital, out-ranking the national average of 3-stars.

CARSON CITY — Carson Tahoe Health’s Board of Directors appointed Alan Garrett as the new Chief Executive Officer effective April 1, 2019, replacing Ed Epperson who retired Dec. 31, 2018. A seasoned healthcare executive with diverse experience and a progressive leadership style, Garrett will assume day-to-day control of the Carson Tahoe Health system.

CARSON CITY — Carson Tahoe Health is pleased to announce the generous multi-year pledge of $800,000, by the Mallory Foundation to allow for expansion of Carson Tahoe’s Mallory Behavioral Health Crisis Center, more than doubling the center’s capacity for treatment.