critters

Hold onto your hat, Carson City, we’re in for one heck of a weekend. It’ll be cowboy hats and pioneer bonnets in Genoa for Western Heritage Day. Keep an eye out for Mark Twain, plenty of music, and fun for all. Leis are the preferred accessory for Lei Day at the Nevada State Museum where you’ll be treated to Polynesian surprises and free admission. With three local theater groups performing this weekend, you’re sure to find a performance that’s right up your alley. Read on and be prepared to be bombarded with options.

SATURDAY:     

As I write this, we are looking forward to a week of lovely autumn weather, possibly with rain toward the end of the week. However, this article will be published toward the end of the month and it will be time to stop watering plants and drain irrigation systems. A colleague asked me today how to winterize the drip system at a school garden she has been working on, a timely fall topic.

Lately I have found a renewed interest in succulents. There are practical reasons for using succulents as part of a Northern Nevada plant palette.

VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. — An event that is almost as famous as the town it’s held in returns for its 58th year and brings with it a host of critters, four fast-paced shows, new seating options, special pricing and more entertainment value.

Silver City Community Garden committee members are offering a free tour of the garden for children with their parents on Tuesday, August 8th at 10am.

Carson City Cooperative Extension is looking for youth interested in the the 4-H 2017 Summer Day Camp. The camp is a week of fun and educational activities designed around exploring Carson City and surrounding areas.

The topic of gardening can, at times, appear unchanging. Plant needs are consistent and basic: water, support, nutrients, sunlight and carbon dioxide. Seeds are generally planted in the same way. Maintenance doesn’t change much. How many ways are there to harvest a tomato, an apple or other delectable edible? However, since gardening is one of our most popular hobbies, it is big business.

The Capital City Arts Initiative announces its exhibition, Glyphs and Houses, with artwork by Amelia Currier in the Community Center’s Sierra Room, 851 E William Street, Carson City. The free exhibition is available to the public from November 16, 2016 through February 24, 2017.

Traditional home adoptions aren’t for every cat which is why the Working Cats of Nevada Humane Society are seeking jobs in a more unique setting. Working Cats are looking for a home in settings such as a barn, warehouse, corporate campus, library, small business or plant nursery. In exchange for room, board and meals, the Working Cats will do just that — work, in an effort to keep your property rodent free as well as provide your guests with entertainment as they perch above your heads playing hide and go seek.

What can kids do with spare change? Lots of things! Nancy Cole's 5th graders decided that their change will go to help shelter animals.

CASI and Benson's Feed team up to bring Santa and his elf for photo shoots with your pets. Bring your furry critters down to Benson's Feed at 2750 Hwy 50 in Carson City on Saturday, December 5th from 10 AM to 2 PM. The cost is $15 for one 4x6" print and a digital copy (emailed to you). Enjoy the magic of the season with your furry friends while helping to raise money for the new animal shelter. Prizes will be given for largest, smallest and best dressed critters courtesy of Benson's Feed. Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies while you wait.

In the last week, leafhoppers have invaded our house both inside and out. Suddenly I’m seeing dozens of brown wedge-shaped insects crawling all over my windows and screens. They are even on the kitchen walls. These annoying critters, also called planthoppers, are less than a ¼-inch long, and they keep me busy squishing them each day. I decided to find out more about them.

In the 1990s, I was the coordinator of the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener program for four counties. Volunteers signed up for 45 hours of horticulture classes in exchange for a fee and 45 hours of volunteering.

I had one very dedicated volunteer, Michael Janik, now of Michaels Apples, who went on to become a leader in Northern Nevada in raising, training and pruning apples and other fruits.

“Something is eating the leaves on my lilacs,” cried the caller. She wondered why the leaves looked like someone had nipped the edges with pinking shears or craft scissors. I knew immediately when she described the angular cuts on the leaves that her plants were being eaten by root weevils.

Half a mile in elevation above lake shore is an easy, handicapped friendly hike less than two hundred feet below one of the highest mountain passes in the entire Sierra Nevada range.
Resting a little below the crest of the Mount Rose summit on Nevada State Route 431 lay a lovely, picturesque alpine meadow near timberline level. In late spring and early summer, Tahoe Meadows is awash with a kaleidoscope of colorful wildflowers and robust green grasses.
Trail terrain is largely flat unless you extend your hike to nearby alpine lakes. Then expect to do some heartier mountaineering.

Several weeks ago, I wrote an article about how Elaine and I tried a new way to keep the mule deer from eating her flowers and vegetables. We live in a small, comfortable home (circa late 1940's) in a quiet neighborhood on the older west side of Carson City.

We live in a small, comfortable home built in the late 1940's in a quiet neighborhood on the older west side of Carson City. Through some 13-plus years of steady improvements, our home has seen a multitude of changes, both inside and outside.

We prune shrubs for a number of reasons. We want to remove dead or diseased wood. We may feel the shape of the plant needs improving and choose to prune branches that cross or stick out. Another important reason to prune is to maintain or improve flower production.

Timing is important with each of these, but particularly important to increase flowers. Often people get the urge to prune everything in the spring, not realizing that may be the worst time to prune flowering plants such as lilac, if you want to have flowers.

The horticulture world is fascinating with many topics to explore. Did you know that “the average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plate?” Or that “93 percent of our food dollar pays processors, packagers, distributors, wholesalers, truckers and the rest of the infrastructure that a global food system demands?”

Finally, with the fact that “preschool children served home-grown produce are more than twice as likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day as kids who rarely eat home-grown produce,” more people are interested in growing their own.

The average carrot travels over 1,800 miles to get to our dinner plates. Processing and shipment of food accounts for 93 percent of our food cost. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is offering eight new “Grow Your Own, Nevada!” classes at 12 locations statewide to help Nevadans who want to get on a path to more sustainable, local, healthy living by growing more of their own food.

While it starts at 3:45 p.m. today, Saturday, March 21, will be the first full day of spring in Western Nevada. But springtime in Western Nevada is definitely in the eyes of the beholder. As someone who was born and raised in Carson City, Spring weather can be very nice or very not-so-nice.

Bring your pets to Benson's Feed and Tack at 2750 Highway 50 East in Carson City today for pictures with Santa. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $10 per picture.

All dogs must be on leash and cats in a carrier. Share the holiday spirit with the staff at Benson's and CASI volunteers while helping to build a new animal shelter.

Bring your pets to Benson's Feed and Tack at 2750 Highway 50 East for pictures with Santa. The event is Saturday Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $10 per picture.

All dogs must be on leash and cats in a carrier. Share the holiday spirit with the staff at Benson's and CASI volunteers while helping to build a new animal shelter. If you need more information call CASI at 671-2413.

Here is your opportunity to help CASI help Carson City's homeless critters.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Nov. 12 through Nov. 18, 2014.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Nov. 5-11, 2014.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Oct. 22, 2014.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Oct. 15-21, 2014.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Oct. 8-14, 2014.

On behalf of our critters, CASI thanks you!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the CASI 5K9 and the CASI Pooch Plunge to support our efforts to help Carson City build the new animal shelter. Smiles were everywhere as the tails wagged behind running and swimming dogs! The people in our community continue to be incredibly supportive of CASI’s mission to help homeless, abandoned and lost animals have the best chance possible at being adopted or reunited with families that love them. Thank you!!