Garden Notes

You've probably heard the alarming statistics on the decline of songbird populations. A study reported in Science magazine in 2019 gave the sobering news that nearly 3 billion birds (or 30% of the population) have been lost in the United States over the past 50 years.

No matter how many times I prune roses, I return to articles about pruning to sharpen my skills and memory, and this year is no exception.

The needs of the garden can easily lead to feeling overwhelmed. At one point or another, every aging gardener will feel the angst of not knowing where to begin. With each new season, there is the realization that what was managed last year may not be possible this year.

On Thanksgiving weekend, I took my entire family to The Haggin Museum located in Stockton's Victory Park. To our surprise, the museum houses many different art exhibits and an extensive array of educational exhibitions about the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural and cultural history.

Our book club is currently reading Silent Spring written by Rachel Carson 1964. The book highlights how the misuse of pesticides affected our ecosystem and brought about major social, political, and environmental movements of today.