Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat. Fa la la. Fa la la. La la la. Christmas comes with children singing, Christmas comes with sleigh bells ringing, Christmas comes with frosty nights, Christmas comes with snowball fights. And this year it comes with our Yuletide House Tour. It seemed easy peasy at the time. Decorate five houses, sell tickets to hundreds of people, cook for them too and while we’re at it, make lots of crafts to sell in the Yuletide Marketplace. Crikey, what were we thinking? Yes, let’s decorate a house for Christmas without using the classic fir tree. Piece of cake. Three big arrangements instead? A complete doddle. Branches? Moss? Christmas balls made from white carnations? Sounds absolutely spiffing. Beribbon the glass balls, tie the greens, make the wreaths .... OMG I’ve just knocked a full cup of tea all over everything including Jan’s kitchen. THE YULETIDE HOUSE TOUR IS NOW ONLY DAYS AWAY. AAAAARRRRRGGGGG. Take a deep

breath, Linda, and get a grip. These mornings, as I struggle to wake, the first thought that passes through my mind is I must have been off my trolley to agree to do all of this. Does this sound familiar to the rest of you? Having you been asking yourselves - why did I ever pick up the phone, go to a meeting, sign up for a workshop? Why didn’t I cross the road when I saw Lee, Barb and Mary coming? Now

something of which I’m quite sure is that all of you are making a much better, less accident prone job of it, than I am. And I have to confess that deep down I’m really enjoying myself. I also know that once it’s all over I will think I’ve had the best time ever. So untwist your knickers, girl, keep

calm and carry on decking those halls. Christmas comes now, at last. Christmas

comes, like in the past. Christmas comes after such a long wait, Christmas comes and it will be great. (Amy Darnbrook)

As will our Yuletide House Tour.

Linda

COMMUNITY GARDEN CLUB the

of Cohasset,MA

2 0 1 3 D E C E M B E R E D I T I O N

w w w . C o m m u n i t y G a r d e n C l u b O f C o h a s s e t . o rg

N e w s l e t t e r E d i t o r Pa t C a m m e t t p c a m m e @ g m a i l . c o m

December Calendar - Please note: there is no general meeting. 2 - GCFM: Espousal Center, Waltham; 10:00 a.m. - noon. Back to Basics II; ! Designing Principles in Floral Design. 2-4 - House Tour Preparation 5 - Yuletide 2013 House Tour: St. Anthony Church Hall, ! 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. House tour, marketplace ! with invited vendors, club boutique, and ! refreshments.11 - Garden Therapy: Golden Living Center, 2-3:00 p.m., ! “Dreaming Of A White Christmas.”16 - Junior Gardeners: Deer Hill School Cafeteria, 2:30 - 3:30 ! p.m., “Festive Holiday Wreaths.”

AnnouncementsWelcome to the club a new member, Pat Bogan. Her contact information is 88 Queen Anne’s Court, #21,

Weymouth, MA 02189, 781-803-2631, weymouthpat1@yahoo.com. Please make this addition to your yearbook.

There is no Craft Workshop in December. Thanks to everyone who participated in making crafts to sell our Holiday Boutique. You all did a beautiful job! Hope you all had fun and learned something new!

Do you have a special craft you would like to teach the club between January and May 2014? If so, please contact Barbara Canney @ barbaracan@me.com, ASAP, so that I can put together exciting spring workshops for all of us to enjoy!

Have you seen our SPLENDIFEROUS NEW WEBSITE? If not, take a look. Jackie Fitts has been working very, very hard in the recent past and has completely revamped the

website and solved all sorts of problems along the way. The calendar is now up there, all the newsletters and lots of photos of all of you. Thank you,

Jackie, a terrific job brilliantly done. Thank you from us all. www.CommunityGardenClubOfCohasset.org.

Conservation Notes! By Adrienne DuBois November is the month when we still have time to prepare for the winter months and lower our energy costs. First, havea home energy audit performed by MASSSAVE.ORG (Tel: 1-866-527-7283). Then follow this quick checklist:

• Windows: Has the putty (glazing compound) come off? Broken compound loses heat.• Roof, siding, trim: Do shingles and/or siding need to be replaced?• Outlets and switches: Add foam covers to to save energy.• Insulation: Does the basement have insulation in the ceiling? Standard insulation in a basement

ceiling is 6 inch fiberglass with the paper vapor barrier up, touching the ceiling above.• Heating system: Filters need to be replaced 2-3 times a season.• Basements and mold: Vent the house a few times a month. Turn on exhaust fans for a few

minutes a day. • Thermostats: Turn the thermostat down to 60 degrees at night, and try

! 65 degrees during the day. Use flannel sheets and a woolen blanket on the beds.! ! !

2013 Yuletide House tour

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Gardeners’ Question Time can be found on the BBC website ( www.bbc.org) located on Radio 4, or go to www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ggrqj. It is available 24/7… not just on Sunday. When there, click on “listen now” for 43 minutes of intelligent and humorous gardening banter…..You can listen to the latest show anytime, and the past 6 months of shows are available on the site as well. New shows are broadcast at 10 a.m. local time on Sunday and 9 a.m. on Friday.

Welcome to the GQT fan club!

How to Survive a Winter Bereft of Gardening….. by Eric Eisenhauer As I stare out at the shriveled remains of my blighted tomato plants joined in solitude by the stumps of my eggplant bushes nipped hallway up by the rabbits, I ask myself: Where does a garden fanatic go for fresh horticultural experiences in the midst of a New England winter? No reason to despair because Gardeners’ Question Time ( GQT to the initiated) is waiting on your computer…..

All British seasoned gardeners know Gardeners' Question Time. Sunday lunchtime would not be Sunday lunchtime unless they tuned in to listen to gardening advice from experts, delivered with wry humour and the occasional discursive bantering. Be it in the "Potting Shed" or a village hall, listeners are guaranteed a few laughs with tips of the week and

CGCC History at the Cohasset Historical SocietyThe November program at the Cohasset Historical Society was “The History of the Community Garden Club of Cohasset.” Several of our members spoke about their time in the club and their memories of Polly Logan, who founded the club in 1959. The topic was introduced by Judy Dickstein, representing the Historical Society, and club speakers included Linda Fraker, Lee Drew, Barbara Dillon, Terese D’Orso, and Barbara Bowman. Several members of the audience contributed memories and historical views that added value to the evening. Following the presentations, attendees enjoyed reminiscing, fellowship and light refreshment.

! ! ! ! by Judy Dickstein

When Did the Holiday House Tours Start?

This is an excerpt from Jan Todd's column printed in the Cohasset Mariner on Friday, November 1.

The Club's archives speak of a Christmas house tour in 1977 while Mrs. Robert Sturdy was the Club president. Previously, there had been some activities which may have led to that first December house tour. The sale of fresh swags and wreaths was a fund raiser in 1970. There was also an earlier house tour in 1976 under President Fran O'Toole, “Two Hundred Years of Houses by the Sea,” but held in the month of May. Somehow the idea of Christmas in Cohasset and that of a house tour in early December, as a fun break between Thanksgiving and when the thrust of the cooking and planning demanded attention for the holidays ahead, seemed like a perfect pairing, like a partridge in a pear tree.

Garden Therapy by Dolores Roy

Because of illness that was running through the Golden Living Center, the November Garden Therapy program was cancelled. At the request of the Activities Director, we delivered flowers, containers, etc. to the Center so that the staff could do the activity with those residents who were well enough to participate.

Junior Gardenersby Julie Hess 

In October the Junior Gardeners learned about "reduce, reuse, recycle," and the importance of composting. The children used magnifying glasses to examine the worms and rulers to measure them. They learned the kinds of food worms like to eat (hint: they are vegan!). In addition, the juniors set up the vermicomposter with shredded newspaper, coir, (the natural fiber from the outer husk of a coconut) and a bed run of red wiggler worms. CGCC donated the worm bin to the school; it will reside in Ms. Henry's fifth grade classroom. Her science classes will learn about composting and will use the compost in experiments on plant growth and microbes. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with this wiggly, messy project!

In November the talented Maureens led the JG in making Thanksgiving turkey centerpieces out of pinecones and other natural materials. In addition, the children created holiday cards for elders for the upcoming December meeting of Garden Therapy.

The Month In PicturesThe elves were busy preparing for the Yuletide House Tour - what fun it was!

Boxwood Workshop

General Crafting

Mussel Shell Wreath Workshop

Busy elves led by Barbara Canney, not shown, a.k.a.,

Mrs. Claus

All this for sale @ the Yuletide House Tour Marketplace!

Japan Sister Club - Activity Report of November 2013 ! Our November general meeting was a field trip to Ogaki located in 40 miles northwest of Nagoya. We were guided by local volunteers. The “City Tree” is fragrant “Kusunoki (Cinnamonum camphora)” and the “City Flower” is dazzling “Satsuki” (Azalea). The Ibi River flows through the city and down 75 miles south into Ise Bay. The river is distinguished for its clear and limpid quality from a snow clad high mountain far in the north called Hakusan. Due to fewer artificial alterations or reformations along the littoral area in the city, there are many wells where high quality water blows out. ! The Ibi River flows side by side on the east side along the Kiso and the Nagara rivers. Water accumulated together and formed an alluvial plain. Consequently a long groundwater tray was formed in the entire area and fountains are seen everywhere. Blessed by this famous, pure and tasty water, the city of Ogaki is called the ”Water Capital,” and was designated in 2008 by the Ministry of Environment as “one of 100 Best Mineral Water sources in Japan.” In Ogaki water transportation via river was busy: barges came in and went out during the Edo era (1603 -1867). Shipping agents and warehouses were lining the rivers. ! According to the legend “The Tale of Tarai (Washbin),” after the battle of Sekigahara was lost, a daughter of one of the retainers of the losing commander stole away from Ogaki Castle in a washbin in the dark of night to escape the encroaching enemy forces. The Tarai Boat River Cruise simulates that journey, creating an extremely unique experience. Floating down the tranquil river, especially in the beauty of the cherry blossoms in spring or colored leaves of Japanese maple trees in fall, offers one an excellent view.

! Located in the low lying Nobi Plain, Ogaki was often subject to flooding. In order to protect their farms, the residents built a system of circular levees (waju) that enclose the village. Each waju contained a raised building (mizuya) to which people could flee in the event of a flood. ! This unique historical place of Ogaki was the final destination of the famous poet Basho Matsuo’s “Okuno Hosomichi” (Narrow Road to the Deep North) and the terminus of his Haiku journey. In commemoration of his footmarks “Basho’s Oku no Hosomichi Haiku Journey Museum” provides various information and displays

related to him. The Sumiyoshi lighthouse and river boats remind visitors of Basho ’s era with many haiku monuments of him and his pupils. In November the city holds a Basho Festival which includes several events such as haiku competitions, viewing of historical objects, and special exhibits for praise of the literary merits of his work and posthumous influence. Basho has been known as the greatest Haiku poet who refined its form to the highest level, using 5-7-5 syllables with the essential phrase of season, “Kigo”.

CGCC252 Old Oaken Bucket RoadNorwell, MA!02061

! He was brought up as a samurai but at twenty two years old, he found that poetry would be his life work and gave up being a samurai in 1666 and began his life as a poet. He planted a Basho (Banana) tree in his garden and called himself “Basho” which became his favorite one. Basho and his disciples started from Edo (current Tokyo) in 1689 and walked 1500 miles for five months. They went around the Tohoku (North Eastern Japan) and then Hokuriku (Japan Sea Side) ending up in Ogaki. He was fond of Ogaki very much and visited the place four times, always admiring the clear water, beautiful foliage and seasonal flowers in this place.! With one of his haiku poems, he hinted that he wanted to visit Ise shrine after staying in Ogaki. But he died on a trip in early autumn of 1694 in Osaka while staying at the house of one of his disciples . Before his death he composed a haiku as his farewell.

[Tabini yande, yume wa karenono wo kakemeguru ]On travel I am sick,

My dream is running arounda field covered with dried grasses. [this phrase implies the season of fall]

! His haiku is recognized for its simple, natural style that embodies the aesthetic of austerity. This austerity reflects his life style as a natural wanderer, which incorporated elements of Zen Buddhism including meditation. The austerity of Basho’s poetry is accompanied by occasional interjections of joy and humor. The haiku of Basho are notable for their simple, observational style. The most famous of his poems is his haiku about an old pond.

“Furuikeya kawazutobikomu mizunooto” “Old pond

a frog leaps in [frog implies season of spring] water’s sound.” ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Takako Kohri, ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Recording Secretary