spring tonic 2010

8/9/2019 Spring Tonic 2010

1/24

April 2010

Spplmt t The LAkeviLLe JournAL, The MiLLerTon newS a The winSTed JournAL

Celebrating

the season,

our homes

and our gardens


2/24

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Spring Tonic

Published by The Lakeville Journal Company, LLC33 Bissell St., Lakeville, CT, 800-339-9873

www.tcextra.com

Marsden EpworthEditor and Designer

James Clark

Production Coordinator

Elizabeth CastrodadAdvertising Coordinator

William Clarke, Adriana W. SmithComposing

Photos by Marsden Epworth

2010 The Lakeville Journal Company, LLC

Welcoming SpringThis years Spring Tonic is aboutsurviving renovations,gardening,saving this years tomato crop,decluttering,decorating

and buying the right hot-water heater.In short, its about enhancing life at home,and that includes collecting records (remember vinyl?)and Mary OBriens famous recipe for a piethat uses all those great tomatoes you could begrowing this year.Happy spring. Marsden Epworth

editor


4/24


Therearent any statistics on this, at leastnot online. But anyone who has seena lot of building and renovation proj-

ects has also seen a lot of divorces caused by (or almost caused by)said building and renovation projects.

Making changes to a home can be incredibly hard on a relation-ship.

It brings up everything, said Brooke Loening, a life coach,onetime building contractor and health page columnist for TheLakeville Journal.

If theres a problem in a relationship before the work starts, itsjust going to add to the stress.

Loening said that some couples enter into a house project as away to heal an ailing relationship.

Big mistake.They see it as a distraction, a way to take the focus off their

problems. They end up having the same problems, but in a nicerhouse.

Thats the best-case scenario. The worst case is they end up hav-ing the same problems, but in separate houses.

Loening shared some tips for keeping a renovation or buildingproject from pushing a couple into counseling or divorce court.

1. Before letting the workers into the house, be sure that every-one involved feels theyre getting some things they want.

I tell couples to make a list of the top 10 things they want orthe top 20, if its a big project and prioritize them starting withthe most important. The list can include anything. Its possiblethat one person will want small esthetic things while the otherperson cares more about the larger picture.

They dont all have to be in writing; it might be a le folder ofcolor chips and magazine photos.

Or its possible that no one cares about the living room but ev-

eryone has a strong opinion about what the cabinet hardware willlook like.Whatever it is, you need to start at the top, work your way

down and negotiate. Both sides need to feel theyre getting thingsthey want. You dont want one person directing the whole showand the other person feeling resentment because they dont havea ngerprint on the project.

And once you nish those negotiations: You need to honorthose decisions.

Cynthia Hochswendertalks to an expert onhome renovation . . .

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Fix the House . . .


5/24


For many couples at risk, negotiating doesnt come easily. In caseslike this, Loening suggests hiring a neutral third party (and not, hestresses, not the contractor). If a marriage counselor or mediatorseems too drastic a step, consider hiring a professional project man-ager to help broker disputes and create solutions during the project.

2. Get blueprints that are as detailed as possible.Youll have fewer problems and greater clarity if you have de-tailed drawings, Loening said. And both partners can see what theproject will look like ahead of time. Before the work starts, its easy tomake changes. You tear up the paper and draw something new. Afterthe work starts, its much more difcult to make major changes.

3. Choose a point man (or woman) to work with the contractor.And dont go on vacation while the work is being done.

It can be the wife or the husband for the whole project, or theycan split up different parts of the house, Loening said. Maybe thehusband only wants to be in charge of his ofce and the bathroom.Maybe one person takes the upstairs and the other person takes thedownstairs.

But, he stressed, when youre renovating and building you haveto make a lot of decisions in a short time. The contractor has to knowwho to call with the questions and that that person has the au-thority.

4. One person should also be in charge of approving all the bills andwriting all the checks.

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Continued from page 5

And this needs to be done in a timely fashion. If the contractordoesnt get paid, the job wont get nished.

Ask for detailed bills and have them submitted throughout theproject, rather than as a lump sum scrawled at the bottom of asheet of paper when the work has been completed. Some contrac-tors simply do not have the ofce staff to do this kind of paper-work; ask before you hire your contractor if detailed billing ispossible.

5. Understand that any kind of house project is going to be amajor nancial investment and its going to bring up the moneyissues that crush so many relationships.

Its important for both partners to agree on a price for the

work, and to agree on an acceptable overage, Loening advised.The overage is the amount that the project will go over budget.

Building professionals know that projects can easily end up goingover by as much as 25 to 50 percent; and they can take twice as longas projected.

There are endless unpleasant surprises in any building or reno-vation project. A supplier could run out of the desired tile or woodtrim; the cabinets could be late arriving from Pennsylvania; therecould be site problems, or rot in a wall or oor.

And of course, disagreements between the homeowners can stall

a project indenitely. Keep in mind, too, that every time you makea change to a project, you incur a change order fee, even if yourcontractor doesnt mention it at the time. Think of Mrs. Blandingsand the little ower sink she added to the kitchen in her dreamhouse.

6. Dont leave town during your renovation, but do move out fora while, if you can afford it.

Vacate the premises, Loening said. Rent a place. Stay withfamily.

The decision-making and the nancial strain are hard enough.Add to that the total lack of privacy that comes with a renovation,and you have a recipe for marital disaster.

Workers come in early and are in your house all day. They seeyou in your bathrobe. Theres dust in the stereo and on the DVDplayer. Theres dust in your food.

If you cant leave the house, Loening recommends sealing off thearea where work is being done, and setting up an annex kitchen orbathroom or living space in some other part of the house.

Use plastic drop cloths and duct tape to seal doors and cabi-nets.p

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Weveall heard the advice of generationspast about not planting the veg-etable garden before Memorial Day.Annuals will be stressed in less-than-ideal conditions, late springwetness rots roots, and so on. Makes sense, but sense thats hard

to heed when unseasonably warm days arrive in early spring. Es-pecially for the excited, avid gardener and those used to gettingwhat they want immediately.

So, lets talk shrubs.If the soil is thawed enough to dig, you can plant them now,

and anytime through the fall.And if were going to talk planting at all, were going to talk soil

testing.The dependable, low-maintenance shrub probably supplies the

most bang for the buck when it comes to improving property

value and supplying instant gratication. A large variety of rho-dodendrons, azaleas, junipers, boxwoods and the like are whatthe garden centers have been carrying for weeks now. Starting atabout $30 to $40 per plant, with some much higher, they are aninvestment, so shoppers usually seek advice.

We always ask where they are going to be planted. Most na-tive shrubs will survive just about anywhere you put them,said Heidi Haskell, general manager and resident shrub expertat Salisbury Garden Center. But giving them the right amountof sun, and limiting winter exposure for some, will help them

thrive.Yes, the right soil pH balance is just as important, she said.There are more than 200 shrubs, and several dozen that arenative to this area. Most of the shrubs we know well juniper,rhododendron, lilac, azalea are the ones that thrive in the gen-erally acidic soil here.

Although Freunds Farm Market in East Canaan doesnt carry alarge selection, they can order just about anything for this zone,

Karen Bartomioli concentrateson her home garden, our climateand, most importantly, the soil

Were Five,Bordering

On Four

Please turn to page 8

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which, by the way, owner Theresa Freund describes as 5,bordering on 4.

Most of what we stock are the impulsive shrubs, likearborvitae and owering shrubs that people just have tohave, Freund said.

An oddity shows just how different approaches can be tosprucing up yards. Haskell sells a lot of forsythia, those high-

ly prunable bushes that bloom bright yellow in the spring.They are among the most sought-after shrubs in Salisbury.

Freund, however, doesnt stock them at all.A lot of people think of them as weeds, or invasive, she

said. People around here who want them in their yard justtransplant them from the woods or use a cutting from aneighbor.

She was excited to talk about the benets of balancing soil,because the solutions are so easy, and she has shelves full ofthem. Grabbing a box of aluminum sulfate soil acidier, she

points to the image of a blue hydrangea on the front. Alumi-num is what soil needs to turn pink hydrangea blooms blue.Its also what makes blueberries blue.

The number one reason blueberries fail is because the soilpH is wrong. You can have the best or the worst soil in theworld, but it doesnt matter. If the pH isnt right, blueberriesarent going to make it.

According to Freund, New Jersey became the top state inblueberry production because an agricultural agent testedelds and taught growers how to properly balance the soil.

All that said, soil testing takes only a little digging, somepostage and eight bucks.The University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Lab

offers a variety of tests for everyone from backyard garden-ers to commercial growers.

With the standard residential test, you get major andminor nutrients, lead and pH levels and recommendationsfor corrections. A lot of the 14,000 tests the lab does annu-ally are in the spring. Expect results in one to two weeksduring April and May. Other times of the year it takes only afew business days. If your soil has never been tested, the labrecommends doing it before this planting season. After thatevery three years is good, with fall the optimum time to testand make soil adjustments. That allows for the soil to get tooptimum target levels by the following spring.

Heres how to proceed. Put each labeled 1-cup sample in aZiploc bag. Complete a brief questionnaire, available at somegarden centers and at the labs Web site, and mail, with acheck or money order made payable to UConn, to the lab at6 Sherman Place, U-5102, Storrs, CT 06269-5102.

. . . And Balance

That SoilContinued from page 7

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The questionnaire recommends taking samples from various areasto account for differences in drainage, minerals, intended usage,shade and sun and slopes. This makes sense, but it can quickly addup to dozens of samples. So, what about the folks who dont want tospend all that time and money?Joan Allen, assistant Cooperative Extension Education agent at the

UConn lab, said people typically are focus on one area and send just

one sample, most often prior to starting a new vegetable garden.If conditions appear generally the same across the entire areayou plan to plant, or if you already have a garden, just take severalsamples from different parts of the garden or a landscaping areaand combine them, Allen said. One test should sufce. Almost anyvegetables people plant at home like the same soil. We aim for a pHof between 6 and 7.

Allen said that, although tomatoes are acidic, they dont requirebumping up the soil acidity. Spores from the tomato blight that hitlast year will not winter over in soil, or dead tomato vines, only inpotato tubers.

There are two ways people generally approach soil testing, accord-ing to Allen. They have certain plants in mind and either adjust thesoil or put those plants where they will do best. Or, they see whatkind of soil they have, and choose plants that will do best in it.

However they approach it, it is very practical and benecial toput together plants that have the same soil and maintenance re-quirements.p

For information, go to www.soiltest.uconn.edu or call 1-877-486-6271.

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Mostresidentsof theTri-statearea will remember last summerslate blight or leaf blight. It wasruinous, disastrous, a horror for thelegions of people who are devotedto the tomato. There are differingopinions about its origin. Some

gardeners say its always present inthe soil and is activated by the kindof ghastly wet weather we had last

year. Others say that it was import-ed into the area by inferior seed-lings imported from other partsof the country. So, a new plantingseason is almost here and we wantto know what to do. Will the sins of

last years gardens be visited uponus again?

Maybe.Nature is a hairy beast difcult to

control. But there are some steps aconscientious gardener can take fora home-eld advantage.

Rotate: First and foremostThis is essential, even if you arenttrying to guard against blight, ro-tating your crops ensures that theplants get fresh soil. And its not

just about moving the tomatoes 6feet away from where they were.You should also pay attention towhat was there before.

Briana Davis at The Phantom Gar-dener in Rhinebeck points out that

tomatoes are part of the solanaceaefamily; that includes potatoes, egg-plants and peppers, so dont put thetomatoes where the potatoes were.Try switching the tomatoes withthe lettuces, herbs or corn.

Give them room to breathe

Plant the seedlings with at least 2feet between each plant. This willgive them plenty of air circulationand exposure to the sun and cutdown on mold growing possibili-ties. Tomatoes need plenty of waterto ourish but basically they like ithot and dry. Mulch

Charlie Paley of Paleys Marketin Sharon rolls out sheets of black

plastic mulch on the ground aroundhis plants. This is very effective inkeeping the weeds out, but evenbetter, it keeps the fungus, which isin the ground, from migrating ontothe plant.

There are alternatives to plasticsheeting, though. Paleys sells aber-woven material that can be

laid on the ground before planting.It is designed to have a hole pokedthrough it to plant the seedling.

Another method is to cover thebed with straw after planting. Water

We all know too much or too littlewill kill the plant.

But wait.

Tara Kellytakes on thehairy beast of nature

Remember

Last YearsTomatoes?

Lets Save

This Years


13/24


Theres more.Turns out how you water is really important. Davis cau-

tions against watering from above. Its better to irrigateat soil level. Plants dont like their leaves wet, particularlywhen its sunny; and since fungus lives in the soil, rain orwatering units that splash down enable the fungus to splashback up onto the plant. So, low-impact watering is essentialto their well-being. Daily Inspection

Erich McEnroe of McEnroe Organic Farm in Millerton ad-vises such inspections to stay ahead of problems.

When you check your plants daily, look for discoloration,mold or yellowing leaves. You may be able to nip a potentialblight in the bud. But dont get too fastidious. Plants have anatural life cycle. The plant will start to wither and brownafter its produced its fruit, and that is okay. Fungicide

Sometimes you just have to spray. You want to work withMother Nature, but when that approach fails, Davis at the

Phantom Gardener recommends Serenade, a really greatorganic preventative spray.Hoop Houses

McEnroes in Millerton grows virtually all of their tomatoplants, both their production crops and seedlings, in green-houses. Growing the plants indoors accomplishes severalgoals. It extends the growing season and controls thegrowing environment. It protects against both the airbornefungus and the one creeping up from the soil. For the homegardener, the hoop house is the low-cost, low-tech alterna-tive to the greenhouse. It is very easy to construct using-inch galvanized, electrical conduit bent in an arc. A seriesof these hoops are placed along the garden row and plasticsheeting is secured over the hoops. And fnally: consider a containerTomato plants can get quite big and they need to be staked,but there are some heirloom varieties that do quite well ina pot. The container does need to be large at least 2 feetin diameter. Potted plants also may need extra nutrientsand may need more water when the plants frst start grow-ing. The Phantom Gardener has an heirloom variety called

Silvery Fir Tree (named for the foliage) and another calledNebraska Wedding. Both would do well in a pot.

Now a note of caution. The planting season doesnt reallystart around here until the third week in May. Gardenerswant to be sure any danger of a killing frost is over andErich McEnroe noted that in the last three years this areahas weathered a killing frost on May 18, 19 and 20. Seedlingsthat go in the ground before then will need protective cov-ering at night. p 16 Dog Tail Corners Road, Wingdale, NY 845-832-6522

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WhenJosh Williams, a self-described cityguy, began work on the small houseon Bostwick Street in Lakeville lastspring, he gured it might take a while. With little experience inhome renovation, he turned to area contractors for help.

When I visited him last fall, he was just starting to put it back to-gether after extensive demolition. Now with the energy-efcientretrot done, Williams is having fun with the details.

Gene Wright of Lakeville has been tiling, carpentering andproviding guidance on matters that Williams cheerfully concedeswould never have occurred to him. Like a recessed tiled area inthe downstairs shower, which is big enough to host a state politi-cal convention. (The upstairs bathroom could handle a nationalevent.)

Gene called me one morning at 6:30. He told me this stuff Ibought wouldnt match the tone of the bathroom. The tone. LikeI would have thought of that.

Wrights father, ostensibly retired, helped out as well, contribut-

ing a bookshelf, nice detail work on the kitchen and a tricky closetdoor upstairs.

During the visit Tom Peretti of North Canaan arrived to discussWright and Williams idea for a metal rail for the steep narrowstaircase, which has the original wall intact. It will be an unusualfeature, in a house lled with subtle idiosyncrasies.

Williams has deliberately hired local contractors includ-ing Eric Tomaino of North Canaan (plumbing and heating); JesseLoucks of Lakeville (electrician), as well as the Wrights andexcept for some cabinetry and appliances bought at IKEA, he has

purchased materials from Herringtons in Lakeville, S.J. Masters,Tallon Lumber and Lindells in North Canaan.Williams said he hasnt pushed to get the house nished because

he want to get it right. Williams and wife Tanielia went to Jamaicafor a few weeks, and when they return later this month, they willpaint, and move in.

Williams said the real heroes of the story are his parents Joe andAndie, who live around the corner and with whom the youngercouple has been bunking since last May.

Yeah. You know, Moms cooking and everything.p

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16/24


Itwas a cold win-ter morning and Ineeded a hot showerbefore work. I turned the

faucet and waited for thewater to turn hot.And I waited, and waited.

Five minutes later I guredsomething was not rightwith the hot water heater.In the basement I discov-ered the hot water heaterleaking all over the place.So I checked the front of

the heater for the warrantyinformation.

It was purchased in 2002from a plumber down the

street who installed it whenmy family rst moved intothe neighborhood. How-ever, no one in the familynoted when the heater itselfwas made and how long thewarranty ran.

Also, we trusted theplumber down the street,chosen at random, without

asking anyone else rst.The sticker on the tank

said that it was made in1994, and the instructions

said the heater had a six-year warranty, meaningthat the heater was alreadytwo years past its warrantybefore it was even installedin our house.

The rst thing I shouldhave done before even buy-ing a water heater was askmy local hardware store

for names of trustworthyplumbers.

When it comes to nd-ing a plumber, its all about

references, Seth Houck,manager of Kent True Valuesaid. One plumber that Iknow has had his own busi-ness since he was 16 yearsold, and hes in his 30s now.Hes worked for many resi-dents in the area over thattime.

According to Bill Clark,

Shaw Israel Iziksongets a coldstart to the day

and learns athing or twoabout water heaters What Does the Fine Print Say

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Hillsdale, NY: 518.325.3131Hudson, NY: 518.828.9431Millerton, NY: 518.789.3611Lakeville, CT: 860.435.2561Chatham, NY: 518.392.9201www.herringtons.com


17/24


manager of Herringtons inLakeville, a good plumberwould also know what kindof water heater to install in

your house.A good plumber would beup to speed with the lat-est technology, Clark said.They would also knowwhat the most energy ef-cient appliance for yourhouse would be.

Houck said the kind of hotwater heater a house needs

depends on demand, howmuch hot water is neededon a daily basis.

You have to look at the

size of the house and howmany people are livingthere, Houck said. Howmany people take a showerin the morning? Do they alltake showers in multiplebathrooms at the sametime? How long does ittake to do the dishes in thehouse? Things like that.

Hot water heaters range insize from 10-gallon capacityall the way up to 80-gallon,so the need determines the

size people should buy.Manufacturers make both

electric- and gas-poweredmodels.

Which is more cost bene-cial depends on how muchelectricity costs versus thecost of gas where you live.As for energy consumption,appliance manufacturers

have started to make tank-less water heaters whichcan save money.

With tank heaters,

water is kept at a certaintemperature, regardless ofuse, Clark said. A tanklesswater heater warms wateron demand. They heat veryquickly and are half thesize of the traditional waterheater.

Tankless models are alsomore expensive to buy than

tank water heaters, about$300 or more higher.

However, in the long run,it could save the homeown-

er money in energy costs.Finally, as I personally

learned the hard way, buy-ers should always checkto see when the tank wasmade and how long thewarranty runs.

Always check out the neprint before you purchase awater heaterp

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Yes.Springis here. And April showers will soongive way to bunches of blooming May ow-ers throughout the Northwest Corner.But its not necessary to wait until later in the season to enjoy

and take decorative advantage of springs vibrant energy andcolors.

According to Christine Skutt, owner of Christines FlowerShoppe in Winsted, there are many ways to brighten up a homewith plants and owers during the early springtime.

Before thinking decoratively, however, Skutt said the mostimportant step is a good spring clean.

First thing is to declutter inside your house, she said, add-ing it is often a good idea to start with the messiest part of thehome and begin the clean-up process there.

You declutter your home, you declutter your energy, you

declutter you.Skutt, who has been a orist for more than 30 years, said part

of the indoor cleanup process should include tossing out anydead or dying plants.

And open up those curtains and let the sun in, she said.In addition to decluttering inside the house, Skutt said it is

also important to tidy up a homes entryway.Not only for your friends who may visit, but for you and your

family, she said. Because then youre going to love cominghome, too.

And once your living space is tidied up and in order, it is im-portant to keep it that way.Nothing comes in unless something comes out. Thats the

rule after you declutter, Skutt said. And if you cant throwsomething out, then pass it on.

After the seasonal cleaning is complete, Skutt said it is easy toadd touches of early spring color in and around the home.

Many people like to create little vignettes of their collect-ibles in their homes. And I like to do the same thing with plants.It has more impact.

Julie Weisberggets the wordon making

home beautifulin springtime

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Skutt, who also has a degree to teach art, said this can be doneby simply setting aside one wall in the home, painting it anothercolor and using that as a backdrop to highlight your oral vi-gnette.

Its just more approachable, she said of vignettes. You donthave to take on the whole world.

Skutt has more than one fern-themed vignette set up inside

her oral shop along Route 44.For inside, green is the color, different shades of green, she

said.In addition to ferns, other greens, potted plants, another way

to brighten up the home during early spring is to add smallbunches of forsythia to oral arrangements and plants.

Its a great way to bring spring inside the house, she said. Ifthere are bushes of forsythia nearby, you can collect a few clip-pings, pop them into a vase with some warm water and placethem into a sunny window to bloom. This same process can be

used to force owering crab and cherry tree blossoms to bloominside during the early spring, as well.

You can force a lot of owers that way, she said.Outside the home, planting bulbs, such as Easter lilies and hya-

cinth, can also help brighten up the home.And nally, Skutt said it is important not to forget to spruce up

the entrance to your house.After you tidy up your entryway, add a basket of primrose. Put

some pansies out there, and make your entryway look inviting,she said. Again, not just for visitors, but for you, too.p

www.bestandcavallaro.com

860-435-2888

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20/24


Ina timewhen mu-sic can beobtained,from thin

air, as it seems, by the clickof a mouse, many might

wonder why someonewould still bother with abig, imsy vinyl record.

For Benny Lane, 23, ofTroy, NY, collecting andlistening to vinyl recordsis akin to an obsession. Forhim there is no comparisonto the look, feel and soundof a record.

Benjamin Curtinlooks intothe joys ofcollecting records the vinyl kind

The idea of watching arecord spin as you listento it is mesmerizing, Lanetold me.

Although records andtheir players may be consid-ered old technology, collec-

tors like Lane nd there isno substitute for the qualityof sound that it produces,the feel of the disc, theprice, or the size of the im-age on the cover.

Being an artist himself helikes to think that he has apretty good ear for music.Lane plays piano, guitar,

banjo and, his personal fa-vorite, mandolin. Lane andhis brother, Christopher,recently began a two-piecefolk band named Tophen-

jamin, which combinesthe last parts of their rst

names.Lane has been collect-

ing records for about threeyears and has amassed closeto 300 albums during thattime. Not only does he thinkthat the sound quality of arecord is absolutely betterthan on a CD, but he lovesthe fact that he actually

owns a physical item ratherthan a digital le whichcant be touched.

In one outing he maypurchase anywhere fromone to 15 musical frisbees ata time.

When hunting for vinylLane goes to a numberof outlets. Hell visit LastVestige Music Shop onQuail Street in Albany, NY,pick a letter and dive intothe section looking for awinner or something hesnever heard before. Or hellchoose to search a genre

Home. . .


21/24



22/24


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S O L A R E L E C T RI C ( P V ) S Y S T E M S

i _

Mary OBriens tomato pie is famous. Justiably. And manypeople have come to Chaiwalla, her tea shop in Salisbury, yearafter year, for another slice of this great dish.

A recipe for Mary OBriens Tomato Pie is on the Web, but italso appears in Lawrence Davis-Hollanders (a resident of nearbyAshley Falls) Tomato cookbook.

The recipes vary, slightly, but the idea is the same: a doublebiscuit-dough pie crust lled with tomatoes, cheddar cheese,

mayonnaise, sweet basil and chives.Its a snap to put together and requires just 20 minutes in theoven. Heres the recipe from Davis-Hollanders book.

Chaiwalla Savory Tomato Pie2 cups all-purpose our4 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon salt4 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces2/3 cup milk1 pound ripe tomatoes, skinned and slicedsalt and pepper to taste2 tablespoons torn basil leaves1 tablespoon snipped chives6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded2 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; mix our baking powder and saltin a bowl. Cut butter into our until it looks like crumbs. Stir in

milk. If dough is dry, add more milk. Roll out half the dough andt into a 9-inch pie plate. Top with tomato slices, basil, chivesand half the cheese. Dot the top with mayonnaise, add remainingcheese. Roll out remaining dough to cover the pie and bake for20 minutes, or until crust looks golden and a knife inserted in thecenter comes out clean. Serve warm. Marsden Epworth

And Finally,A Tomato Treat



23/24

ContaCt us today for a free estimate!

We specialize in all your landscaping needs, including the following services:

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