Note From The Editor

I’ve been told that as you grow older that time seems to get shorter. Well I am a believer, it seems only a moment ago it was spring and here we go snow will fly any time now.  

Last month we sent a Customer Survey checklist, please take a minute to let us know how we’re doing.  We will hold a raffle again this year of all returned Customer Survey checklists.

As you can see the leaves are really coming down. Matt and the gang are already out taking care of your fall cleanups.

Plant Care & Winter Preparation!

Groundcovers and perennials – these plants have shallow roots and the typical freezing and thawing pattern of winter causes heaving which may damage the roots.  This occurs even more frequently in beds next to concrete and brick surfaces.  Protect your investment around Thanksgiving after several good frosts. Lay an insulating cover of evergreen boughs or hay over your beds.  This covering keeps the ground consistently frozen.

ANTI-DESICCANTS – ONE MORE TIME!

Please think about protecting your trees and shrubs this winter from windburn and dehydration with anti-desiccants.  Yews, Arborvitae, Hemlock, White Pine, Rhododendrons, are especially susceptible.  Anti Desiccant spray is a thin layer of an organic “sealant” to help the plants resist the drying power of winter winds and conserve the moisture vital to their good health and would be applied in late November and early December and is made to break down in the warmer months in order for the plant to flourish.  Call Matt at ext. 23 to get a price for the trees or shrubs you want to protect.

Don’t forget to plant now before we get any hard frosts for a spring surprise.  “The surprise for me is always that I don’t remember planting those there”.  Whether you choose to plant in your garden, pots or containers, having colorful spring flowers begin the new season so right.  You just know Spring is here when the crocuses, tulips, hyacinths and other spring bulbs start to show up.

November is the month of Veterans Day. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day because this was the day the actual fighting between the Allies and Germany ended, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Thanksgiving -  In 1863 Abraham Lincoln listened to Mrs. Sarah Hale, editor of a magazine called “Dodey’s Lady’s Book” who had been writing to the president and congress for years to establish a day of giving thanks.

President Lincoln decided to proclaim the last Thursday in November as an official Thanksgiving Day for the entire nation. At first annually the president would have to make a proclamation as to the actual date. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt decided that  Thanksgiving be changed to always be the 4th Thursday in November (regardless of that date) and so it wouldn’t be an annual proclamation any longer.  In 1941, Congress passed a bill finally establishing the 4th Thursday as a national holiday for the entire nation.

We at E.A.Quinn Landscape Contracting want to give thanks for your loyal patronage over the years.

This month we’ve sent an order sheet for Christmas wreaths, garland and poinsettias. All of the proceeds from this project will go to Covenant for Care. This is a non profit organization that tries to meet the needs for children within the DCF system.

In our first year (2004) we raised enough money to purchase gifts for 3 families as well as a family gift for each family. In our second year (2005) we raised enough money to purchase gifts for 7 families. We included family gifts for each family but through their own generosity they donated their family gifts and another 3 families received gifts as well. Last year (2006) we raised enough money to purchase gifts for 7 families. Instead of family gifts we included gift certificates for Stop & Shop so that these families also had enough money to purchase their Christmas dinners. Each year we receive thank you notes from many of the families and they are forever thankful. What I have found very interesting is what these children are asking for. They're not looking for electronic toys or games, they're not looking for i-pods, these kids are asking for simple items like coats, gloves, slippers and bathrobes. So my hope is that this year we will be able to provide necessary items for as many (if not more) children as possible thanks to your generosity with the purchase of wreaths, garland and poinsettias.

We’d really like to make enough to buy as many wish list gifts for these kids. Please take a minute and see if you could possibly help in this endeavor.  Order forms are due by November l5th.  Deliveries will be made between November 27th and December 1st.   If you have misplaced your order form or wish any information please call.

How to care for the poinsettias you order is as follows:

1. Keep out of cold drafts, so keep them away  from cold windows and doorways.
2. Do not over water, if you have foil around  the pot make some holes in the bottom for  drainage, and place the pot in a saucer.                       

T’was the Night of Thanksgiving

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, but I just couldn’t sleep.  I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.  The leftovers beckoned, the dark meat and white, But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation, The thought of a snack became infatuation. So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door, And gazed at the fridge full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes, Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.  I felt myself swelling so plump and so round, Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground!

I crashed through the ceiling.  Floating into the sky, With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.  But I managed to yell as I soared past the trees ... Happy eating to all!  Pass the cranberries, please!