A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
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By Isaac White. It’s been a while since we’ve chatted. You all know that this is Indian Time’s last print edition. I’ve written a few things urging the community to prevent the closing of our beloved paper. It didn’t work, and I’m not angry with our community. I’ll pull a parenting trick. I’m just disappointed. Ha ha ha. I’m just kidding. I haven’t put in an Entertainment Binge for quite a while. I was searching for a job, and when I finally found a new one, I didn’t have much time to dedicate to writing. I’d have loved to continue our weekly...
By Melinda Myers. Don't let winter stop you from bringing a bit of the outdoors inside. Take a break from the holiday rush for a bit of gardening and crafting relief. Grab a pruner and basket then wander through your landscape gathering a few evergreen branches, berry-laden stems, and cones to create a holiday centerpiece or décor. No landscape, no problem. Ask a gardening friend if you can collect a few items from their gardens. Invite them to join in the fun and create their own arrangements....
by Melinda Myers Add colorful flair to your holiday décor and gift-giving by including a few unique holiday plants. You and your gift recipients will appreciate their uniqueness and beauty throughout the holidays and beyond. Poinsettias are a favorite and now you can find unique colors from Pure White to Hot Pink, and others with variegated leaves or flowers, which are actually modified leaves called bracts, like Sparkling Rouge. Include some other unique holiday plants available from your...
The idea that plants benefit from kind words, or from speech in general, has roots that go back at least to Charles Darwin, who supported the concept. Sound evidence that speaking to plants makes them healthier came to light several years ago – it turns out the “silly” folks who talk to their gardens and house plants have been right all along. And this effect is not due to the carbon dioxide we exhale, which plants need, since audio recordings produce the same result. The perks of jabbering to our plants go both ways – we also profit from it...
By Melinda Myers. Dress up a potted dwarf spruce, Norfolk Island pine, lemon cypress or topiary Rosemary or lavender plant for the holidays and enjoy its beauty all year. Add a bit of garland and a few small ornaments for a festive effect. Norfolk Island pines have long been decked out and displayed for the holidays. Smaller specimens can be placed on a tabletop, and larger ones can be used as indoor floor plants when space allows. Grow Norfolk Island pines in a cool well-lit location free of...
by Melinda Myers Add exotic long-lasting orchid blossoms to your indoor garden. These living bouquets provide months of beauty with minimal care. Just provide the proper growing conditions and success is sure to follow. The moth or phalaenopsis orchid is the one best adapted to your home environment, making it the easiest to grow. It thrives in the same temperatures as people with night temperatures in the 60s and 70 to 80 degrees during the day. However, avoid hot and cold air drafts that can...
by Melinda Myers Add exotic long-lasting orchid blossoms to your indoor garden. These living bouquets provide months of beauty with minimal care. Just provide the proper growing conditions and success is sure to follow. The moth or phalaenopsis orchid is the one best adapted to your home environment, making it the easiest to grow. It thrives in the same temperatures as people with night temperatures in the 60s and 70 to 80 degrees during the day. However, avoid hot and cold air drafts that can...
Winter blues got you down? Spending time outside can help boost your mood and both your physical and mental health. "Getting outside in the wintertime can really help your state of mind," says Kris Kiser, President of the TurfMutt Foundation, an organization that has spent the last 15 years advocating for outdoor living and the care and stewardship of our yards, parks, and other green spaces, for the benefit of all. He adds, "Just twenty minutes outside can make a big difference for your mood...
By Doug George-Kanentiio. I was privileged to have been asked by the Mohawk Nation Council to serve as editor of both Akwesasne Notes and Indian Time (IT), first in 1984 for six months and then from 1986-1992. We had a remarkable staff of Akwesasronon with a peak of 24 employees in the fall of 1987. My task was to determine what information was printed in Notes which was distributed around the world and was the only publication of its kind since our priority was to provide our readers with accurate reports about Indigenous events wherever they...
Photos submitted by Danny David....
By Doug Kanentiio George. He based his campaign on a formula that has proven to be very effective in past elections. He was able to convince millions of Americans to vote against their own self interests. He will affect a massive shift in economic wealth (behavioral economics) which will leave the majority of his supporters further into poverty. He did this by the following: -fear and racial bias. He hammered home the threat of millions of brown skinned aliens invading the US to murder, rape and pillage-while stealing American jobs. This was...
by Melinda Myers It's time to begin tackling that gift list for the holidays. Consider gifting your favorite gardener something practical and attractive to enjoy for months and even years. No matter your budget, you can find the perfect gift to generate a smile immediately and throughout the garden season. Stuff a stocking, pot, or decorative tin with small but essential items that are handy for any gardener. A can of twine that prevents tangling yet keeps it convenient is useful for securing...
Cornwall Island Lacrosse Factory, 1973. Photos submitted by Danny David....
By Doug George-Kanentiio Among our Mohawk people the President of the United States has a title name, one carried across the generations and applied to whomever holds office. It is Ranatakaiius (la-nah-dah-gai-yus) meaning "town destroyer". It came from John Washington, the great-grandfather of the first president who would attack and burn Native communities then declare the land vacant, terra nullius under English law, before applying to the Crown for title. He would then ignore the Indigenous practice of crops diversity and rotation by...
Cornwall Island Lacrosse Factory, 1973. Photos submitted by Danny David....
by Melinda Myers Soil is the foundation of a healthy garden, but let's be honest, most gardeners don't like spending time, energy, and money on it. It's more fun to show off pretty flowers or share tasty vegetables. But creating a healthy soil foundation will increase your growing success which means more beautiful flowers, larger harvests, and a healthier landscape to enjoy. When creating a new lawn, landscape, or garden bed, begin with a soil test. Use soil testing to evaluate your...
by Melinda Myers This winter, brighten your mood and surroundings by planting and growing a few amaryllis. Your thoughts may turn to red when considering this plant but now you can find a variety of colors and flower shapes. Select the color that best suits your mood and indoor décor. Fill your home with these beauties for the holidays. Then keep the blossoms coming all winter long. Plant several different types of amaryllis bulbs, from the southern and northern hemispheres, and you'll get a...
by Melinda Myers You've probably read you should remove and dispose of insect pest-infected and diseased plant material to reduce these problems in next season's garden. This is not as easy as it seems. Most compost piles do not heat up and maintain hot enough temperatures to kill weeds, weed seeds, disease organisms, and insect pests. In many locations burning is not allowed and it negatively impacts air quality. So, what's a gardener to do? Start by calling your local municipality and asking...
By Melinda Myers. It's pumpkin season and time to select and decorate pumpkins for your fall display. Keep pumpkins and Jack-o'-lanterns looking their best longer with proper selection and care. Harvest or purchase pumpkins free of holes, cuts, and soft spots for decorating. Damaged fruit tends to rot faster, ruining your fall display. And always carry the fruit cradled in your arms, not by the stem. Once the stem breaks away from the fruit, the pumpkin is more susceptible to rot and its beauty...
by Melinda Myers Grow, harvest and season your holiday meals with fresh herbs grown indoors in a windowsill garden. Add to the experience by using potted herbs and a few holiday adornments to dress up the table. You and your family will enjoy snipping a few fresh herbal sprigs to season your meal to your own taste. Include herbs your family likes, those that complement your menu and are easy to grow indoors like basil, oregano, parsley, chives, thyme, and sage. Purchase plants so they will be...
by Melinda Myers Put fall leaves to work in your landscape. This valuable resource makes a great mulch in planting beds, adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil, provides habitat for many beneficial insects, and is insulation for ground-dwelling queen bumblebees, toads, and more. Leave any disease-free leaves in garden beds but pull them away from the trunks of trees and stems of shrubs. Mulch piles against trunks or stems create a moist environment that is more subject to rot and...
Residents of New England and southeastern Canada are dismayed by this year’s drab fall color display, an unfortunate result of funding cuts at USDA’s Plant-Pigmentation Program. Or at least I assume that’s what happened. Actually, it’s largely due to the abnormally wet season we’ve had. Frequent rains kept foliage damp for long periods, which set the stage for normally weak, opportunistic fungal pathogens to cop an attitude, and set up housekeeping inside leaves. High temperatures and humidity helped speed things along. Anthracnose sounds di...
by Melinda Myers More and more gardeners are adding native plants to their landscapes. These plants provide more than beautiful flowers for us to enjoy. They also support pollinators and other beneficial insects, and provide food and shelter for songbirds, toads, and other wildlife. In addition, these plants help protect and improve our soil and manage stormwater. The plants slow stormwater runoff and help direct it into the soil through pathways created by their deep roots to the groundwater...
by Melinda Myers Welcome spring and create continuous color for several months with a collection of spring-flowering bulbs. After planting in the fall, you'll enjoy an array of flower colors that combine nicely with other spring-flowering trees, shrubs, and flowers. Start the season with early blooming snowdrops. As winter fades watch for the dangling white flowers on six- to ten-inch-tall plants. Include these small flowers in rock gardens, mixed borders, and informal landscapes in sunny and...
When I was younger, an old-time arborist I knew used to say “The best time to prune trees is when the tools are sharp.” This guy was beset with shoulder injuries and knee problems because he also believed “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Sadly, both of these old saws are dangerous lies. Although tree-care companies have year-round expenses and need income in all seasons, a truly professional arborist knows there are two times of the year when pruning should be avoided. Late spring between bud-break and full leaf-out is one period...
