Sampson Community Club

                            The Squeaky Squirrel

 A newsletter about and for
 our Mountain Community
 by Miss Dee, published author
 (a.k.a. Dee Lee)

March 15, 2003

 A Special Thank You

     We'd like to take a moment to thank some special people.

     Thank You, Edna Garrison, for your donation of the Tiles to the Sampson School House. These will help make a wonderful upstairs improvement!

     Thank you, Virginia Temmer, for your donation of the badly needed Ceiling Tiles. They are greatly appreciated!

     Thank you, Danny Wirth, for having "Le Twalet" at the Lamb School cleaned and sanitized before this past Winter started.

     And Thank You, Sampson Community Club Members, for getting caught up on your yearly dues! If you need to pay your $20.00 per year membership, please make the check out to Sampson Community Club and mail it to the Sampson Community Club, 16150 Sampson Road, Littleton, CO 80127.

Noteworthy Notes

     The Squeaky Squirrel is a quarterly newsletter. Its publication dates are the 15th of March, June, September and December. Deadlines for advertisements and submissions are the 1st of March, June, September and December.

2002/2003 Board Members

                    Karen George, President                          Mitch Tanenbaum, Vice President
                    Tamie Martin, Secretary                           Virginia Temmer, Treasurer

     * We recently learned that Karen George is resigning her position as President. She's moving to Texas. We all wish her the very best of luck and also thank her from the bottom of our hearts for all of her assistance, energy, enthusiasm and time.

Good Luck Karen!

* * * Mountain Road Protocol * * *

     2 vehicles meet on a narrow mountain road. The vehicle going DOWN should stop, then back up, allowing the vehicle going UP to pass as it is too dangerous to back down a mountain road.

* * * Please DON'T Speed * Get There Alive * * *

Sampson Community Club Calendar

May 4th                                                      June
                                                                       Mountain Mama's

          Garage Sale                                                    July              
                                                                       Breakfast Ice Cream Social

Good Tidings

     March and April are the months to wander about your property and pile up broken tree limbs and brush. And, while things are still wet from recent snows, it's a great time to get out your chain saw and thin out some of that very combustible Scrub Oak! If you have access to a Wood Chipper, the limbs and brush make excellent mulch! It feeds the soil and helps hold moisture!

     You'll want to rake those pine needles away from around your house, too.

* * * Its Time to be Bear Wise * * *

     * The Bears come out of hibernation mid to late March!!!

     * Empty your bird feeders, wash them out and put them away until mid-November.

     * Don't store trash in your house or garage. Double bag it and get it in the trash dumpster or a Bear Proof container.

     * Don't leave food sitting out on your kitchen counter.

     * Make noise when you are outside.

* * * Division of Wildlife (303) 297-1192 * * *

Dispatch (303) 291-7227 Operation Game Thief 1-800-332-4144


     The Greenhouse Corner

     January is the time for gardeners to dream about and perhaps sketch our gardens. By February, we're getting itchy to feel the dirt in our hands. And by March, we're ready to plant anything that will grow in the cold!

     Since our growing season up here is a bit shorter than Denver, March is a great time for planning where we will plant what and then sketching our ideas on paper. This is something I usually do at the end of the summer season, making last minute adjustments in February or March.

     I "Companion Plant" and Rotate my gardens. You've probably heard the terms. "Companion Planting" is the gardening method of planting complimentary vegies in order to benefit each of the plants, enhance the flavor of both and help keep certain bugs at bay. "Companion Planting" provides natural pesticides and gives more gardening room. Rotating Gardening means not planting the same vegie in the same spot year after year but rotating them to another spot.

     Here are a few "Companion Plantings" I do each year.

     * Tomatoes love Basil, Parsley, Carrots and Onions. The Onions help to keep the Tomato worm and Borers away and also enhances the flavor of Basil and Parsley.

     * Pumpkins love Corn. Pumpkins benefit from the shade the corn stalks give them, intertwine their vines on the stalks and butt up against the stalks which gives you more gardening room.

     * Cucumber and Dill enhance each other's flavors and the Dill attracts butterflies and bees, the pollinators.

     * Peas + Radishes                          * Asparagus + Parsley and Basil

     * Beans + Radishes                        * Garlic + Roses

     * Chives + Parsley                         * Fruit trees + Garlic

     Garlic helps keep Borers and Spider Mites away and also enhances flavor.

     March is the month when we can start our Cold weather vegies: brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, peas, potatoes and onions.

     :-) We can start them inside, as long as they are in a warm spot, are covered with Cling Wrap or Terrarium tops, where they get several hours of sunlight each day and are easy to lightly water. Don't over-water the seedlings and when they're about 1/2" tall, put a few toothpicks in the soil to keep the cling wrap off the seedlings. Periodically, remove the tops so they get fresh air. At the end of one month, remove the tops permanently and take them outside each day for about one hour if possible. By the latter part of April, we can move them outside. Be certain the ground has been prepared or tilled and amended.

     In March and April, Deep Root water your fruit or special trees. Actually, we need to Deep Root water our trees once a month during the Winter to maintain the tree's root system.

     March and April are good months to start your Summer/Fall vegies inside. Follow the :) directions above. By the latter part of May, we can move them outside.

     And, start your seeds under the different phases of the Moon. Root vegetables, those vegies that grow under the soil, such as beets, carrots and potatoes, should be planted when the Moon is New, or April 1st this year. The up-top vegetables, those vegies that grow above the soil, such as cabbage, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes, should be planted when the Moon is Full, or April 16th.

     Late April is the time to take your tree wrap off, if you wrapped them last Fall, and the right time to hang onion slices on your Cherry Tree.

     Mid-May is the time for soil preparation. While we are working the soil, we add coffee grounds and fireplace ashes to the tilled ground. Worms love to eat coffee grounds and they help keep the soil aerated and loose. The ashes are food for the soil as are dead leaves. Don't use Pine Needles as mulch. There is something in the needles that deters the growth of seeds. They are, however, wonderful mulch for strawberries!

     Usually the weekend before and Memorial Day weekend we're busy planting our vegies, so stop by and we'll talk gardening!

Ad Niche

     Wanted: 4 drawer, legal, locking, fireproof file cabinet!

     Needed: Triple-Wall Stove Piping for the Sampson School House and a Volunteer to help put it in.

     Sought After: A few volunteers to help install Drop In Ceilings in the Bathrooms at the Sampson School House.

Call Virginia Temmer (303) 697-7272 evenings

Advertising

     Want to place an ad?     20 words $5.00     50 words $10.00
Give Dee a call, (303) 697-2558, or write out your ad and mail it with the appropriate fee to the Sampson Community Club mailbox.

More than 50 words? Call Virginia Temmer.

Ideas? Suggestions? Queries?

     If you have an idea or a story for us, suggestions or questions, please don't hesitate to drop a note in the Sampson Community Club mailbox or contact Dee at missdee001@earthlink.net Please include your evening phone number.

Go Rockies!

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