1. How did you become involved with the Master Gardeners program?
I’ve had an avid interest in gardens for many years. My folks had a showpiece rose bed and that got me going. I saw a Gazette Record article on the group and decided to try it out. This will be my third year of involvement.
2. What do you enjoy about being a Master Gardener?
For me the enjoyment is two-fold. First is the fascination with all the God-given natural processes and wonders that go on in the process of a garden. To learn about all the subtle interactions is amazing. Second, the people in the group are wonderful and have become good friends of mine both in the garden and in my personal life.
3. What types of things/ projects are you responsible for as a Master Gardener?
Personally, my responsibilities as vice-coordinator are mainly organizing our seasonal plant clinics and producing a monthly newsletter. The group as a whole does a myriad of activities. We conduct a series of classes to qualify a new MG, we answer garden questions, educate the public in several ways (the aforementioned plant clinic, demonstration gardens, teaching youth) and provide a reach-out program to seniors in need of garden help.
4. What is the time commitment like?
The required is easy to acquire. One starts with a series of classes given by garden experts and University of Idaho faculty. The classes begin Feb. 5 with an orientation. They run twice a week until the end of March. Once certified, we have a monthly meeting. An MG must complete six hours of training annually and then volunteer hours at the plant clinic and/or approved projects until the minimum is met. It truly can be done with ease and there is help every step of the way.
5. Why would you recommend someone consider becoming a Master Gardener?
I would recommend folks to join because of the vast amount of garden help and information available to members. Others’ garden experience and problems take one to new worlds of interest in nature. Also, the group has fun meetings, activities and field trips. We usually have a jolly good time.
6. Is there is something you’ve learned during your tenure as a Master Gardener?
Yes. How little I know about the wide world of plants. As I mentioned, all of the natural mysteries are very interesting to unravel, or at least attempt to. Also, the groups contains bright people and it is good to problem solve with others with more experience.
7. What does one have to do to become a Master Gardener?
This is also easy; just sign up for our upcoming round of classes. There is an application form available by calling any of the following: Angel Ross, co-coordinator, 245-3861; Benewah County Extension Office, 245-2422; or me, 582-6367.
8. What is something gardeners do in the wintertime to prepare for planting in the spring?
Ah, the winter in Idaho. If one joins MG, we all get together once a month for group therapy. We drool over those shiny new plant catalogs, salivating on our 2015 garden launches and secretly plotting how to make weeds grow in straight rows (in the neighborís yard). Seriously, not much. There is lots one can do in fall to get the garden prepped. Join us, and I’ll tell you.
9. What is the easiest thing to grow in the area? The hardest?
The question of easiest and hardest to grow depends on several variables: the length of our season (short and cold), the varieties chosen (numerous), your personal micro-climate at your location and the many means to alter and/or extend our number of growing days. We do well with root veggies, fruit trees, berries, many ornamentals, etc. Anybody plant potatoes? The tough ones are the tender crops and varieties. Some, like tomatoes, flourish one year and strangle the next. Key is our Zone 6 (generally) location. MGs can help you with this.
10. Who is the best gardener you know?
There are many great gardeners in this group. We grow everything from Christmas trees to tender tropicals and everything in between. I will mention several names who have been of great help to me. Ellis Vawter, Angie Morrow, Gwen Edwards, Penny Carpenter, Rich Hurley and Almeeta Jarvi are all in the running for ‘best’ to me. Hope to see you on Feb. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Community Presbyterian Church (1100 College Avenue in St. Maries).
There were no computers when Paulina Freeburg started as the director of the Plummer Public Library.
If one wanted to find a book, she said, they would have to use the card catalogue, an item that has become obsolete and is relatively unknown to younger generations.
“You would have to open a drawer, and go through the index cards,” Ms. Freeburg said.
Paulina Freeburg was recognized for 30 years of service by the city of Plummer. She is the library director for the Plummer Public Library. She said though she’s seen many changes, the passion she has for her work has remained.
There have been many changes in Ms. Freeburg’s tenure as the library director. One thing that has not changed is the passion she has for her work.
Ms. Freeburg was honored by the city of Plummer last month for 30 years of service. She was first hired as the library director for the Plummer Public Library in 1984.
Originally from southern Idaho, Ms. Freeburg first moved to the area as a teenager with her parents. Her husband, Mike, was born and raised in the area. Though they moved around early in their marriage, they moved back to the Plummer area in 1977 and have lived there since.
Ms. Freeburg had worked for the school district in the office when the opportunity to apply for the position at the Plummer Public Library became available. She said the position was ideal because it was part-time and would allow her to be at home more to raise her two children.
“I had the clerical and bookkeeping experience for the job and I had some on the job training and took some courses at the University of Idaho after I was hired,” she said. “It has been a blessing to be able to live and work in the same area. I don’t have to commute.”
During her 30-year tenure as the library director, Ms. Freeburg said the highlight was being able to achieve building the new space for the library.
“It was a grassroots effort to raise the funds,” she said. “It took us 10 years to reach our goal, but we did it.”
Ms. Freeburg said the prior building that housed the library was crowded and outdated when the project to fund a new building started in 2000. She said the Friends of the Library did so many different fundraisers.
“The biggest was an auction and dinner out at the casino,” she said. “But there were lots and lots of bake sales.”
The final key pieces of funding came in the form of a grant and a bond. The new building is three times larger than its predecessor, Ms. Freeburg said. It allows more room for people to sit, provides spaces for patrons to read and study.
“Our old building didn’t even have a public restroom,” Ms. Freeburg recalled.
Computers have come to play a bigger role at the library as well, she added. The checkout system is automated now and computers are readily available to be used by patrons. Movies and eBooks are also some of the items the public may now access at the library.
Still, Ms. Freeburg said books remain popular. In some of the latest numbers, only 75 eBooks were checked out compared to more than 1,000 books, she said.
“People always want to get the latest best seller,” Ms. Freeburg said. “I think public libraries are a vital part of any community. We get a lot of compliments from visitors who come to the area about our library.”
Ms. Freeburg said she has always had the opportunity to work with great people who are appointed to sit on the library board. Current board members are Chris Smith, Debra Church, Julie Miller, Delores Johnston and Judy Perkins.
“All the boards I’ve worked with have always been very supportive,” she said. “The city has always appointed qualified people.”
She said a former longtime board member, the late Bess Meagher, was always especially encouraging.
“She was on the board for 20 years,” Ms. Freeburg said. “Whenever something would go wrong, she’d tell me not to worry about it. She was always very encouraging.”
Ms. Freeburg said her assistant, Cindy Urbat, has worked at the library for 10 years, handling all new materials that come into the library and has also been instrumental.
“I appreciate her skills and dependability,” Ms. Freeburg said.
Interacting with the community is always something Ms. Freeburg enjoys as well as helping people find what they are seeking.
“It’s been very rewarding to see those children as young adults bringing their own children to the library as they instill a love of reading in the next generation,” she added.
Ms. Freeburg said she has no plans to retire.
“I hope to be here at least another five years,” she said. “I was extremely honored the city recognized me for the service.”
Shelby Green does not fish for bullhead.
The fish, she said, is not popular among anglers.
So when she took time to fish on Hauser Lake last week, she didn’t plan to catch “a monster bullhead.” But that is exactly what she did.
Shelby Green displays the photo of the record bullhead she caught Dec. 17. The fish weighed 5 pounds, 6 ounces.
The fish, which weighed 5 pounds, 8 ounces and was 25 inches long, broke the state record for largest bullhead recorded.
“I was actually trying to catch a walleye,” she said.
Described by her father as a “fishing fool,” Ms. Green has enjoyed the sport since she was young. She said her passion for fishing was instilled in her by her father, Roy. Growing up in St. Maries, she went fishing with her father and her brother, Wes, often.
“I’ve been fishing since I was literally a toddler. When I was in diapers, they took me fishing,” she said.
Ms. Green said she is quite competitive when it comes to fishing. She entered one derby when she was 14 in Harrison and won in most of the categories.
“I usually out fish everybody I go with,” she said.
So it was quite embarrassing, Ms. Green said, to catch a fish as lowly as the bullhead for a record. She caught the fish Dec. 17. She was at Hauser Lake near Post Falls because she had heard from others there were walleye. When the fish first bit on her second cast, Ms. Green thought she had hooked a perch.
“You can tell a lot by the way a fish bites,” she said. “I thought it was a perch and I set the hook and then I couldn’t feel it anymore. I thought I missed it. I was actually bummed because I never miss.”
While she was reeling in her line, she felt a dead weight. She said as she reeled the line in she could see that she actually had a fish on the line.
“When I got it up onto the shore, my thought was this is a giant bullhead,” she recalled. “I had caught a few ice fishing and they were all pretty small. Bullheads are generally not that big. So when I saw this one, it was the biggest I had seen. I knew it was huge.”
She put the fish in her bucket and took it to Idaho Fish and Game. Staff there told her it was indeed a large fish breaking the previous recorded record of 3 pounds, 14 ounces.
“They also had me fill out an application to submit it for the new record,” she said. “It is the first record I’ve ever broken.”
After she graduated from St. Maries High School in 2011, Ms. Green attended Lewis Clark State College. She is the daughter of Roy Green and Taresa Green. She works in Coeur d’Alene as a nurse and visits her family in St. Maries often during the weekends.
A long-time teacher and coach has managed to turn a hobby into a thriving business.
As retirement approached, Mitch Santos knew he’d need some way to supplement his income. So he got to work building a business.
Mitch Santos, a woodworker, is the featured artist for the month of January at The Gallery on Main, located within The Paperhouse in St. Maries. He will be available to the public at a reception in his honor from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2 at the gallery. His work will be featured in a special display through the month.
The business he chose just so happened to involve woodworking, a craft that he found that he not only had talent for, but also enjoyed.
Mr. Santos moved to St. Maries in 1977 to teach. For 34 years he taught high school science courses in the same room.
Though he always enjoyed carving and wood burning, Mr. Santos didn’t start making larger items with wood until after he started building his house.
“Everything started when I began building my house,” he said. “It needed things to outfit it and so I started making tables, chairs and beds. I had wood burned and carved before then, and even sold a few pieces, but I mostly did it for fun because I enjoyed it.”
When retirement neared he decided to turn that enjoyment into a supplemental income.
“I knew after I retired I’d need some income to take care of medical and insurance premiums so I decided to develop my hobby into a business,” he said. “I learned how to use the log turning tools in the high school shop and after I got the hang of it I ordered my own equipment and started building chairs and log beds.”
Those started to sell and after a while the business grew. He officially launched his business in 2004 and started marketing hand-made furniture. Since then it has evolved into a variety of items.
“I am doing less and less log furniture, but more timber frame and antler lighting products,” he said. “If it’s made out of wood I will take a stab at trying to build it.”
It has just been in the last few years that Mr. Santos has become interested in showing his work as art.
“When I was teaching and getting the business established I just didn’t have the time, but now that I am just running the business I have a more flexible schedule,” he said. “Just this year I have been able to get involved in an art gallery and the art council.”
His favorite pieces to work on are the flat wood burnings and the cribbage boards that he has on display at the gallery.
Mr. Santos has been a driving force behind reestablishing an art gallery in St. Maries.
“I felt there was a need to get the gallery revived and it takes a group of people who have a goal to make that happen,” he said. “I really feel there is a handful of people really interested in having the arts available here. I wanted to get involved to make sure we do have a place to display art.”
He continues to work toward growing participation at the gallery and on the council.
“I’d like to see the number of artists grow so we can offer a little more variety at the gallery and make it more financially feasible for the council to support,” Mr. Santos said. “Even if you don’t make anything, $17 per month to have a place to display your work and support the arts is a deal. You can’t even store your stuff for that much.”
Mr. Santos will be available to the public from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2 at The Gallery on Main (located within The Paperhouse). The gallery will be open late and refreshments will be served during the reception. His work will also be featured in a special display that may be viewed that evening at the gallery or at any other time during the month of January.
The St. Maries Ministerial Association has organized its annual Christmas Eve service for the community.
The community service will be at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve at the College Avenue Baptist Church, 830 West College Avenue. All are invited to attend.
Pastor Shane Royal, of the Four Square Gospel Church, will give this year’s message. There will also be a time of worship and prayer. Pastor Royal said this is the third year the St. Maries Ministerial Association has organized the service.
“We just want to everyone to know that we are unified. This is a time we can come together as one. We may worship differently, but we all believe the same thing,” he said.
Image courtesy of sharefaith.com
Several other area churches have also planned Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services and invite members of the community to join them.
In St. Maries, the Community Presbyterian Church, 1100 West College Avenue, will have a candlelight service at 5 p.m. The St. Maries Church of the Nazarene invites the public to join them for a candlelight service at 8 p.m.; St. Paul’s Lutheran Church will also have service at 8 p.m.
The St. Mary’s Immaculate Catholic Church, 921 West Jefferson Avenue, will have Christmas Eve Mass at 10 p.m. Mass is set for 11 a.m. Christmas Day.
The Fernwood Community Bible Church, located off of State 3, will have a Christmas Eve candlelight service at 6 p.m.
The Harrison Community Baptist Church’s candlelight service will be at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve. The address for the church is 100 East Pine Street. Also in Harrison, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on Pine Street, will have mass Christmas Eve at 6 p.m.
In Plummer, there will be a Christmas Eve service at 6 p.m. at the Plummer Bible Church, 1090 D Street. It will include special music, according to Jan Mitchell.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Plummer, 1173 E Street, will have a Christmas Eve Mass at 5 p.m. The Sacred Heart Mission, which is located at 149 Byrnes Ave. in DeSmet, will have a midnight mass, and Santa Claus is expected to make an appearance following the service.
On Christmas Day, mass will be held at St. Michael Church, 1824 I Street in Worley, at 10 a.m. Mass will also be held at noon at Sacred Heart Mission Dec. 25.
The Worley Community Church, 30203 South 1st Street, will offer a Christmas Eve service at 6 p.m. The service will include a time of reflection, a message and worship.
