Too Much Snow But A Happy Ending

Too Much Snow But A Happy Ending

Cape Cod is buried in snow! Many have mountains of plowed snow that’s covering shrubs, lawns and perennials. Some of us have forgotten just what’s down under those mounds of white! At this point we can’t do anything but hope for an early spring. Don’t worry about those plants that are underneath the snow, however. They should be just fine unless the weight of the plowed snow is so heavy that it breaks limbs and branches. Once the snow melts you can assess the damage and prune off broken branches. Here are some things to keep in mind while the garden is buried in snow:

1. The snow is protecting the hydrangea buds from cold temperatures, so that’s one good thing anyway!

2. Houseplants cheer you up, filter indoor air and add humidity to heated spaces. Going plant shopping in a lush greenhouse is a great escape from winter weather.

3. Snow is a good protection for perennials and biennials as well. If you grow foxgloves, you might find that more will make it through the winter this season.

4. Think spring! The best way to get through winter is to plan for the growing season ahead. What changes do you want to make in your yard and gardens this year?

These were the hydrangeas on my property after the first snowfall. They are nearly buried by now!
These were the hydrangeas on my property after the first snowfall. They are nearly buried by now!

A Happy Ending

Our company newsletter this week, which mentioned this blog post, also included a personal message from Nan Ingraham, who writes this weekly message. So many people have commented here about her post that we have to include it:

“I need to tell you a story.  A couple weeks ago I was having,… one of THOSE days.  Everything I touched fell apart, got messed up or just was not working.  We all know what it is like, to have to have a day like that.

Lets just say it ended with a company taking two big payments out of my checking account for one bill…. my account was wiped clean and I still needed to buy some basics, like milk, bread & chocolate…. what? That’s not a staple??

So my husband gave me a hundred dollar bill.  I went to Trader Joe’s in Hyannis, got my milk, bread and chocolate, went to pay, and the hundred was gone! It must have fallen out when I pulled out my list. I retraced my steps, even though I really didn’t think it would turn up…. after all it was cold hard cash, sitting on the floor, free for the taking.  I ended up putting the chocolate on my credit card. I went home very stressed, not to mention poor.

But I saw something on the computer that night, that said if you have family (that includes friends) a little something to eat, and a roof over your head, you are wealthy beyond words. I sighed and cried and knew that this was very, very true.  I went to bed knowing I am a blessed person.

The next day, I got up and got our family ready for the day, after all, we had chocolate, right? I went about my business feeling pretty good and about mid morning I thought, maybe, just maybe someone had turned in that hundred dollar bill. I called Trader Joe’s and sure enough, someone had.  I was floored!  I said to the man on the phone how struck I was with this fact and he said:  “Well, we have pretty awesome customers!”  and I replied yes, yes you do… my faith is renewed.

It made me think, these people are the same that shop at HCG…. Cape Codders, New Englanders, good people, and I am sure that this miracle would have played out here as well.

So if by chance, you or someone you know was that person at T.J.s that night, thank you, I hug you… I have been putting it forward, giving back just a little bit more each day, and happy to do it.

We try to give that extra effort here at the store as well.  We like it when someone comes in with a question or a dilemma.  We give informational talks on lots of subjects and we try to give the best advice or direct them to the place that will help them.

We are local, we are Cape Cod, we are a family owned business.  You are part of our family.  Thank you.

AND we are half a century this year!!! So lots of things are planned, keep up to date with our events calendar, cuz we are gonna rock 50!!”

Four generations of hands hold seedlings at Hyannis CountryGarden

12 Comments

  1. Connie Reschke on February 19, 2015 at 10:43 am

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful $100 story. That is good to know there are honest people around us

    • CLFornari on February 19, 2015 at 10:46 am

      Connie is talking about Nan’s story in our latest newsletter. Nan does a fantastic job, and if you don’t receive the Hyannis Country Garden newsletter by email call the store and ask Nan to sign you up!

  2. Linda Lord on February 19, 2015 at 10:58 am

    I love the $100 story too, it made my day!! Actually, today, with all the new snow is just beautiful because the sun it out.
    It will eventually melt and we can get out in our gardens!!

  3. Shelly Stirling on February 19, 2015 at 11:10 am

    Hi, Nan and CL,
    Just LOVE your newsletter and am so happy to hear that we DO have honest people here on the Cape!
    It restores your faith in humankind, when there are a lot of reasons not to have faith.

    Looking forward to getting my hands dirty in the spring!

    Best,
    Shelly

  4. Anne on February 19, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Would you consider podcasting C.L.’s workshops. I can’t attend in person, but would benefit from her expertise and fun approach to gardening.

    • CLFornari on February 19, 2015 at 1:19 pm

      Good idea Anne, but unfortunately we don’t have the ability to do this. I do many seminars here, however, so hopefully something will be convenient for you to attend in the future.

  5. Karin Amidon on February 19, 2015 at 12:29 pm

    Hooray! The person of integrity, having turned in the $100, restores faith in the goodness of most people. Love Nan’s personal anecdotes and ideas.

  6. Monika V. on February 19, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Your story echo with my past experience
    I know the feeling of distress when everything goes wrong and the joy of small,little things that bring tears to your eyes…Last year I forgot my handbag with my purse on the shopping cart in the parking lot at the Christmas Tree Shop in Hyannis. I was crushed with the news of my husband’s medical diagnosis of cancer…and my sprit was down,my mind was scattered with gloomy thoughts. I haven’t even noticed my handbag missing until I got home. I drove back with no hope and here it was,somebody turned it in … I burst into tears on my way home,like I just needed that little human kindness,not to feel alone with my sorrow… I was saying prayers to somebody with a good heart
    A month later I forgot my purse at the Star market(former Angelo’s).They manager called me from the store if I missed it…I didn’t even know I left it there….
    I don’t think that good people even realize sometimes how much it means for someone to receive their goodness on the other end….
    Thanks to all of you!
    This spring I would like to plant a beautiful tree in my yard and dedicate it to human kindness…I think it should be some evergreen.

  7. L Billman on February 19, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    My Dad always told me that snow is poor man’s manure!

    • CLFornari on February 19, 2015 at 3:48 pm

      Unfortunately, snow is a “poor man’s fertilizer” only in the late spring when it melts quickly and the ground is thawed. As snowflakes fall they pick up nitrogen. When the snow melts quickly that nitrogen goes into the soil, but when the snow sits on the ground as it does in the winter time, the nitrogen is returned to the air, not into the soil. Sigh.

  8. Andrea on February 19, 2015 at 6:18 pm

    Thank you for sharing – wonderful story.

  9. Steve White on February 19, 2015 at 8:17 pm

    Nan very nice story. It’s stories like these that restore your faith in our
    fellow cape coders! !

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