Bloom

Nature’s art is in full bloom at the Bristlecone Gallery for the “Nature’s Symphony of Art” children’s showcase sponsored by Arts for Children of Nevada with help from the Jackpot Grant with the Nevada Arts Council.

Hello fellow anglers, this time of year is great to get out and enjoy fishing a river with the fall colors in bloom. The trees and aspen "quakies" in Alpine County have now peaked. Another place to enjoy the fall colors would be at Taylor Creek on Emerald Bay Road near South Lake Tahoe.

Robin Wilson is on his way back home to Ventura, California, weaving through rush hour traffic after getting a tattoo from The Dear & Departed frontman Dan Smith of Captured Tattoo in Orange County.

“I met him on LA Ink eight years ago,” he says in between checking in on freeway navigation with his passenger. “He seems to be one of LA’s greatest living hipsters. We had the shop to ourselves, so we were sharing all this new music with each other.”

Just because Summer is coming to an end, doesn't mean the gardening season is! Greenhouse Garden Center is hosting a workshop led by David Ruf at 11:00 am, Saturday Sept. 8, which will go over teaching the ways of Autumn Container Planting, including flowers that bloom in the fall such as mums, pansies, and more.

Time to get July off to a fun start. The downtown Wine Walk is a great way to spend the day exploring new shops, galleries, and restaurants. If you’re feeling competitive, head down to the Carson Mall for their watermelon and hot dog eating contests. The summer concerts at the Brewery Arts Center continue with a singer/songwriter showcase.

SATURDAY:

• — Sierra Chef Farmers Market at Genoa Town Park, on Nixon in Genoa (8am-1pm; An assortment of fresh produce, herbs, eggs and more, crafts, and local food items and specialties)

Carson City Art Gallery and Pottery will host an Artist Faire this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 110 South Curry Street in the parking lot and on the porch. A selection of the gallery’s artists will be displaying their work, and some will be doing live demonstrations.

Hello fellow anglers, there's a lot going on in June as I will be fishing with around 2,000 kids over the next couple of weekends. This weekend I will be at the Lampe Park Kids Fishing Derby in Gardnerville and the Sawmill Pond Kids Fishing Derby in South Lake Tahoe.

Whether light lavender, dark purple or even white, I love the color and scent of common lilac, Syringa vulgaris. I often see bushes densely covered in blossoms, yet my lilac bushes are sparse with few blooms.

I just returned from visiting beautiful gardens filled with amazing tulips, pansies, flowering cherry trees and many other lovely blooms.

They are the Crystal Hermitage Gardens located on the outskirts of Nevada City.

What better way to celebrate Earth Day and Earth Week than gorgeous weather that you just can’t help but enjoy. Join Muscle Powered and our Parks and Recreation Department at the Silver Saddle Ranch for a presentation and trash mob. Kids will love the Carnival at Bordewich Elementary School, and it helps raise funds for a local Cub Scout Pack. Mark Twain Elementary is hosting their annual Color Run at Mills Park, just make sure to wear a white shirt.

We are back to winter with temperatures well below freezing at night. I have seen
daffodils in bloom already and people are asking, “Will my flowers freeze?”

The answer is, “It depends.”

I love pistachios, so when I found out how nutritious they are, I was delighted.

Pistachios contain fiber, essential vitamins and minerals like B6, thiamin, copper, phosphorus and potassium. In fact, two ounces of pistachio kernels have more potassium than a large banana.

You may be one of the lucky ones in Northern Nevada with a yard or garden protected from the wind, but most gardeners battle regularly with gusts and gales.

Lately I have found a renewed interest in succulents. There are practical reasons for using succulents as part of a Northern Nevada plant palette.

I recently visited Port Gamble, Washington’s dahlia gardens.

Dahlias are gorgeous and are diverse in color, shape and size. I saw ruffled dahlias the color of blazing sunsets with tangerine outer edges and deep yellow centers.

LAS VEGAS, NV (July 24, 2017) – Registration is now available for the 2017 Nevada Economic Development Conference (NVEDC) scheduled for Sept. 11-13 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The conference will feature exclusive tours and track sessions that include the state’s leading experts in the fields of agribusiness, economic development, energy, infrastructure/transportation, manufacturing, tourism/gaming and workforce development.

Summer? Winter? Flip a coin. I could’ve guessed the rain was coming, my lilacs just started to bloom. Don’t let your parade get rained out though, downtown Carson will march right through this wet stuff. The early Spring Farmers Market debuts today behind Due Sorella at Nevada and Musser Streets. Grab the kids and enjoy today’s open house with free admission at the Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada. Stick around for the monthly Downtown Business Association wine walk and find something for Mothers’ Day at one of our wonderful local shops.

My friend Michael Janik, of Michael’s Apples, is a fruit tree expert. He sent out an April newsletter with tips on pest control and said I could share them.

Join Park Rangers at Washoe Lake State Park during the month of April for a full moon hike, an Easter egg hunt and a wildflower walk.

It seems like overnight the crabapples have exploded into bloom. Take advantage of a beautiful day by joining one of the walks organized every Tuesday. An easy walk with Parks and Rec will take you along a portion of the Mexican Ditch Trail today. The Muscle Powered walk in early evening is more strenuous. Fathers will want to get moving if they plan on taking their daughter to the Carson High Father Daughter Dance this Friday. Swing by the High School office between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for tickets or shoot an email to teacher Angila Golek to make sure they’re waiting at will call.

This time next month our downtown will be in full bloom, but there’s plenty of cheer no matter what the season. The monthly Downtown Business Association’s monthly Wine Walk marches right along: rain or shine, wind or snow (or a combination of them all.) Grab your friends, a coat, and see what kind of fun blows your way.

I’m often asked when the best time to prune fruit trees is. I pruned my crabapple and apple trees last week. I chose this time of year to prune them, not because it was optimum season for pruning, but because I couldn’t stand looking at all the ugly water sprouts (vertically growing small branches) sticking up haphazardly throughout the framework of the main branches. I see these trees from my kitchen window every day.

The apple harvest is almost over. We have picked so many red delicious apples at our house, we don’t care there are still some on the tree. I had thought a freeze in late May had destroyed all the flowers. Surprise! The recent winds have blown down many of the apples remaining on the tree.

We have about 25 48-year-old cottonwood (poplar) trees that give us wonderful shade, shelter the birds and protect us from the wind. Unfortunately, cottonwoods sucker profusely from spreading tree roots. They sprout in the lawn, flowerbeds, driveway and even the patio.

What a surprise awaited me one morning a week ago as I was watering. I had completely forgotten this wonderful late summer gem, thinking bulb blooming time was over until next spring. However, the fall-flowering crocus amazed me once again.

I’m a fan of hummingbirds. They are amazing aerobatic wizards. They can fly in all directions including backwards and upside down at speeds of 30 to 45 mph. They can hover like miniature helicopters. They beat their wings 60 to 200 times per second. These tiny powerhouses weigh about as much as a penny, in some cases, yet they are fierce defenders of their territory.

Hello fellow anglers, I want to tell you of a place that has over looked by many for years. Many of us pass by as we journey through Hope Valley in Alpine County. Some may view it as a rest stop at Pickett's Junction. In 2001 the All Access Wildlife path was built in partner by the California Fish and Wildlife, Alpine County and the Friends of Hope Valley. It is located at the junction of Highways 88 and 89 in Hope Valley, Calif.

Hello fellow anglers and welcome to Independence Day weekend 2016. The weather is hot and the fishing is picking up. The roads will be busy and patience will be thin. Take your time and watch for anglers jumping from hole to hole, especially around the rivers. With our dry and hot temperatures, a few things to remember:

Hello fellow anglers. We have had two successful kids fishing derbys in our area. The Lampe Park Kids Derby had 1,300 children attend this year and last Saturday was the Alpine County Kids Fishing derby at Indian Creek.

My hat is off to all the volunteers that came together to make this such a successful and fun event. Now it is time for the kids to take dad fishing. Father's Day is this Sunday and what better way to give back than to take your dad fishing. These events are the reason that most kids get hooked on fishing.

Shirley’s Farmers Markets and the Sands Regency are back in 2016 as hosts for the Downtown Farmers Market at the Sands. Every Thursday from June 9 to August 25 between 4 p.m. – 9 p.m., local farms and other vendors will converge under the large tent in the Sands parking lot located south of 3rd Street in Reno.