Hello Spring!
It’s the first day of spring and the weather here in Northern Michigan is unusually sunny and mild. March is definitely a capricious month for weather here but I’m hopeful that the “in like a lion, out like a lamb” holds true this month.
Today is in the 50s so the dog and I’ll be going out soon to explore. (Typical March temperatures in our part of Michigan run between 22 and 40 degrees) Yesterday’s trek found a snowdrop in the yard — not pushing its way through the snow like most years but right in the middle of the grass. So it’s time to check out the woods and see if any of the native spring ephemerals are pushing their way out of the ground and if there is any sign of ramps (wild leeks) coming up.
I’m not an avid forager but we do dig ramps in the spring and look for morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns. That first taste of spring, combined with the first availability of our CSA share in April, makes spring a culinary joy!
In addition to checking out the growth patterns in the woods, I’ll also start charting out the daytime temperatures to see when it’s safe to begin garden work.
For years I cleaned up my garden in the fall and then as soon as was possible I was out doing an early spring bed preparation The theory I was taught was that an hour in the garden in the fall saved three hours in the spring and gave you a head start on the next year’s work. But as I’ve learned, leaving dead stems, leaves and twigs in the garden gives butterflies and bees places to live until they are ready to emerge in the spring — usually when daytime temperatures are steadily above 50 degrees.
So until then I’ll limit my spring clean up to taking out some saplings that are in an area I want to plant this spring and making a new burn pile with those. Meanwhile that will give our black lab plenty of time to check out the smells of the rabbits that live under our deck. And when my back says “enough already” I’ll start making a spring order for my new native garden.
Happy Spring!
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
