It’s About Time

Gardeners need to pay attention to winterizing the watering system. Now that the rainy season seems to have begun in earnest, it’s time to drain and roll up the hoses. Empty and store the hose timers inside. If they freeze with water in them, their valves will be damaged and they will leak next year.

It doesn’t take much rain to bring on germination of the winter annual weeds. The extensive turf of hairy bitter cress seedlings is a demonstration of their ability to spread seeds by exploding seed capsules, especially in parts of the garden that were not weeded diligently last summer.

An old fashioned way to enjoy fall leaves is to press and dry leaves for art projects. A stack of newspapers under a weighted board is all the equipment needed. Gather leaves that catch your fancy and put them between folded newspaper sections, press under a board with heavy weight. Swap out the moist newspapers with dry ones every day until the leaves are dry; usually a week or less.

Until now this fall has been dry and warm, so that bigleaf maple leaves are not developing their usual display of golden yellow. Many leaves are just turning brown before dropping off. The continuing drought extending so late is a sign we should think about the upcoming elections. In many places the choices will have an effect on the policies of dealing with global warming and climate change. Young voters in particular need look to the future.

David Wagner is a botanist who works in Eugene. He teaches moss classes, leads nature walks and makes nature calendars. He can be contacted through his website, fernzenmosses.com.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!