Subject: Winter?
> Of course our Canadian bretheren have already settled in > -jc

Very odd year here in Western Iglooland.  Green leaves still on the trees.
Gourds still making flowers in spite of a little frost.   Just harvested our
heritage Moon & Stars watermelons - the best!   The worst possibility of a
warm winter here is that the insects that are normally killed off by
freezing may not be.   I worry for our 125 year old pine log mill that has
been so well protected from bugs for so many years.

Is anyone on the list also a heritage gardener or landscaper?  What is
happening with public interest in the practical aspects of that topic in
your neighbourhood(s)?  Out here, the general public interest in heritage
garden restorations to accompany heritage home restorations has waned
considerably since it began in earnest with a great serious blossoming in
the early '90s.   The rise and fall here seems to have paralleled the rise
and fall of Victoriana popularity through the decade.   A lot of serious
initial curiosity and dedication to "authenticity" has softened back to the
more usual "whatever turns you on" Martha Stewart approach to "country
life", meaning rural life meaning olde fashioned.   Our lumber yards are
full of artificial 1890's plaster mouldings and ceiling rings for modern
installation while our City has been trying unsuccessfully to sell an early
1900's house it officially considers of significant heritage value for $1 to
anyone who will move it out of the way of a new car wash site.

Also, folks still seem to be locked into the notion that "old" is 1890's and
1910's in this wild west place that saw its big wave of settlement when the
railroad was completed across Canada.    Anything else is considered too new
to worry about.   On the other hand, the heritage seed situation has grown
to the point that even most commercial catalogues now have special marks for
their "Heritage" varieties.   That topic now seems more publicly connected
with natural environmental consciousness and preserving genetic diversity
than cultural heritage preservation.

-jcp in bc
wondering what it takes to encourage appreciation of cultural heritage
preservation - is it only that the East is so much older?

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