Lakota cultural resource manager Albert Lebeau is our guide to this exploration of Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa.

Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce

If you're interested in adding to the look of your yard, with minimal effort, then a Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce is what you're looking for.

Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce trees are excellent for patios. They're great for anywhere in your yard. Especially where you'd enjoy having a decorative tree with a spiral shape. Which is especially great for those who enjoy decorating their yard during Christmas. When needed, trimming back new growth will help the tree keep its unique spiral shape. All around, the tree is excellent for any yard where you want decorative, accent or tree garden friendly trees.

Most of the time your Dwarf Alberta Spruce tree will not need watering. It will need watering during times of drought though. The tree grows best in a well-drained, but not dry, soil. When grown as a shrub they will require watering more often up to two or a few times per week depending on the weather and temperature.

As for fertilizing, your tree(s) should be fertilized with a fertilizer like Miracle Gro every three weeks between April and August. Dwarf Alberta Spruces will typically grow between five and seven feet in height and have a spread of two to three feet. Due to its size, they can also be grown in a container of appropriate size that will have room for its roots at maturity.

Its low height makes it also suitable for growing in areas of your yard where other trees would be too close to power lines. In good soil and under other ideal conditions, your Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce tree can live for at least fifty years and be enjoyable for generations of your family or any future property owners.

Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce Winter Care

The Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce is a popular ornamental tree that is commonly grown for its unique shape and texture. It is a hardy evergreen tree that can withstand cold temperatures and harsh winter conditions. However, proper care is still necessary to ensure that the tree survives and remains healthy during the winter season.

Here are some tips for winter care of Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce:

Watering: Make sure the tree is well-watered before the ground freezes. This will help it retain moisture during the winter months. However, avoid overwatering as this can cause the roots to rot.

Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the tree. This will help to insulate the roots and protect them from freezing temperatures.

Protection from wind and snow: The tree's branches are susceptible to damage from heavy snow or strong winds. To protect it, wrap the tree in burlap or a protective cover.

Avoid using de-icing salt: Salt can be harmful to the tree, so avoid using de-icing salt near the tree. If possible, use sand instead.

Pruning: Prune the tree in the fall to remove any dead or damaged branches. This will help to promote new growth in the spring.

By following these tips, you can help your Spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce survive and thrive during the winter months.

How To: Prune A Spiral Topiary

A North Carolina town where the main mode of transportation isn't cars, but horses
  
The small town of Love Valley in North Carolina is a tourist spot that only permits horses and horse carriages within the town limits. The "town" was founded in the 1960s with the idea in mind of providing a place where people could take a trip back into history. The town consists of 2,000 acres open to horse riding, camping and other attractions and events.

https://www.countrythangdaily.com/love-valley-north-carolina/

Sitting in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains in NC, this place is popular for horse lovers. All guests need to leave their cars in the designated parking sports. Upon entering, they can only ride carriages and horses downtown.

Pink Dawn Chitalpa  Frau Siebenschläfer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Environment-wise, the trees grow best in full sun to partial shade. The tree, like catalpa breeds and desert willows, have showy flowers and the tree can flower in spring, summer, or fall depending on your location.

The tree prefers soil that is moist to dry. The expected height can be up to 35 feet but is typically around 25 feet. It is a tree that is adapted to grow in zones 6 through 9.

This hybrid tree breed can live anywhere from 50 years to 150 years. The lawn litter from a Chitalpa isn't nearly as much as that from a Catalpa.

All around, the Pink Dawn Chitalpa is a unique and excellent flowering tree that is perfect as an accent in your yard. The tree also fits in well in flower garden setting. For a possibly slightly taller tree, you can plant your Chitalpa in partial shade. For maximum blooming, plant the tree in full sun and with moderate soil moisture.

Some of the attributes that make the Pink Dawn Chitalpa so popular include:

- Its beautiful pink flowers

- Its long blooming season

- Its resistance to many different types of pests and diseases

- Its ability to grow in a wide range of climates

View other varieties of flowering Bignoniaceae trees

Hogans were the traditional dwelling of the Diné (Navajo) and there are two different types of hogans, the male hogan and the female hogan. The male hogan is rounder and has a short framed entrance structure that opens to the outdoors facing east. Inside, it has a main support typically comprised of three heavier logs and and an square opening on the roof/ceiling to see the sky and stars. These three main logs are forked to be able to support each other and the rest of the hogan. In addition to being a dwelling, male hogans also have a ceremonial purpose. Also, after it is constructed, the inside of a hogan is blessed before it is put to use with cornmeal or corn pollen at the main posts in a clockwise manner.

Both the male and female hogans are used as dwellings though. Traditionally, hogans were built without any nails or any supporting materials but, if used, they are sparingly used in the construction of hogans nowadays. The outside of a hogan is covered in clay to provide further insulating from temperatures extremes, especially to keep the hogan cool during the hot months. The wood that's typically used for a hogan is juniper wood due to its resistance to decay and availability. The logs for the structure are carved, sanded, and shaved as needed for the structure.

The female hogan is a bit more fancy and is a six or eight-sided structure. Modern female hogans are built somewhat like a log cabin with a modern roof while others have a wood, clay roof and a log cabin-like structure. The old-style structures were made out of stone and/or wood and clay. A female hogan is akin to a one-room house with a section for beds, a kitchen, and a living room area. In the middle of the female hogan is a heating source, typically a wood stove. If there is only one hogan available, the female hogan is used for ceremonies instead of the male one. A female hogan may or may not have an opening on the ceiling/roof. Some modern female hogans also have room extensions to them.

There was a time when the Navajo were moving away from hogans as dwellings, sometimes due to government influence, but the trend towards hogans began rising in popularity in the 90s. Especially as Navajo-owned businesses, specifically for the supplies to build hogans, began taking hold. These businesses also provide jobs for their communities and opportunities for the youth to gain some construction experience.

See also: 
https://navajopeople.org/navajo-hogans.htm
https://blog.kachinahouse.com/navajo-hogans-and-the-ceremonies-held-within/

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The Passamaquoddy: A People Reborn Short Documentary

"Katys Church was built on Vandine property in the late 1800's by German immigrants who had relocated to the area. Because the closest Lutheran church was 15 miles away - and horse and buggy were the primary mode of transportation - Widow Catherine Vandine's church was well received. She herself attended services there until her passing at 87 years old. Several years later, her grandson granted possession of the church to its board members." - Credit: May Shetler and Cris Michaels

Source, read the rest at https://web.archive.org/web/20170518135904/http://outhousesoutandabout.com/

Facts about Katys Church (formerly Immanuel Lutheran Church) aka VanDine Church:

The stories about Katy and the haunting are just that.. Stories

The church was built in the late 1800s by German immigrants.
Catherine (Poust) Vandine attended services at the church until her passing at 87 years old, in 1899.
The church closed in 1969 but in recent years has been regularly holding services and other events.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9092538/kate-ella-vandine

Commercials featured in these 1980s soft drink commercials:

7UP - featuring John McEnroe, Tony Dorsett, and Larry Bird - 1979

John Patrick McEnroe is an American tennis player. He was known for his shot-making artistry and volleying skills, and for confrontational on-court behavior that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

Anthony Drew Dorsett Former professional American football running back Anthony Drew Dorsett played for the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League.

Larry Joe Bird is an American former professional basketball player, coach and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.

Pepsi - The Pepsi Challenge - 1980

The White Stargazer Lily, as with all lilies, is a hybrid of the Oriental Lily. Like other lily varieties, the flowers of the White Stargazer Lily has attractive flowers. Its flowers are perfect for adding to any flower garden. Or even along the edge of a fence, or along the side or front of your house. As its name suggests, the flower is a pure white color. They can go along with other varieties of Stargazer Lilies or any other type of lilies. Not only lilies but also tulips and even irises. With your white Stargazer lilies, One stem can develop anywhere from two to eight flowers. Each plant is sure to offer plenty of blooms wherever you plant them.

Audrey from Central Pennsylvania, USA / CC BY

How to Plant White Stargazer Lilies

When Do White Stargazer Lilies Bloom?

White stargazer lilies typically bloom in the summer months, usually between June and August. The exact timing of their blooming can vary depending on various factors such as the climate, growing conditions, and the specific cultivar. Generally, these lilies prefer full sun or partial shade and well-draining soil. With proper care and growing conditions, they can produce beautiful and fragrant white blooms in the summer months.

Fertilizing and Watering White Stargazer Lilies

Fertilizing isn't always required if the soil that your lilies are planted in is healthy. If you do feel that your lilies need fertilizer, then a 10-10-10 fertilizer should do. You should add a good amount of fertilizer in the springtime. Be sure to add not long after the lilies have begun to sprout from the ground. Then water your lilies if needed.

When in bloom your white Stargazer lilies will need watering every week or whenever the soil looks dry. You can either keep a hose near your lilies for the convenience of watering them as needed. But don't over water them or water them in a way that damages your flowers. Essentially, you want the water to soak down six inches into the soil. You could also place a drip irrigation system to water your flowers. In really dry regions you can use mulching to help the soil retain water.

Transplanting a White Stargazer Lily

 In a few years, you may find that your lilies have outgrown the area where you've planted them. You can take advantage of this and help spread your lilies out elsewhere in your yard or flower garden. You can dig up some of the bulbs, divide them, and plant them any time when the lilies are not flowering. But it's best to do it in the spring or in the fall to give the bulbs time to establish good roots. Transplanting them in the fall is the best time of year to do it.

Deep in the heart of Eastern Kentucky lies a small, secluded valley. A quiet place tucked in the hills miles from any highway. The sides of this valley are lined with Persimmon trees, many planted long ago, that offer a mark of uniqueness to this valley on their own. During the late summer months past, as the pungent fruit began to ripen, people were once drawn from all over to pick the fruit. But, in many recent years, valleys like these have become more forgotten as people prefer not to stray too far from their electronic devices and wireless coverage. But some still do visit to find temporary refuge from all the noise of modern society. These adventurers make it a custom to visit during autumn to see the leaves of the persimmon trees turn bright yellow and red, making a beautiful mountain picture.

Some believe that not all is beautiful in Persimmon Valley though or, at least, not always cheery and serene. During the hours of some autumn evenings, during the twilight and unto darkness, one may just hear the spectral cries of a young woman coming from an indiscernible direction. In the past, many people have looked for her, thinking a young woman may have been in some trouble. They'd search, unable to pinpoint where her sparse cries were coming from and thus they were unable to find where she was. Many people have experienced that indiscernible cry, where the crying did seem to come from where ever they were not standing. One experience by a young man went as such, "I’d hear the sobbing of a young woman and it seemed to be coming from the upper end of the valley, but when I got to the upper end, it sounded as if it was coming from the lower end. I chased that sound all over that valley one night."


No one has ever seen the crying woman but many have heard her weeping. Sometimes the weeping can go on for hours here and there and other times only for a short interval. On some occasions, you can hear the weeping fade out as if it is slipping away into the ether. Many families have sought to purchase the property but when they find out about the dispirited sounds that emanate from the branches of the Persimmons and elsewhere within the haunted hollow, they change their minds.

One local legend tells the tale of a young couple that had moved into the region from northern Maine. They had just gotten married and were looking for a place to begin their life. When they rode by the valley, they both immediately fell in love with the hollow. That evening they camped under the branches of the largest Persimmon tree. Unknown to them, while they dreamt of their future home, they were spotted by a few Cherokee who had crept upon them. Before they could begin to fight, one of the Cherokee engaged with the young man then cut him down with stabs and slashes of their knife. Then they proceeded to scalp him. He fell to the ground, blood gushing from his head and multiple wounds. It is then said that they tied the young woman to the tree and left her there in those woods. She was helpless as she watched the last ounces of life drain from her husband. The Cherokee, who reacted out of frustration of encroachment on their lands, never came back to take her into captivity. Since this region of Kentucky, amongst the hills of the Appalachians, was sparsely populated the woman would have died from starvation before anyone found her.

It is told that the spirit of this young bride made its imprint and still roams the valley, crying for her husband as he had laid dying. Her tragedy marking itself upon the environment with every weight of her spiritual energy as she faded from starvation.

Today, a more established highway passes by the valley that lies amongst the forested roadsides. A highway on the path of what once was a dirt wagon trail. Its passengers, completely unaware of the history and everything else that they're passing through. Those persimmon trees still produce their fruits in the early fall. They become less noticed each year. Their leaves provide a beautiful sight for any motorists who stop to hike. And, in the still of the night, when all the cars have stopped making their way past the valley, one can hear the faint sobbing of that young woman, crying for her lost love.

Read a similar tale:
Legend of Murder Creek in Akron, New York - The Tragedy of Ah-weh-hah

The Patch Hollow Tragedy, also known as the Patch Hollow massacre, was an event that occurred on the evening of May 11th, 1831. A man, Rolon Wheeler, was not well-liked in the community. It was this community who developed a dislike of Wheeler because he was "guilty of indiscretion with his wife's sister".

The community worked out a plan to grab Wheeler from his home, tar and feather him, and then chase him out of town. The gathering of individuals who were going to seize Wheeler were young men from Wallingford, Shrewsbury, and Sugar Hill. A few of the young men threatened Wheeler publicly before May 11th and Wheeler made it clear that he would defend himself. Subsequently, he had a large metal file that he owned formed into a two-edged knife by the local blacksmith.

The 11th of May arrived and, on that evening, the party set out to grab Rolon Wheeler.