My Blog

Adriana Trigiani

Penguin Random House (2022)

ISBN:978-0593183328

Reviewed by Julie Marinelli for CopyRigh4U (03/2024)

Adriana Trigiani’s historical fiction novel, "The Good Left Undone," spins a story of three generations of headstrong women, all deeply attached to the Cabrelli name and their Tuscan roots while confronting the pain of hidden secrets.

The setting seamlessly shifts between past and present, Italy and Scotland. The enchanting Tuscan village, Viareggio, 1920, is where the story begins. At the story’s heart is Matelda Cabrelli; the stoic family matriarch, who shares the love story of her deceased mother, Dominica, and a brave sea captain father she never knew. A woman of convictions, regrets, and forgiveness, Matelda is determined to tell the story of her courageous namesake. But time is running out.

Anina, Matelda’s spirited granddaughter, yearns to connect with her grandmother and the history of the Cabrelli family. She experiences conflicts with her fiancé, abruptly ending her engagement, and taking comfort at her ailing grandmother’s side. Matelda’s telling of Domenica’s struggle through love, war, and discrimination intertwines with her great-granddaughters. As the story unfolds, Anina searches for her identity through generational wisdom.

Domenica’s story begins at the peak of WWII and is one of pain and loss, as she is forced to leave her family and country behind. Being the first educated woman in her village, she begins her nursing career at the quaint Dr. Pietro’s clinic. Although Pietro is impressed with Domenica’s skills, he cannot protect her from the Catholic church when she gives contraception advice to a local woman. Domenica faces losing her license. Instead, she is exiled to a hospital in Marseilles. Dominica finds solace in newfound friendships and a fleeting romance with the gallant Captain McVicars. However, the ravages of war and separation ultimately lead her to Scotland, where her past and present collide.

Trigiani's prose weaves vivid imagery with dynamic characters whose lives resonate with themes of loyalty and sacrifice. From the Tuscan coastline with its emerald sea to the rugged beauty of the Scottish countryside, the reader is swept away with beauty, history, and a compelling narrative. Adriana Trigiani's historical fiction is an essential read, whether one seeks deeper insights into World War II and the plight of Italian immigrants or simply craves the profound exploration of the bonds that unite and unravel across generations.

May Your Window Boxes Wow! 

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During a magical journey through the Scottish countryside, I was captivated by the quaint beauty of Edinburgh and its vibrant cottage gardens adorned with window boxes. Since then, these charming little gardens have held a special place in my heart.

Now, as a homeowner, I've transformed my landscape with an array of annuals and perennials, yet my window sills remain bare. This blog is all about bringing the magic of window boxes to your home, especially in the delightful summers of the Adirondacks!

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What Flowers Do Well in Boxes in the North East? 

For starters, flowers with shallow roots do well in boxes and ones that don't mind a cozy environment. Also, consider the direction your boxes are facing. The following is a short sampling of both sun and shade options. 

Sun annuals:

Petunias, bidens, lobelia, verbena, calibrochoa, geranium 

Ipomea (Sweet potato vine), alyssum, diascia to name a few.

Part shade annuals: 

Begonia, ivy, impatiens (New Guinea and regular) and ferns.   

Don't overlook perennials like heuchera, which not only flourish in containers but also offer a variety of colors and textures. Bonus:  many perennials can be planted in the ground at the end of the season.

Planting Tips for Picture-Perfect Window Boxes

The key to breathtaking window boxes lies in preparation and arrangement:

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Prepare by choosing a high-quality potting mix that suits the plant variety, but offers season-long nutrients and plenty of drainage. Speaking of drainage, make sure your boxes have drainage holes. 

When arranging plants aim for a balanced look with various sizes and colors. Think 'thriller, spiller, filler'—a focal point, trailing vines, and smaller plants for cohesion.

Size: Mix and match shapes and sizes, but to create a unified look, arrange plants so that the eye is drawn to a focal point (think big blooms) and surround this by smaller blooms around the edges, or for filling in.  Also, balance out your container with alternating heights, such as tall flowers or plants towards the back and shorter more compact ones up front and a bit spilling over the edges. 

Color: Color is a personal choice, but consider color harmony by combining shades from the same color family or contrasting hues for a striking display.

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As always, wait till Memorial Day, as a freeze can damage tender plants, such as annuals.  

With these tips, your window boxes will surely become the envy of the neighborhood, adding a touch of charm and color to your home sweet home!

April Rain (or snow) Showers brings Growth⛈️❄️🌬️ 

As winter gives way to spring, it’s time to consider improving your landscape. With the earth waking up from its winter slumber, it’s the perfect time to divide and conquer- er, transplant. And, how about low-maintenance and eco-friendly landscaping for your yard? Planning (covered in last month's blog), is essential for a beautiful outdoor escape. This month we’ll discuss a few tips on how you can spruce up your outdoor space this spring.

Dividing Perennials 

So what types of perennials need to be divided and how often? 

Think bulbs, summer/fall blooming, and any leggy or floppy plant.  Perennials, such as hostas, daylilies, black-eyed Susan's, and cone flowers, should be dug up and divided every two to three years. Dividing keeps the plant from taking over the garden and is a great way to acquire free plants for friends. As soon as you see new growth poking out of the ground, it's time for digging. 

Dig it:  Choose an overcast day, so the hot sun isn’t beating on stressed plants, with open root systems. A long spade works well for digging up the root ball, and a garden fork for dividing the roots. Use the garden fork to separate the plant into equal sizes, leaving a fair amount of leaves on each. 

Transplanting

The new spot should have the required sun, shade, and protection. It's advised to get the new spot ready, before dividing. This safeguards the plants’ success. Dig as deep as the original plant, leaving plenty of room for the roots to spread. Mix the existing soil with compost or leaf mulch, bury the roots, and plant no deeper than the original. Leaves should be peeping at you! Water generously. 

The Lawn That Never Needs Mowing

Three great lawn ideas for low-maintenance and eco-friendly lawns:

🍀Clover Lawn for Good Luck: With what you’ll save on maintenance, Planting a clover lawn can be a pot of gold. No chemicals or fertilizer needed, mowing twice a season, and little water. Oh, and those little white flowers are naturally pollinating, so . .  .bees, watch your toes! It also does need to be replanted every few years. However, as Clover is a natural fertilizer, it's eco-friendly and stays green all season, feeding our crucial pollinators. 🦋 

Save Time with Creeping Thyme: Drought tolerant, no mowing needed (unless it’s a non-creeping variety), smells great and this one doesn’t need reseeding. It also chokes out weeds. What’s not to love? Plus, just like grass and clover, you can walk on it. Thyme blooms in various colors, which spreads your lawn with a colorful show of green, lavender, and pink. Finally, it attracts pollinators and repels mosquitos, rabbits, and deer. 

Wild 🌼Lawn for the Wild at Heart: Wildflowers (native plants) are vast pollinators and habitats for birds and small mammals. Like the needs described for clover and thyme, wildflower lawns need little water or mowing, no fertilizer, or pesticide. They’re not for everyone but do boast an old-world charm and beauty. 

Fun Fact: Native plants = archaic, being 89-90 million years old. Around the 20th century, urbanization in Cities, such as New York, destroyed the habitats of many wildflowers. Thankfully, conservation efforts are helping native plants sprout back.    

Do you need help planning your garden landscape?   Contact ADK Gardens for a low-maintenance landscape. 

Fertilizing established perennial gardens – feed ‘em and weep. (n.d.). MSU Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/fertilizing_established_perennial_gardens_feed_em_and_weep

Vinje, E. (2022, November 19). Creeping Thyme Lawn (Pros and Cons and How to Plant). Planet Natural. https://www.planetnatural.com/thyme-lawn/

Nunez, C. (2021, April 27). 4 tips for planting wildflowers in your own backyard. Environment. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/paid-content-why-planting-wildflowers-makes-a-difference

March  ☀️❄️⛈️

March into Planning, Tiptoe into Planting

For garden lovers, March Madness has less to do with basketball and more to do with garden fever. It’s the time in the Northeast when old man winter “treads on well-apparelled April's heel” (1). When warm breezes tease spring dreams one day, and freezing rain pelts the window pane the next. So, as tempted as I am to hit the garden center, filling my cart with colorful blooms, I know better. This is March Madness. But there is a cure! Planning, pruning, and even indoor seed germination.

Planning: Grab your paper, pencil, calendar, and ADK’s Blog to guide you, and start making your to-do list and planning on your calendar. 

Germinating (indoors versus outdoors): Which plants are best to germinate indoors and when? Many annuals and vegetables] are easily planted from seed, but have a plan in mind (see February’s blog for more on “What to Plant Where”). 

Guidelines for Planning:

• cold weather crops like leafy greens and peas take approximately 4-6 weeks from seed to transplanting and then should gradually be introduced outdoors. This is called hardening off the seedlings, by bringing them outdoors for longer and longer periods over 7-10 days to get them used to wind, sun, and rain.   
• Based on your plant list, review the germination and bloom time. For example, if you have Zinnias, and Cosmos on your list, note how long it takes for seeds to sprout and bloom. Note how many weeks you can start plants indoors before transplanting outdoors. 
• Mark your calendar with the appropriate dates. 🗓️

Winter/Spring Pruning: 

Pruning improves air circulation, rids plants of dead or diseased areas, achieves particular sizes and shapes, and encourages healthier fruit or blooms.  

There’s some debate on whether fall, winter, or spring is the best time to prune, but this largely has to do with the type of plant.  

Research the particular plant and plan your pruning accordingly.

Pruning Guidelines:

• Many flowering shrubs and trees should be pruned in March before the spring growth begins. 
• Butterfly Bush, Clematis, and Hydrangeas will benefit from pruning away old blooms and dead wood or crossover branches.
•  Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and Flowering Dogwood should be pruned directly after blooming (2). 

Clean and Spruce Up: This is also a great time to look around your yard to see what needs replacing and repairing. What gardening tools need to be cleaned up? Do water systems need to be repaired or replaced? Do you have your fertilizers, pots, and clippers ready to go? 

Need more information on tips and tricks?  Check back here next month for more information on planting, transplanting, and dividing perennials.

(1)Shakespeare

(2)chemung.cce.cornell.edu

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February

Landscaping for a Successful & Stunning Garden

Living in the North Country poses landscaping challenges with fluctuating temps, monsoons, and droughts. Avoid wasting time and money by planning wisely. Ever had blooms suddenly stop or a cute shrub turn massive? We've all been there, and this blog is here to help.

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4 Crucial Elements: Climate, Sunlight, Soil and Water

Climate-Know Your Zone

In upstate N.Y. climate falls in zones 4 and 5 (see plantmaps.com), with our winter temps falling between -25 to -15. Consider your zone when choosing trees, shrubs, and perennials.

Sun or Shade  

Do you know how many hours of sun stretches across your landscape? Consider the structures or trees that shadow your garden, along with the direction your plantings face: east, west, north, and south.  In general, the sun is gentler in the morning, hottest in midday, and cooling again in the late afternoon. South, and west receive more light than east and north, depending on surrounding structures.

Use the following guide: 

Full Sun = 6+ hours

Part Sun = 4-6 hours

Shade = less than 4 hours

Soil Conditions

Soil varies being mostly acidic and ranging from clay to sand. Identifying your soil is key to targeting its needs. Overall soil health and structure improve by adding organic material. Stick to plants acclimated to your soil, considering factors like pine trees making the soil acidic.

Water Availability

While planning your landscape, consider where your water source is coming from, how much water the plant needs, and how you will maintain this. Irrigation systems work well for giving your plants the right amount at the correct times of day.   

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Final Thoughts for Function and Beauty

Native plants, or varieties, are your safest bet for a lower-maintenance landscape that will thrive. Keep in mind that crawlers creep and small bushes can become monsters. Choose a balance of seasonal blooms, and evergreens, to create unity. Reflect the natural surroundings and your landscape will be breath-taking year round.

 COVID isn't gone, nor are its reverberating effects. Here’s another one to throw into the loop: Homeless, abused, and neglected pets.

I know, some of you are thinking, please, enough about COVID, while others feel they’ve experienced the worst of the fallout . .. crumbling academia, crippling mental health, and rising cost of everything! But if you’re reading this, chances are you may be an animal lover who also clung to your four-legged bestie, throughout it all. You may also have seen the Humane Society’s alarming increase in animal abuse and neglect cases: “an increase of 156% from year to year” in New York state alone (Rosser, Spectrum News 1). Likewise, In S.C. the Spartanburg Humane Society finds an abandoned pet outside its doors almost daily and states it has a waiting list of 135 names of those wanting to surrender their pets (Salsamedia, News 7 WSPA).

My four legged saviors

As the owner of four dogs and a bird, these facts are disturbing. And, yes, these cases correlate with the ills of society, erupting like a volcano’s black smoke and simmering lava. My animals are my children and if it came to finances, I would go without cable (can't stand it anyway), makeup (God help the onlookers!), and even that overpriced latte (don’t drink these). You get the point, their lives are priceless and irreplaceable. I couldn't put them in harm’s way due to life’s hardships. I don’t know where I would be without them (possibly in a shelter). Understand me. I get that there are situations where you need to rehome your pet, it happens. But these numbers are closely aligned with the neverending effects of COVID.

So, how does this increase relate to COVID? 

Remember hearing during lockdown pets were flying out of the shelters like toilet paper from grocery store shelves? The significance of this metaphor is not lost on me. Animals are living, breathing, feeling creatures, who need to be cared for, just as a child does. They can’t fend for themselves or make choices about their destiny and yet, many are becoming obsolete objects; useful for a time, like that toilet paper, and then flushed down the sewer system of life.

Where do we go from here?     

First, if this resonates with you, consider donating to your local shelter, whether in the form of funds, needed items, or your time. Understandably, economic challenges may limit financial contributions, but there are various ways to support shelters and the animals they care for.

If you can provide a loving home for their entire lives, consider adoption or fostering. If you come across an animal in distress, please report it to the relevant authorities. Every small act of kindness can make a significant difference in an animal's life.

 If not for yoga, I would be in a straight jacket.  I only wish I would have found this calming tool earlier in life. In fact, yoga did not become a regular discipline, until the accident.

Burnt Out

Late one winter I was stricken with health issues that left me with a broken immune system. I felt like a wrung out sponge and it took several months to crawl back to a new normal. This, I refer to as "the accident." Operating my life at 100 mph, driven by an endless need to succeed, I crashed. . .my face hitting a concrete wall of burnout. Before my downfall, life went like this: up at 4:30 a.m. to run on my elliptical, intense caffeine buzz leading the way. Then off to teaching high school, all while maintaining many other roles of life. Sound familiar? Many of us maintain this ritual without a blip. Yet, my fast track to fabulous, took its toll, and I was out of spare change. I learned I had chronic Epstein Barr Virus. Five years later, after testing, pain, anxiety and several autoimmune disorders left me in disbelief. I didn't get it. I felt I was maintaining a healthy lifestyle: eating right, exercising, being the  teacher, wife, daughter? I was burying my fears in distractions. 

Silent Stress

Stress comes at surprising times; It sneaks up on you, grabs you by the ankles and hurls you to the floor. I was happily married, a first generation college graduate and had begun my career. Still, I couldn’t stop looking for never-ending distractions. I was a perfectionist, type A and clueless that my tank was empty. Feeling my engine die at warp speed was a wakeup call, in a very bad way. When you run with your eyes closed, you trip (unless you're Rocky). 

The Long and Winding Road 

My relationship with yoga began a decade earlier and had intuitive timing. At this point, I was a 29 year-old in a broken relationship and an unfulfilling job. . . I had become comfortably dumb. Fabricating a life that I paralleled with safety, it was devoid of joy. Several hard decisions and brave transitions later, I was ready to transform my life and seek a college degree. This is something I had little confidence in. Growing up, I was a divorce-brat, and moving 13 times, taught me to fear school and stability. The first Phys-ed course I chose was Hatha Yoga. Simultaneously, a friend passed down to me a yoga VHS tape (it was the 90s!), and a Yoga book. Little by little, I gravitated towards my yoga practice. Yoga brought me a peaceful discipline I craved. At the time, I was not aware of how very much it would help me in the future with anxiety and physical pain. My yoga practice evolved (with some ebbs and flows). It did not become a regular discipline, until the accident.

Panic Attack

 Fast forward ten years, and despite outward success, I was facing a panic attack. Diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorders, I turned to yoga as a lifestyle, not just a pastime. Learning Pranayama, the art of breath control, became my lifeline in calming anxiety. Breathing exercises and meditation became integral parts of my routine. 

Learning to Breathe

 In my yoga journey, I discovered the profound impact it had on my mind, body, and spirit. Pranayama became my tool for calming nerves during challenging times. Embracing calming movements and thoughtful modifications, I found strength and balance without breaking a sweat. Yoga not only alleviated my physical pain but also became a source of strength and balance.

In the face of ongoing challenges, I've learned to manage stress and cultivate peace. Yoga has become my continuous and mindful practice, helping me navigate life's twists and turns with balance and serenity. I strive to live a life free from darkness and negative energy, embracing a state of thoughtful and peaceful equilibrium.