A1	Vineyard Mountain Gazette

INDEX: A Main Story…A1 Classified Ads…A2 Weather…B2 B Cooking…B1 Heath…B2 August, 27 2001 Issue #16 This Story was written by Mo Rogers From Seattle and will be continued next week.

Mr. Boogeyman The day that Steffy moved upstairs I knew I was going to die. We had been the Hathaway bedtime team since I was old enough to be scared. Five years older than me, Steff was the self-appointed protector of all the vile evil that lived under the bottom bunk in our room. The day our beds arrived, I moved from the crib which I had long ago outgrown. I was thrilled at the thought of moving to a big girl’s bed, until the news came down. Steffy assigned me to the bottom bunk. “You’ll be just fine” she tried to assure me when Jeremy our older brother suggested I could be Boogeyman bait. “I’ve got a secret plan.” She whispered when he left the room. Steff promised to lie watching and waiting over me at night. She was the warrior, the one that would take the fall. From the height of the top bunk, her skinny bean-pole body would be ten times as heavy with the pull of gravity. She would make quite a splash if old Mr. Boogeyman so much as showed his ugly hulking corpse (he was actually dead, you know). “His guts would be spilled everywhere, and we would be rid of the under-bed monster forever.” She was always quick to add, “of course mom and dad would be there to help clean up the mess.” And in case I had any lingering doubts, “our heroics would make headlines in the local papers, too.” She was quite sure of it. I slept peacefully the years that Steff was in my bedroom, under her watchful eye and instruction on the care and feeding of Mr. Boogeyman. The occasional bit of rubbish tossed under the bed seemed to satisfy his needs. He ate all kinds of garbage, but seemed to like human food the best. There were always crumbs to brush under the bed from a doll tea party, or pizza scraps from one of Steff’s weekend sleep-over parties. One time he got an entire serving of broccoli when I was stuck in bed for three days with the chicken pox. Keeping him full and keeping him happy became an important part of my life. I cried the night that Steff announced she was taking her top bunk bed and moving upstairs. Jeramy was leaving home, and it was her turn to move up the ladder in the Hathaway bedroom ranks. I was terrified that my sister would no longer be there to watch over me. Mr. Boogeyman would have his way with me if I ever went to sleep again. I had learned to take flying leaps from the bedroom doorway, directly into bed, but I knew that wasn’t enough. I knew that his long scaly arms and his bony knurled fingers would be reaching for my ankles if I stepped too close to the edge of my bed. I would never sleep again.

Weather

Today
Mostly sunny. Highs 80 to 85. Light wind becoming northwest 10 mph

Tuesday
Morning clouds then partly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Afternoon northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

Wednesday and Thursday
Mostly sunny. Lows around 50. Highs near 85.

Friday and Saturday
Morning clouds then partly sunny. Lows 50 to 55. Highs 75 to 80.

Sunday
Mostly sunny. Lows 50 to 55. Highs near 80

A2	Classified Ads

NEWorld Foods Inc	Help Needed	Guinea Pig
Italian Calzone (Frozen) Sausage, Mushroom, & Pepperoni, Beef & Onion Sausage & Mushroom Veggie (mushroom, olive, onion & green pepper) $36 per case for 24 Calzones For More information Call NeWorld Food Inc.	Any Responsible young person who would be willing to feed and pet a cat while we are gone. Call the Hoffman’s at 745-5956 Musical Instruments Piano $1,300 Violin $300 Clarinet $100 and Misc. Furniture too. Call the Stokes @ 745-5661	FREE guinea pig. Silky male, named silver. He has been to the Benton County Fair and won a blue ribbon. You can buy a cage for 10$ if you don’t all ready have one. Call Debbie at 745-7544 please leave a message. Mustang Mare 5 years old sweet temperament $1,200 obo or trade. Call 745-7597

A2

Cooking

Chili
Thick and spicy chili. Coffee and beer give this chili a
   unique and dynamite flavor. Garnish with shredded cheese and
   diced chili peppers. Prep Time: approx. 20 Minutes. Cook
   Time: approx. 2 Hours . Original recipe makes 8 servings.
  Robert J. Arsenault

---

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 onions, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef 3/4 pound beef sirloin, cubed 1 (14.5 ounce) can peeled and    diced tomatoes with juice 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or    bottle dark beer 1 cup strong brewed coffee 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons and 1-1/2    teaspoons chili powder 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon unsweetened    cocoa powder 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon salt 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans 4 fresh hot chile peppers,    seeded and chopped

Directions
1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook
   onions, garlic, ground beef and cubed sirloin in oil for 10
   minutes, or until the meat is well browned and the onions are tender.
2 Mix in the diced tomatoes with juice, dark beer,
   coffee, tomato paste and beef broth. Season with brown sugar,
   chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, oregano, cayenne pepper,
   coriander and salt. Stir in 2 cans of the beans and hot chile
   peppers. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
3 Stir in the 2 remaining cans of beans, and simmer for
   another 30 minutes.

B1

Gardening

Prep Shrubs and Houseplants for Winter

You know, oftentimes in the fall, we're so busy winterizing our garden, we forget about our shrubs. Now, keep in mind, the shrubs that lose their leaves don't need any kind of winter protection. But those that retain their leaves like the evergreens and the broadleaf evergreens, do need protection. Otherwise, they'll get nipped, like you can see on this rhododendron. Now, to keep this from happening next year there are some simple steps you can take.

The first step is to pile on the peat. This works especially well for those acid-loving plants like the rhododendron. This helps insulate the roots while retaining moisture. Now that the roots are covered, we need to protect the foliage from the sun and the wind. Simply take some stakes or bamboo canes. Sink them in the ground around the perimeter of the plant. Then surround the canes with burlap. What we're trying to do is create a cage. Secure the burlap, and then fill it up with leaves. Make sure to leave a gap at the bottom for air circulation.

Now, if you do decide to leave the foliage exposed, you can still protect it by spraying a handy solution in a bottle. Its called "Wilt Pruf." All you need to do is spray the top and bottom of the foliage. What this does is adds a waxy film over the leaves, protecting it from the drying sun and wind. These easy solutions, hopefully, will keep your evergreens green all season long.

Now that you know what to do with your shrubs in the winter, don't forget those houseplants. Here are a couple of reminders on watering. Remember that the best water for houseplants is distilled or rain water. If you use tap water, make sure you let it sit for 24 hours before using it. To test the alkalinity of your water, use test strips that you can buy at your local pool supply store. Add vinegar until the water reaches the correct level, and test your water every 6 months. If you plan to bury your tender perennials for winter, start by digging a trench about 1 foot deep and as long as your tallest plant. Remember that you can leave the plants in their containers or wrap the rootball with burlap. Tie the branches with string or yarn, and if the plant is a fast grower then prune it well. Make sure you water them before you burying and cover them with a double layer of burlap. Finally, when the ground freezes solid, add a 4-8"layer of straw.

Rebecca Kolls

Please send any comments or questions to:

Cory La Mont

Or See me on the Web:

cory@redthermos.com

www.RedThermos.com/Gazette