A couple of weeks ago, Maggie and I attended the newly renamed "Garden and Green Living Expo" in Madison. As always, we enjoyed getting out of the house in the dead of winter and thinking ahead to spring. We started with purchasing a few raffle tickets and walked the exhibition hall before it became too crowded. My favorite stop is the FEED booth, which sells cookies as a fundraiser. They have the best chocolate chip cookies. It is always nice to see new vendors, and this year there were not just one, but two new vendors selling fresh pickle slices and giving out samples. We always end up with a pile of pamphlets to read. UW Press and the Wisconsin Historical Society always have booths to sell books, and I was able to find one Maggie had been looking for. "The Farm on Badger Creek", written by Peggy Marxen, delves in the history of the author's family farm. It was the perfect Valentine's Day present.
We bought some Pussy Willow and Spiral Willow boughs from a vendor from Soldiers Grove, which is not far from us. We tried this 2 years ago, but had limited success as there was a severe drought that year. We lost all of the Pussy Willows and all but one of the Spiral Willows, plus an apple and pear tree that season. My plan for this year is to transplant the trees in the early fall to see if that gets us more success.
We also attended some interesting presentations, including one on a hiking trail being created just to the south of us. For the second year in a row, I also volunteered to give a presentation. speaking on the advantages and disadvantages of Layens versus Langstroth beehives throughout a season. My computer decided to restart right before the presentation, which lead to a little awkwardness, but I started only a couple of minutes late. There was decent attendance and a lot of good questions.
We are not expert beekeepers, but I know it can be hard getting new speakers and topics each year, so I have been trying to volunteer. We get free tickets, which is also a bonus. On the way home, I came up with an idea for next year. It will take some success in the garden, but hopefully it comes together for a new presentation.
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