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♦ SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2007 2C Hr,. HI fXSP l t*- |OHHM| ■ p Vjp v ?■ |nT LJT «, g_ n £ Sr |ArJHAV A| fp>V W*, 2 dfl mb ''?;'-r tft &B Vi .IV if / i J / ‘ I / HL 9 HH II F/ * 1/ JHHHHi •• • iagMf. rise -A» hLJ 7 A I 4.. i J •: •r/'Tp- - * .•£*'•*• «•’■• 'l8&. ■' D . ■ • g§S%3USii« fPjiia ilfS; '' • *H»p »,v wt£r« Si • st») - -■■ -■■ AfiS? **■ ;-- v i"2p£^C y *" -- - - -'-.-■■■■l-.-. - 1 Perry businessmen show theip appreciation and community spiPit Joumal/Charlotte Perkins A group of Perry businessmen showed their appreciation to the city’s Public Safety Department on Tuesday by treating the entire department, including firefighters, police officers and office staff to lunch at Angelina’s. Following the luncheon, which was orga nized by Danny Patel, they presented a check for SI2OO to Perry Volunteer Outreach. The businessmen involved, most of whom own or manage local restaurants and motels, included Danny Patel, Bipin Vashi, Kantibhai Kakhu, Bud Patel, mahesh/Promad Lakhu, Christmas Card Club Contributed The Christmas Cards Ladies celebrated another year of hard work with their annual Wrap Party. They had their Wrap Party on Dec. 9. They made 2,437 alphabet books from old cards. The books went to various local churches for the Christmas Shoebox Ministry and the Salvation Army. If you have old Christmas or all-occasion cards, the Christmas Card Club volunteers can put them to good use. You can drop your cards by the Perry UMC or Crossroads UMC. This is an ongoing project. If you would like to help, please e-mail cathyshaw@windstream. net. Pictured are: Lisa Gentry, Peggy Jackson, Doris Clay, Ann Moore, Marie Preston, Suzanne Moore, Shelia Gentry, Sandy Yawn, Fran Hartman, Sub Yoder, Mary Gentry, Joy Albright, Evelyn LeVan, Ken LeVan, Aileen Hardin, Lew Glover, Dee Glover, Susan Cantrell, Elizabeth Fountain, Nancy Golder and Carolyn Schultz. i i i./'i 9H r ;■ i T, ShHt 'JlW'j Bk v *4®* M ; Christmas artistry Floyd Williams of Perry shows off his design skills with a Christmas tree decorated with sprays of Russian twigs, gold ribbon and omamaents and white lights. Williams’ goal is to be an interior designer. ' 552»“^* "Vj ' T i w.. -fFrfPrffflrSm m { ' * • N - |g|j. / Keeping your poinsettia blooming h' ' "■■■ ' ”' *|| Tim Lewis Gardening timlewis@addressisp.com Many of you have pur chased one or more of the ever-popular poinsettias to grace your homes during this Christmas season. A few of you have decided, rather than throw them away, to try to keep them for a while. People are always asking me how they can keep theirs growing and make it come alive again with color the following year. So, as in years past, I am offering this article to help you accom plish this. Just because the poinset tia’s bracts (colored leaves) age and lose their appeal is no reason to throw the plant out. Poinsettias will not stop growing-they will retain their bright foliage for many weeks or even months depending on their envi ronment. With proper care and dedication you can coax your “pet” into reblooming all over again. Come with me through the year and see how this can be done. After Christmas, place plants in a cool, bright area to retain color longer-the ideal is 72 degree days, 60 CO/VUVIUNITY Zafar Bukhari, Bob Patel, Shirish/Chetan Patel, Dinesh Patel, Bharat Mistri, Hemant Patel, AshokbhaiPatel, Peter Patel, Alay Patel, Pravin Patel, Andy Patel, Nick Patel, Kalpesh Patel, Sanjay Patel, Bob Patel, Ashwin Patel, Dhaval Patel, Sharad Amrit, Jayshree Patel and G.P. Patel, shown here with Mayor Jim Worrall and Councilman Riley Hunt, who accepted the funds for PVO. Among the many enjoying the lunch were Animal Control Officer Hannah Barrett, above right, and Fire Chief Joel Gray. degree nights and at least six hours of natural light per day. Poinsettias require a lot of bright light for best growth. If this scenario is not possible, just give it as much light as possible. Generally, keep plants moist to the touch, but avoid leav ing them in standing water. Give them an all-purpose fertilizer at recommended rates every couple of weeks. As side shoots begin to develop around Saint Patrick’s Day, remove fading bracts, dying flowers, and dried foliage at the base of the plants. Continue to keep the plants in a very bright interior location. Around Memorial Day, plants may have grown tall and possess many branches and large leaves. Cut back all stems and branches a few inches to promote side branching. Repot into a larger container, being care ful to use a sterile com mercial potting mix. Then move plants outside for the Jim Collins Attorney At Law Specializing In DUI & ALL CRIMES DEFENSE 127 CARL VINSON PKWY. WARNER ROBINS, GA 31088 478-322-2542 MM if summer, placing them first in indirect light for a few Bwiik ’ - afP*®^*'™! ; weeks, then in direct sun. On July 4, again cut back a portion of the new growth to encourage side branching. Continue to water and fertil ize, increasing the amount to accelerate growth. Poinsettias are fairly heavy feeders. On Labor Day, move the plant indoors. Give it at least six hours of direct sunlight as before. Continue to fertil ize, but reduce the concen tration by about two-thirds. HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL On the first day of autumn, start giving your poinsettia 13-14 hours of continuous uninterrupted darkness at night. You may put it in a closet, in the basement, or under a box, as long as you do not let any light get to the plant at night. Be sure to continue to give it plenty of bright light during the day, however. Short days and long nights induce flower and bract formation. If pos sible, keep it at a night tem perature of 62-68 degrees. Rotate each week to give all sides of the plant light dur ing the day. By Thanksgiving, you should be giving thanks for a brand “new” beautiful and colorful specimen. Enjoy the fruit of your labor through the month of December and • then start a new cycle! Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticul ture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at(478)954- 1507 or timlewisl@alltel. net. MusicUssons i mxhwj MujndE 75 16 150 5. Houston Lake ltd. (Hear rival Zelda's) Warner Robins 478-971-1139 57476