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January Newsletter 2025: Happy New Year!

A Poem for the New Year


Word Crunching


I

wrote

a poem

on a page

but then each line grew

to the word sum of the previous two

until I began to worry about all these words coming with such frequency

because as you can see, it can be easy to run out of space when a poem gets all Fibonacci sequency


by Brian Bilston

Mr. Bilston's poems keep showing up on my Facebook feed. This particular one seems very a propos for the Arboretum. I looked him up and learned that he is British and his real name is Paul Millicheap. He's published three collections of poetry and a novel. None of his work is available at the Everett Public Library but Sno-Isle owns an ebook entitled "Days Like These: An Alternative Guide to the Year in 366 Poems."

Happy Chinese New Year 2025. Banner with striped snake. Animal zodiac character. Modern flat style. Vector illustration

What to Look Forward to, Arboretum-wise, in 2025


Your Arboretum board members have a few New Year's resolutions for the gardens:


  • To finish the renovation of the Backyard Garden. This means more planting, the installation of a bubbler fountain, and the addition of a significant sculpture to the currently very weedy mound just across the path from the main area of that garden.
  • To replace the deteriorating wooden bench that faces the Native Path.
  • To install another Color Storm in March. Color Storm was originally intended to be a one-time event, but our knitters and crocheters asked us to do it again. As you read this, some of them are already at work. Email contactus@evergreenarboretum.com if you'd like to be part of this month-long event, bringing color to the gardens in March.
  • With the Small Tree Walk and Backyard Garden work checked off the list (almost), we have already begun to look south at that large expanse of lawn. We haven't started planning yet, but we have started talking.
  • You can also look forward to the usual Family Fun Days, Plant Sale, and more...

Wintertide Families Walk the Arboretum in Style:

All seen on December 14th between 5 and 7 p.m.




Solstice Walk 2024...getting ready


Thanks to the Imagine Children's Museum, we held two luminary workshops in the classroom. Then the artists walked through the Arboretum to enjoy the lights. Then the YMCA held a class for seniors.


Sisters creating luminaries

We love her flowered coat and headband--& serious expression

Seniors make lantern luminaries


So Many Solstice Walkers Lit Up the Gardens!


A rainy afternoon turned into a dry, not-too-cold evening--perfect for a family stroll in the gardens. Families came with homemade luminaries, store-bought lights, and just themselves and smiles. Arboretum volunteers handed out luminaries and candy canes for those who wanted them, as well as dog treats for four-legged visitors. Hay Girl Coffee sold coffee and hot chocolate, Marco Cortes lead a singalong in the kiosk, and the YMCA read stories. It was a lovely night to be in the Arboretum.


It took about 30 volunteers and one lighting professional with a lift truck to put Wintertide Lights and Solstice Walk together. I wish I had a photo of everyone who helped make this happen, but I don't. All of us on the Arboretum Board thank our wonderful volunteers for helping to make this event possible. The lights will be off by the time you read this, but I know that Renee Greenleaf, tireless leader of the Wintertide Lights committee, is already thinking about next December.

Smiles and seasonal necklaces.

This squirrel couple came with a human friend.

This group had a large luminary that got cut out of the photo.

If we had a Best Luminary Award, I think it should go to this couple.

Families in the kiosk for stories and music.

Hay Girl Coffee (and about 8 different kinds of cocoa) is a hit.

Who's Visiting the Arboretum During Wintertide Lights?

This photo of a barred owl perched in the magnolia on the Viewing Mound was taken by a visitor during the first week of Wintertide Lights. It was sitting just behind and above a group of gnomes.

She may look like Mrs. Claus, but she's really a member of the Sharing Wheels Club of Snohomish County. She arranged for her club to bike to the Arboretum.

Support Your Arboretum by Joining Today. We Need You More Than Ever.

Become part of the Evergreen Arboretum & Gardens family. You can join or renew at www.evergreenarboretum.com. Your support is the key to our success. Your membership shows that you support our mission and the volunteers who dedicate themselves to the gardens. It is more important than ever to insure we remain strong and able to undertake significant projects. A robust membership base also shows the City that the Evergreen Arboretum is valued. To join or renew online click the button.


Thanks to Sylvia Blaauw for the image of the Maple Grove and James Secor for clearing those bright red leaves from the newly refreshed wood chip paths.

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To contact Evergreen Arboretum and Gardens
email: contactus@evergreenarboretum.com
phone: 425-257-8597
mail: PO Box 13014, Everett, WA 98206-13014
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