Garden

Dr. Cornelius R. Hager examined the attractive engraved wicker basket presented to him as the oldest member of the Jessamine County Fair Board. Hager, who turns 93 this month, is a resident of Wesley Methodist Village in Wilmore. Until this year, he planted and cultivated a vegetable garden there, and tended it himself. His wit and humor are still sharp, and visitors find him charming and intelligent. He's accomplished many things during his distinguished life. The Jessamine County native has served 59 years in public and private education, including 10 years as superintendent of Jessamine County Schools.

CAMP DICK - The Earth Day Festival on Saturday at Garrard County Fairgrounds on U.S. 27 will feature a variety of programs and displays to help consumers make choices about energy savings to help reduce a household's carbon footprint - and the country's dependency on foreign oil. The all-day free event begins at 10 a.m. and goes through 5 p.m. and will feature, music, magic, fun, kids activities, vendors and food. Now in its fourth year, the festival has grown considerably and is becoming a regional event.

As part of the ongoing Local History Supper program at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, the Reference and Local History Department of the Clark County Public Library will host a presentation by gardening history enthusiast and director of the library, Julie Maruskin. Maruskin, who has developed a statewide reputation for her heirloom seed starting programs which have been presented in 33 counties (and counting) and boasting a seven-year history, will offer a discussion about the history of what is known as "back garden" vegetable varieties.

100 years ago -- 1908 A lot of excitement was at the Southern depot when it was learned that a man with smallpox had ridden from Shelby County to Danville on the Southern Railroad. The man was feeling badly but didn't know he had smallpox and was on his way to Florida. The train crew noticed the man who had the disease when the train was near Lawrenceburg and telephoned the health officer in Anderson County. When the train arrived, officers refused to have him taken from the train so he then traveled on to Danville where the Health Board took charge of the patient.

While driving out to pick wild blackberries, Joyce Taylor accidentally ran over her dog. The dog was not badly hurt, just mad. So she stopped, got down under the truck, and tried to help the dog out. The dog bit her. Her son, Michael, was so upset while this was happening that he hit the back of the nearby lawnmower and broke his wrist. "So we both had to go the emergency room, and the dog fared better than any of us," she said. Nevertheless, the Taylors arrived at the fair with a pile of fresh blackberries to enter in the competition at Floral Hall.

Is it harder to be perfect or imperfect? A safe answer might lie in the conclusion that it is much harder to be imperfect. To live with imperfection extracts a daily toll and accumulates a growing indebtedness that can never be paid. Those who strive for perfected living are hard on themselves. Whatever is undertaken is never good enough. They are tormented and are led to quiet desperation with their inability to have everything they touch be seen as perfected idealism. Haunted by the consistent evaluation of the “failed” work, these idealists often fall into despondency,  judge themselves as frauds and wonder if people think of them as such.

Every profession has its own language. Medical professionals talk about "code blues" and call bloated bellies "distended" and say conditions "present" themselves and use multisyllabic, Latin-inspired words to describe diseases. Government officials attend seminars and workshops where they "brainstorm" and "interface" as ways of "efforting" to identify the "parameters to a problem. " Journalists have their own jargon, which includes "graphs" that are words and "graphs" that are graphs.

PLEASANT HILL - Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill was recognized Wednesday evening as a Thomas D. Clark Kentucky Treasure. The site is one of 11 across the state selected by the late Dr. Thomas D. Clark, a state historian, and will be featured 8 p.m. Saturday on a "Kentucky Life" special during Kentucky Educational Television's WinterPledge. The documentary is hosted by Dave Shuffett. "It's understandable why Clark picked the 11 sites," said Shuffett. "We enjoy a small part of this rich, rich, experience every day," said Kent Whitworth, Kentucky Historical Society director.

Three-year-old Christopher Segar, left, received some instructions from his uncle, Bret Turner, on the fine points of using a shovel in his great-grandparents' flower garden. After the instructions, Christopher set out on his own in an attempt to master the heavy shovel. Christopher, of Lexington, was visiting his great-grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Alonzo Gatewood of Fitch Avenue.

Just because summer is over doesn't mean there's no more gardening left to be done. A little prep work now will keep your lawn and garden in top shape for next spring. After the weather turns cool and stays cool, but before the first frost hits, there are several things you can do to prepare your perennials and evergreens. First, cut back plants, pull any weeds and rake leaves up. Charles Hubbard, owner of Al's Garden Center in Winchester, recommends putting lime down.