Rants, Raves and Riots

Tim King - Marketing Communications in Maine

2010-12-09T10:53:00.003-04:00

Timothy King

l Scarborough, ME 04074 l Phone: 207-510-1352 l tking3371@gmail.com

Marketing & Communications Professional

l Intelligent, personable, intuitive marketing professional with 15 years of experience creating and managing strategic marketing, public relations and internal communications programs.

l Creative writer with a demonstrated ability to produce compelling written communications for multiple platforms (press releases, newsletters, bylines, pitch letters, social media posts, etc.) & audiences.

l Proven account manager with solid problem solving, project management and follow through abilities.

l Experienced communicator able to clearly articulate and deliver marketing “vision” with clients, creative team and other stake holders.

Professional Summary & Personality Strengths

l Marketing / Branding

l Public Relations

l Ghost writing

l Online & Social Media Dialog

l An eye for design & ear for prose

l Perpetually Inquisitive

l Green-Minded

l Quick wit

l Thorough

l Honest

Civic Affiliations & Interests

The Scarborough Land Conservation Trust (Board member & Communications Chair Since 2006)

New England Outdoor Writers Association (Member since 2008)

The Thoreau Society (Member since 2005)

The Maine Public Relations Council

Interests: Reading, walking mindfully, cooking, gardening, photography, & being ‘Upta Camp’ in T3 R9 ME

Professional Experience

Fendler communications, Yarmouth, ME – Public relations and marketing consulting agency for the outdoor apparel and active lifestyle market.

Senior Public Relations Manager, 1/2010 to Present

Created and managed public relations efforts for organizations in the outdoor & active lifestyle market, securing positive editorial coverage in mainstream/consumer, hunting/fishing and industry trade publications. Also initiated and lead internal effort to rebuild and re-brand Company website.

Selected Accomplishments:

l Developed comprehensive monthly reporting documents and practices for improved account service.

l Coordinated multiple on-site media interviews with client management personnel at leading industry (Outdoor Retailer) tradeshow.

l Produced media kit documents such as company backgrounder, fact sheet and management bios

l Secured ongoing client coverage through timely, targeted outreach to appropriate media contacts through pitch letters and networking through online blogs, social media and events.

l Improved Company presence in social media conversations (increased Twitter followers by +1000%)

l Led website project through WordPress template selection, site map development, layout and design, copy writing, photography and image selection.

Timothy King

Page 2 l Phone: 207-510-1352

ethos marketing & Design, westbrook, ME – Full service marketing agency

Account Manager, 6/2005 to 9/2008

As an Account Manager, I was responsible for Ethos’ largest account. I managed all day to day activities and client communications to insure that creative projects were completed on schedule and message, brand and business objectives remained on target and within budget. I co-developed the marketing strategy, created and collaborated on all message/copy and design development for direct mail, website, print, TV and radio broadcast and Internet PPC (Google Pay-Per-Click) campaigns.

Selected Accomplishments:

l Created and executed several multi-tiered, multi-media, new store Grand Opening plans to establish customer awareness and drive multiple store visits. Included coordinated print advertising, direct mail, radio and in store promotions and events.

l Led an initiative to analyze and re-tool this clients’ sales flyer distribution program, with a New England distribution of 2.9 million copies. Upon completion, our revised plan increased market penetration while reducing overall program costs by 30%.

l Participated in agency led effort to completely redesign the customer experience in a brand new storefront. Collaborated on all aspects of the project; from overhead signage to flooring, lighting fixtures to store layout and product merchandising.

l Co-developed client “brand standards” and communication platform.

l Instituted creative employee communications programs to inform, educate and reinforce “brand promise” messages with each customer interaction.

l Implemented first ever internet marketing program for new customer acquisition. Led project team to develop internal processes for sales tracking and customer retention efforts.

l Managed Public Relations effort for clients’ annual customer event with attendance of more than 25,000 auto enthusiasts, resulting in favorable coverage in print and broadcast TV outlets.

l Contributed to comprehensive market research project through assisting with questionnaire development, focus group selection and interpretation of research findings.

ethos marketing & design, Westbrook, ME –

Senior Public Relations Specialist, 6/2005 to 9/2008

As a PR specialist, I worked to successfully secure local media coverage for Ethos and our clients. This was accomplished through message development, press release and pitch letter writing, research, conducting customer/client interviews and developing working relationships with key media personnel. I also performed “ghost writing” services for a medical client with a byline in a regional newspaper.

Highlighted Feature Coverage included:

l The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek Online, The Associated Press (AP), Contributing Columnist at Current Publishing, ADVANCE Publications, MPBN radio, Port City Life, MaineBiz, Portland Press Herald and CIO Magazine

Schwartz communications, waltham, MA – PR agency for high tech & medical tech industries.

Senior Account Executive, 9/1999 to 3/2005

As an SAE, I led marketing communications (PR) programs to secure media coverage of clients’ corporate news, industry expertise and achievements. I was responsible for daily client communication, leading monthly conference calls and reporting. I drafted press releases and pitch letters that successfully distilled highly technical products and leading edge technologies into simple, memorable, digestible language.

Highlighted Feature Coverage included:

l BusinessWeek, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CIO Magazine and InformationWeek.

Timothy King

Page 3 l Phone: 207-510-1352

PC Connection / mac connection, Merrimack, NH – Leading direct mail retailer and online supplier of computers, software, networking, consumer electronics and a full line of Apple products.

Product Marketing Manager, 5/1997 to 9/1999

As the primary Apple product and technology advocate at this direct/catalog retailer, I developed innovative and highly successful strategic product marketing programs for an inside sales team of more than 200 people. By introducing and championing unique marketing programs, I achieved continuous product line sales growth (month over month) and increased revenue profitability by 40% and COGS by more than $1mil each quarter.

Selected Accomplishments:

l Led merchandising efforts in the monthly print catalog, (1.2 mil circ.) to significantly increase overall sales, market share and brand awareness and consistently lead PC division.

l Achieved unmatched “top of mind” product and personality awareness with informative and fun sales training events, promotions, internal communications and continuous, active visibility on the sales floor.

l Created unique product offerings through promotion and merchandising to differentiate PCC.

l Coordinated marketing efforts to coincide with the launch of the original iMac computer

l Partnered with inventory management to develop accurate sales forecasts and exploit buying opportunities to increase sales.

merisel, marlborough, MA – Worldwide distributor of computer hardware and software products

Senior Account Manager, 9/1993 to 10/1996

As a successful inside account manager, I developed a solid technical aptitude for understanding new technologies and honed relationships with key accounts to consistently exceed monthly sales goals.

Additional Project Experience

THE SOAP GROUP, PORTLAND, ME – Sustainable Organization Advocacy Partners (marketing agency)

Business Development, 2009

THE SUNRISE GUIDE, PORTLAND, ME – A local guide to healthy, sustainable living in Southern Maine

Eco-Marketing Account Executive, 2009

mainely media LLC, leader, Scarborough, ME – Penned biweekly "Plant Life" column

Contributing Columnist, 2007-2009

Technology

Software:	Proficient in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
Web/Multimedia:	Familiar with WordPress, Blogger, Google AdWords, and SEO strategy & concepts. Adept at Social Media applications including Twitter (@TimKing03), TweetDeck, Facebook and LinkedIn (Tim King)

Education

bentley university, Waltham, MA

Bachelor of Science, 1993

l Major: Marketing (3.1 GPA)

l Minor: Business Communications

References Available on Request

A Note

2010-12-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

Dear retailers - Please stop bombarding us with messages to buy more stuff. We have all we need and don't have any money to spend anyway. Thanks ~ Tim

Unreleased Material From Jimi Hendrix Reflects A Life Of Music And Money Woes : The Record : NPR

2010-11-23T15:07:00.000-04:00

Unreleased Material From Jimi Hendrix Reflects A Life Of Music And Money Woes : The Record : NPR

I love when new versions of tunes (especially acoustic or un-distorted versions) come out. It's so clean and pure, I wish it didn't have to get muddied up by this dispute every time. Goes to show that you need to hope for the best and prepare for the worst - or someone else will make the decisions for you.

Big bear hunted, killed in PA

2010-11-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

Now I generally have no problem with hunting. It's not something that I would do, but I can appreciate the thrill that some may get from it. At the very basic level, I feel good about anything that involves people getting of their asses and getting outside. There's nothing I hate more than someone talking, acting or legislating from an Ivory Tower (armchair conservationists included). Hunters, are "out there" doing what the do, getting dirty, wet, cold etc. in nature: sure, they may have driven a gas guzzling 20 yr old pickup truck to get there, but what other harm are they doing?

But reading this news item recently really did not sit well with me - and I'm not sure why. Was it the age (17) of the bear? (and how did they find that out?) or its size (879lbs) which was also so delicately re-stated as "field dressed @ 744lbs"? I guess it might have been the fact this bear had been well known in the area for years- even tagged by wildlife researchers - and had (seemingly) caused absolutely zero harm, damage or threats to anyone. To be sure, if the hunter had simply taken out his camera instead of his bow, and taken a photo of the bear, would The Pocono Record (and the rest of the WWWorld) thought his story to be newsworthy.

In the vein of "no opportunity wasted" I would hope that the killing of this animal will be somehow vindicated by putting its meat, hide to some good use. I'll be disappointed to learn that its only use turns out to be a trophy for the lucky SOB who happened to be at the right place at the right time.

I'm reminded of a line from the movie "Jurassic Park" that has stuck with me over the years, when the scientist questions why dinosaurs were ever brought back to life from DNA sealed in a drop of resin. "We were so busy trying to figure out if we could - we never stopped to think if we should."

Indeed, this hunter had the same choice. He did what he did because he could. It's a dam shame there wasn't anyone around to question if he should. I'll be interested to see how he withstands the inevitable court of public opinion as undoubtedly this story will be publicized and debated over the coming weeks.

Forgotten

2010-11-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

Forgotten

Will I ever see, something as sad
As a tree?
A tree barren of leaves still laden
With fruit.
A tree full of promises kept
But left untouched.
Many go hungry and doctors prescribe.
Still, no one sees.
Scattered below, apples in states
of decay.
Slowly, sadly, go away.

It's not what you say - but how you say it.

2010-11-17T15:26:00.000-04:00

Similar to what helped me become a successful PR & Communications pro in the high tech industry, I think it's very important for someone to be able to digest and understand complex issues and processes - but then take that knowledge, uncover its core truth and communicate it simply and perhaps even memorably...to multiple audiences.

I believe that facts, figures and terminology can all be be learned in short order. However, as any chef, brewer or conductor will tell you, having the best ingredients is only half the battle. Identifying and communicating both the effort and unique characteristics - the steak and the sizzle - is what often leaves a lasting impression. That's what "sticks". ~ Tim

MediaPost.com Article: Reviving The Dead

2010-11-10T12:37:00.001-04:00

A MediaPostPublications.com article sent to you by: editorial@mediapost.com

Some good tips on cleaning up your outreach. Why waste time, money and energy reaching out to folks who have moved on ? ~ Tim

Reviving The Dead
Morgan Stewart

Guess what? If your company sent out a commercial email today, there is a good chance that some of those emails went to dead people. Not just "inactives" or "unengaged subscribers" or whatever term-du-jour we want to use, but real, bona fide stiffs. People who, God willing, are looking down from heaven and wondering, "What else do I need to do to stop getting emails from those people?"

Read the whole story on the MediaPostPublications.com website.

A nice place to spend a honeymoon

2010-11-03T13:01:00.001-04:00

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.482106,-121.936479&spn=0.000893,0.002382&t=h&z=19&lci=com.panoramio.all

--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro

The Boston Buddha

2010-10-28T10:44:00.001-04:00

Old friend making a name for himself by being quiet. If you know Andy, you'll appreciate how absolutely ironic that is. Good for him !

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/morning/the-boston-buddha-20101025?ref=nf

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Bring Back Archie Bunker

2010-10-19T10:30:00.000-04:00

I'd like to see the return of an "Archie Bunker" type character on TV so that we American's can take an honest look at what we are becoming. Let's take on our faults, bad habits and prejudices head on. Unfortunately, all we see on prime time is escapist shows where smart, good looking people solve crimes (CSI) win courtroom cases and the solve mysteries using cutting edge science and technology. However, a walk into any strip-mall, Denny's, Dollar Store or McDonald's will quickly show that this is simply not who we are as Americans. We're (mostly) fat, opinionated, aggressive and ignorant to living any other way. The other type of TV program's actually portray "those people" in trash shows like COPS, Judge Whoever, Wipeout, Swamp People and others...although almost every viewer would swear that "those people" on TV aren't anything like themselves. "I'd never do/say that" - who are you kidding? So I say, bring back Archie, warts and all. Until we can honestly look ourselves in the mirror and see what we've become, there is no chance that we'll change. And, change we must - before Big Brother does it for us.

Cool Hunting Showcase - A Unicorn For Drunks / T-shirt

2010-10-01T11:28:00.001-04:00

A little juxtaposition never hurt anyone ~ Tim

http://showcase.coolhunting.com/product/42546/tshirts?cl=8

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When Loons Cry

2010-09-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

So I was doing a "site walk" with a guy that works for a research facility http://www.briloon.org/ that collects data on many different types of birds, including loons. I asked him about what all the racket was at night and mentioned that it kept you up as they seemed to circle the lake all night long.

Turns out that loons are HIGHLY territorial/aggressive and the calls we hear are basically the male loons yelling "HEY, THIS IS MY SIDE OF THE LAKE. STAND THE HELL BACK!!!" to each other. Kind of like border patrol. The stronger the call, the tougher they sound...and the more likely that the girl loons will come check them out too.

What they are looking at is when lakes have high levels of mercury (mostly from dirty rain that comes up to Maine from coal plants out west) that get into fish and then into loons. Mercury acts as a depressant somehow and that makes the male loons not yell as loud - allowing other male loons to invade their turf a little easier. the trouble is these new loons eventually succumb to the same mercury poisoning and eventually the whole "population" of loons becomes less strong.

I didn't have enough time to ask him "So what?" but I think we'll be meeting with him again at some point down the road.

--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro

The 3000 Mile Oil Change Myth Debunked

2010-09-20T11:39:00.001-04:00

See for yourself. Often, the "green" thing to do is to change your oil LESS...go figure !

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/OilChange/

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Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Tries to Build an Eco-Friendly House - WSJ.com

2010-09-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Tries to Build an Eco-Friendly House - WSJ.com

The truth hurts sometimes...and sometimes its very funny too. ~ Tim

PlantLife - 9/10/10 "Learning to Let it Bee"

2010-09-10T11:28:00.000-04:00

By Tim King

One of my very observant little neighbors stopped by the other day to inform us that there was a “huge bees’ nest” in one of the large oak trees in our yard. Being one of the more imaginative kids in the neighborhood, we at first took her claim with a grain of salt.

However, after taking a look at her discovery – with its busy inhabitants going in and out – we realized she wasn’t exaggerating, much.

Looking back now, as we first ventured out into the yard, I half expected to hear the low, basal toned drumming of thousands of insects winding up for an attack. Almost instantly after hearing about the nest, the word “killer” and images of John Belushi dressed in a yellow and black leotard came flashing into my head. Damn pop culture.

Next, the image of Mr. Belushi was replaced (thankfully) by somebody literally covered with thousands of buzzing insects.

We’ve all seen TV programs with people who have covered themselves from head to toe with bees in order (I guess) to show the rest of us that bees are not aggressive by nature, rather only lash out against outside aggression or threats. However, rather than passivity, I see this more as a calm before the inevitable storm.

Like a balloon in a needle factory, one wrong move and “pop!” goes the beekeeper.

For me at least, the understanding that bees are a critical component of our ecosystem, does little to supplant the simple fact that a bee sting hurts - a lot! There’s an old saying that my father used to use when explaining the business of sales to me. It said “the bitter sting of poor customer service lingers longer than the sweet taste of a low price.”

Clearly a painful bee sting has left more of an impression on me than any sweet voiced Nasonex® spokesbug could ever replace.

I’m a little ashamed to admit that while I can appreciate and understand the very important role that bees play in pollination and all things green, my first response to an unplanned buzzing in my personal space is to track, smack and scamper – fast!

Go ahead, call me a bee NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) but whenever I see bees, along with their ill tempered cousins the wasp and hornet, I instantly feel the need to protect (or at least inform) those around me. Who among us has not, with a mild expression of terror or at least discomfort, alerted a total stranger to the proximity of some yellow jacketed intruder? I know I have.

So it was these first, “natural” impulses that I have been trying to quell for the last few days.

After all, the many residents of this gray, papery nest (roughly the size of a basketball) have obviously been active for the entire summer. To my knowledge, they have dutifully refrained from any strategic attack or rampant abduction of small children, pets or errant tourist visiting our neighborhood.

It seems they have a job to do, and they are singularly focused on doing it.

Plus, at more than 50 feet in the air, I’m sure that the bees traveling incessantly back and forth to parts unknown are as equally unaware of the activities in the yard below, as we were once of them.

If not for the keen eye of an inquisitive youngster, I may have remained forever blissfully ignorant to this entire population cohabitating our little patch of earth.

Perhaps, if they become a nuisance or if the nest grows to size that my neighbors or I become uncomfortable with, I may have to have them removed. But for now, I feel sort of lucky that out of all the oak trees, in all the world, these little guys flew into mine.

And that’s the bee’s knees in my book.

Tim King is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough, Maine. He can be contacted at sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com

Study: Kids Think Foods Labeled With Popular TV Cartoon Characters Taste Better - Courant.com

2010-06-22T12:27:00.001-04:00

....as my 6 year old would say, "Duh!"

http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-cartoon-food-marketing-0621-20100621,0,2776506.story

Active Travels | get up & go!

2010-05-14T10:39:00.001-04:00

Cool site about getting outside and "doing" something.

http://www.activetravels.com/

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Americans Use Too Much Laundry Detergent - WSJ.com

2010-04-21T11:55:00.002-04:00

The dirty truth about detergent use...although i'd like to see MY kids stains removed without soap, regardless of the "agitation" in my washer. ~ Tim

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808904575025021214910714.html?mod=igoogle_wsj_gadgv1&

A cleaner image for energy from trash?

2010-04-14T09:46:00.002-04:00

We're spoiled because there are so many place to hide trash here in the US. How long before we run out of space ?

http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MzgyMDM

Fenway Park Grass Seed & Fertilizer | Major League Turf

2010-04-13T10:11:00.002-04:00

if only you could hire a staff of 30 to come and take care of your lawn after you plant the stuff (and have an unlimited budget) ~Tim

http://www.scotts.com/smg/templates/index.jsp?pageUrl=mlb_boston

T-Mobile Says Co-Branded Fender Entry Struck a Chord

2010-04-13T09:58:00.001-04:00

I think they are on the right track here. might not produce killer numbers of units sold, but will nail guys like me who want to be associated with a cool icon/brand.

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3ib5454b923e9fb74351f7b95c805df682

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Just dandy in Scarborough: Young performers learn the value of practice, friendly competition | The Forecaster

2010-04-08T12:43:00.001-04:00

Great article about a great program...no mention of how nervous it makes parents to see their kids up on 6 foot unicycles though !

http://www.theforecaster.net/content/s-scardandies-040910

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Spare a Square ?

2010-03-31T18:13:00.001-04:00

A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional booth,
sits down, but says nothing.

The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention

but the drunk continues to sit there.

Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall .

The drunk mumbles, "ain't no use knockin', there's no paper on this
side either!"

--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro

Robins

2010-03-31T12:00:00.001-04:00

Are having a field day in my lawn. Seems as though the 72 hours of rain has helped to bring all the worms to the surface for a breath of air. [GULP!]

--
Tim King
Scarborough, Maine

Be true to your work, your word, and your friend. ~ Henry David Thoreau

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=553903&trk=tab_pro

Broadturn Farm: The Beans of Scarborough Maine

2010-03-26T14:47:00.001-04:00

Keep up to date with the Farm at Broadturn in Scarborough

http://broadturnfarm.blogspot.com/2010/03/beans-of-scarborough-maine.html

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Smart Water Meters Take Hold in California - Green Inc. Blog - NYTimes.com

2010-03-24T12:52:00.001-04:00

Say goodbye to 'Dumb Water'

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/23/smart-water-meters-take-hold-in-california/

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Good Wine Under $20: Primitivo from Puglia

2010-03-23T17:57:00.001-04:00

My boss got me a bottle of this for my birthday and it was very good. now i need to find out where he bought it !

http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/2009/04/primitivo-from-puglia.html

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Fire Can Be Good For Global Warming : NPR

2010-03-23T10:19:00.001-04:00

In other words, all things in moderation.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124980708&ft=1&f=1025

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Red Claws Trounce T-Birds…Again : Celtics Town

2010-03-22T10:38:00.001-04:00

Follow the Red Claws

http://www.celticstown.com/2010/03/20/redclaws128tbirds111/

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'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' Review: Swedish Suspense - TIME

2010-03-19T19:53:00.001-04:00

wife read this...and i'm going to soon too.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1973433,00.html

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Garth Stein - Author Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain

2010-03-19T10:05:00.001-04:00

A great book that puts an interesting perspective on things.

http://www.garthstein.com/index.php

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Gotta get back at it - but how ??

2010-03-18T12:27:00.000-04:00

I'm getting so bad at capturing my ideas here. Since I've been using Facebook and Twitter it's just so much easier to share stuff on those platforms. I do see the value in keeping some permanence to all this online chatter though. It's kind of an online time capsule to look back and see what i was thinking about 2-3-4 years ago. I hope to find a tool that allows me to add stuff here at the same time i post elsewhere. Any suggestions ???

On Houseplants and Relatives - Easy Does It

2009-12-16T11:25:00.001-04:00

On Houseplants and Relatives - Easy Does It
By Tim King

This is the time of year when the plants inside my house become the focus of my attention. As the last of the leaves are finally picked up, shredded, composted and/or dumped off at the recycling center, there is very little for me to take care of outside now. The gardens have been mulched, a few more bulbs have been planted and the tomato stakes have been pulled up and stored away for the winter.

Keeping houseplants around serves as my ‘dirt fix’ through the long cold months when the temperature drops and the ground freezes. Although there is nowhere near the same variety or color, keeping a few small palm’s, syngonium’s (Arrowhead Vine), pothos (Devil’s Ivy) and dracaena’s provides me with the assurance that there is a green light at the end of the tunnel that is a Maine winter.

Taking time to prune off dead leaves, loosen and aerate the soil and transplant my collection into bigger pots gives me at least a small dose of the outdoors that I love so much.

I find that what makes houseplants difficult to take care of in the winter is trying to find a balance between maintaining a warm environment for my family and a moist environment for the plants. Like many of us, with the rising cost of home heating oil, I have become increasingly dependent on wood - the first fuel. Our wood stove has been going since the end of September, creating ‘on demand’ warmth where we need it most – our first floor living area.

Trouble is, what the wood stove giveth in heat, it also taketh away in moisture from the air.

Lately, it seems that every few days, I’m noticing a droop on the leaves of the plants around the house, especially in the room where the stove is. It takes me a few weeks to catch on to this new situation. For more than six months now, the plants have pretty much taken care of themselves. I give them a little water and a touch of fertilizer every couple weeks and they are good to go. Water stays where I put it and the plants take what they need, when they need it.

However, this time of year is different. The trouble occurs after I notice the aforementioned leave droop and administer the ultra-scientific “stick my finger in the dirt test.” After said test, determining that the plant really is drier than Hades, I dutifully go to the sink, fill my watering can (empty milk jug) and attempt to immediately resuscitate my poor, neglected photosynthesized friends, with a quart of water…each.

Maybe it’s the dire straights I believe the plants to be in when I finally discover that I have ignored them for too long. It just seems that in November and December ‘too long’ is not so long anymore. With a big black metal box cranking out 600 degrees of heat for hours at a time, its no wonder that none of the plants remain wet for very long. However, it is often my rescuing - rather my method of rescuing - that becomes more of a problem then just a few droopy leaves.

It all starts when I begin to make the rounds with my watering can. As I travel from room to room, replenishing the water that has been sucked dry from the plants - then adding a little bit more for safe measure - more often than not, I am not rewarded by the joyous sounds of a thirsty plant springing back to life, but rather the gurgled shouts (and drips) of water cascading from under the pot, over the coffee table and onto the floor.

Muddy Waters may be wonderful to listen to on the radio, but let me tell you, its no picnic cleaning it off the living room floor! Especially when it’s accompanied by yet another verse of the “I can’t believe you did that again” blues from my Better Half.

This reminds me of the old adage ‘killing it with kindness.’ Rather than saturating the soil with more water than the plant is prepared to absorb, I should be slowly adding water to the pot and letting it sink in. Providing for the plant on its terms, not my own.

You see, even though I may perceive my plants to be in desperate need of attention, the truth is that they can still take care of themselves pretty well. By thinking that I can quickly remedy any situation by giving them a double dose of water, I find that all I’m left with is nothing but a dirty mess on the floor – and a plant that will be dry again tomorrow.

The John Mayer song Gravity explains it this way: “Twice as much, ain’t twice as good, and can't sustain like a one half could. It's wanting more, that's gonna send me to my knees.”

I think that in the same way, when we try to cram a whole years worth of good deeds, kind words and affection into a few short weeks around the holidays, it can get pretty messy too.

Think of the proverbial big kiss and hug from Auntie So-and-So that you got when you were a kid at Christmastime. She may have honestly thought that the hug made up for a whole year of not seeing you, and it probably made her feel pretty good. But when it was over, you were probably feeling a little silly, frustrated or sad. Just the opposite of what your good intentioned Auntie had in mind.

It seems simple, but you can only truly satisfy someone when you give something that they need, when they need it – and not an ounce more. It’s like having 10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife. Ironic, don’t you think? Alanis Morissette. Plants are no different.

So take it slow and steady with your houseplants and your loved ones this winter. I’ve learned to take small, baby steps with both, knowing that they will each only take as much attention from me as they need. Anything more just ends up wasted on the kitchen floor. Sure, the giving may take a little longer this way, but at least I know that what I give will actually be wanted, accepted…and appreciated.

Rage against the press release

2009-10-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

It was kind of fun watching and listening to the Old School PR folks squirm a little during Peter Shankman's keynote talk yesterday. The idea that "people" - meaning the real folks who buy your stuff - aren't buying the PR/marketing spun "key messages" anymore. It's probably still a good exercise to develop them, but increasingly customers want to be spoken to in their own (real) language. As a fairly creative PR guy, there was nothing more frustrating than having to conjure up some useless quote for a press release from a c-level client exec, often without ever even (being able) to speak with him/her. I was once told early on that my press releases were bad because I wasn't following the formula that agency believed in. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a physical aversion to filling out (hard copy) forms by writing in those little boxes - one letter per box, please. Blech ! I say "say what you need to say, however you want to say it" But if you want what you say to actually be heard, you better say it the way your customers want it. Customers won't adapt. They will simply move on. This is true whether you are selling an iPhone App, a loaf of bread, a hotel stay, or a press release.

I'm back

2009-10-16T08:24:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe its almost been an entire year since my last post. I've been told that if i want to continue to build the Brand of Tim, I need to be blogging more. I hope to get back on track and share some of my thoughts and opinions about the world we live in...through the lense of a short attention spanned dad in southern maine. Blog v2.0 coming up !

what I'm reading - Cultural Creatives

2008-11-10T09:45:00.001-04:00

I've been meaning to explore this book for some time...maybe i am, maybe i'm not ?

Tim

The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World

"Cultural Creative is a term coined by Ray and Anderson to describe people whose values embrace a curiosity and concern for the world, its ecosystem, and its peoples; an awareness of and activism for peace and social justice; and an openness to self-actualization through spirituality, psychotherapy, and holistic practices. Cultural Creatives do not just take the money and run; they don't want to defund the National Endowment for the Arts; and they do want women to get a fairer shake--not only in the United States, but around the globe."

What I'm reading - Gunman's Rhapsody

2008-10-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

Sort of a new twist on an old story. Wyatt Earp, Doc Hollyday, etc...written by Robert B. Parker, the guy who writes the Spenser stories.

I didn't like this as much as his "regular" writing. Not enough was new or different to make me wonder what was going to happen next. I already knew. Good quick read on the road but that's about it.

Do your part by not 'doing' anything

2008-10-29T16:38:00.001-04:00

"From outer space, the privileged of this world must look like ants in an anthill that’s been stirred with a stick: everyone constantly rushing around in cars and planes for work and pleasure, for meetings, jobs, conferences, vacations, and more. This is bad for the planet, but it’s not so good for us either."

It's surprising to begin to read things that explain what I am feeling and thinking about more and more.

The sounds of silence

2008-10-23T08:23:00.001-04:00

“Silence is like scouring sand,” he says. “When you are quiet, the silence blows against your mind and etches away everything that is soft and unimportant.” What is left is what is real—pure awareness, and the very hardest questions.

A good read if you have a minute

What I'm Reading - Walth Whitman, Leaves of Grass

2008-10-21T08:10:00.003-04:00

not sure what to make of this yet. it seems that i only "get" poetry when it is read out loud and then discussed in a group. without context, it just seems like individual random thoughts and words to me. I hope to at least benefit from introducing new words and phrases into my own vocabulary. - TK

Leaves of Grass (1855) is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman. Among the poems in the collection are "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," and in later editions, Whitman's elegy to the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass,[1] revising it in several editions until his death.

positioning

2008-10-10T14:15:00.002-04:00

I just don't get why the media needs to position the fact that the DEMAND for oil being down is a bad thing ? I understand that it might mean that factories aren't chugging along as strongly, but what about the shift from the SUV to Hybrids and all of the efforts people are making to reduce the amount of gas/oil they use? Let's start applauding our efforts so that we realize that we can collectively make a big difference. Having demand for oil go down is a good thing in my mind.

Flowers tell the story

2008-10-07T20:46:00.001-04:00

a unique gift idea...

Associated Content

2008-10-07T11:43:00.001-04:00

Check out some of my past articles on this content publishing website. Thanks

Tim

what to do when you don't know what to do

2008-10-06T09:08:00.000-04:00

Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify. Thoreau

phrases from the debate

2008-10-03T08:10:00.003-04:00

Random takeaways from the debate last night:

Maverick
Fundamental
Dick Cheney is scary
Tina Fey is pretty smart
Most important election of our lifetime
Energy producing state
Joe six pack
9 month old babies shouldn't be at debates
Talibanee
Let me say it again

plunkin' time

2008-10-02T12:17:00.002-04:00

We seem to be under attack again from the thousands of acorns in our oak trees this year. Every time the wind blows, our roof, driveway and vehicles are getting plunked with the quarter sized dollops. What it means is anyone's guess...you just got to remember to keep your head down and keep moving.

Happy Birthday Grampa

2008-10-01T08:06:00.003-04:00

We all miss you very much. Thank you for all the laughs and life lessons...and for living the golden rule, family first. (and have fun along the way)

Tim

where's MY bailout ???!!!

2008-09-30T08:19:00.004-04:00

How the heck did all this financial "crisis" happen (again!) I seem to remember a little thing called Sarbanes Oxley Act that was supposed to hold companies accountable for their financial statements. So, what happened ? How long have the numbers been tanking before the "bailout" is now needed ? We're pretty quick to help put a band aid on a problem and less enthusiastic about teaching or providing long term help.

Clearly these firms didn't have investments in the oil market

Yeah, we're cool..we know it !

2008-09-29T10:17:00.000-04:00

What I'm reading - Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman

2008-09-29T10:13:00.002-04:00

I've read several pieces that reference this book as a "must read" for any aspiring observer/writer. I started it last night and I'm trying to get into the spirit of the verse. I don't know if I'll get there or not, but it will be good to try.

"Leaves of Grass (1855) is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman. Among the poems in the collection are "Song of Myself," "I Sing the Body Electric," "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," and in later editions, Whitman's elegy to the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd." Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass,[1] revising it in several editions until his death."

I'm back !

2008-09-29T10:00:00.002-04:00

For no particular reason, i took the summer off from posting. I've got the time and energy once again to post...and actually discovered that the act of Blogging is actually considered a "job skill" these days.

So here we go...back into my head, my eyes and my heart.

Sea - King

2008-06-20T12:49:00.002-04:00

Ahoy....

Just a few more payments and this little baby is all mine.

Who's up for cocktails on the lido deck ?

TK

"The _______ Road "

2008-06-04T11:07:00.003-04:00

So how does a road in Maine get "The" status ? Sometimes its the road itself, as in "the payne road" or "the hogan road" sometimes its a nickname as in "the golden road" and sometimes it comes from where the road goes as in "the howland road". What does a road have to do, or have to be in order to get "the" status ?

From now on, I'm going to start saying "the Sylvan road" to people who ask me where I live and see if it catches on.

It seems to me that each of these roads are the polar opposite of "The Road Less Traveled," and that has made all the difference.

TK

Hi Ho Alan....AWAY !

2008-05-29T16:26:00.001-04:00

"Giddy Up Love Bug!"

what I'm reading - Copper River - A cork o'connor mystery

2008-05-29T16:12:00.004-04:00

"From Publishers Weekly
On the run from anonymous contract killers, ex-sheriff Cork O'Connor goes to ground in a remote corner of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in Krueger's subdued sixth thriller."

Pretty good so far, we'll see where we end up...

Column - A dandy time of year

2008-05-29T16:08:00.000-04:00

After all, dandelions are early blooming, hardy, bright yellow and tend to spread well on their own. What’s not to like? Yet we spend our hard-earned time and money trying to kill them, while yellow tulips are tenderly cultivated and yellow daffodils are celebrated with parades and rides atop pretty Easter bonnets. You would think a flower that is so revered by young children both in life and in death would maintain some emotional appeal for us adults. Certainly, every one of us at one point has pulled a handful of dandelion flowers from the lawn and proudly presented it to someone as a beautiful bouquet. While many of us also remember tickling the flower under our chins to see if we liked butter or not.

Latest Column - Where I'm Coming From

2008-04-25T16:09:00.002-04:00

Now, if you’ve been a reader of my columns for a while now, you may think that I was raised out in the country somewhere. Perhaps on a farm with rolling hills and meadows of wildflowers nearby, lots of trees and a river or pond in the area too – my younger days being spent listening to gentle breezes, birds singing and crickets a-chirping.

The reality is, for the first six years of my life, this could not have been further from the truth....

What's your Sign ?

2008-04-25T16:05:00.002-04:00

Latest Column - Seedlings Wo-Wo-Wo Seedlings

2008-03-26T17:07:00.001-04:00

had some fun with this one. I wonder if the Scarborough Hannaford's is having a run on Lasagna Pans this week ?

Sláinte!

2008-03-17T15:32:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

Written on the back of the Worry Stone envelope: "There are only two things to worry about: either you are well or you are sick. If you are well, then there is nothing to worry about: but if you are sick; there are two things for you to worry about: either you get well or you die. If you get well, then there is nothing to worry about. If you die then there are two things to worry about: either you go up or down. If you go up, then there is nothing to worry about, but if you go down you will be so busy shaking hands with old friends you won't have time to worry".

Lighten up

2008-03-12T16:42:00.002-04:00

I recently made the decision to avoid the "Castanza Wallet"...I was by no means over stuffed, but i thought it was time to slim things down a bit. I might even try putting my new slimmed down version (no pictures, no superfluous membership cards) in my left pants pocket. I wonder if there is a term for the imprint that wallet wears into pants and jeans over time ?

Yeah, i know, i live on the edge.

Latest Newspaper Column - Plant it Again, Sam

2008-03-11T13:35:00.002-04:00

For some reason, when I thought “flower show” I had images of little girls, sun dresses and tea parties all walking from table to table looking at bouquets and centerpieces. In other words, more foo-foo than poo-poo (oh, sorry I meant “composted manure”)

(click the Title to read the whole article) My editor loves to get comments on the site too!

Garrett and a unicycle

2008-03-10T13:50:00.002-04:00

look at him go !!

Handlebars? He don't need no stinkin' handlebars!

Great article on what's really "Green"

2008-03-06T18:10:00.002-04:00

"Consuming until you're squeaky green. It feels so good. It looks so good. It feels so good to look so good, which is why conspicuousness is key...It's done with the best of intentions, but all that replacing is problematic. That "bad" vinyl flooring? It was probably less destructive in your kitchens than in a landfill."

Monica Hesse - The Washington Post

Trees

2008-03-03T15:15:00.001-04:00

Passed on from a coworker who thought I would enjoy. I do.

Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918

Trees

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day, 5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain. 10

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Portland Flower Show

2008-02-29T10:10:00.001-04:00

Still don't like the name, but i can't wait to see some stuff actually growing!! I've had more than enough of this snow and rain!!

Buddy Miles - Hendrix drummer (& California Raisins singer...who knew!!?? ) dead at 60

2008-02-28T12:31:00.003-04:00

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Buddy Miles, a drummer who played with Jimi Hendrix and sang in the claymation commercials featuring the California Raisins in the 1980s, died Tuesday. He was 60.

Miles, who had been suffering from congestive heart failure, died in Austin, publicist Duane Lee said.

Miles was drummer on Hendrix's landmark "Electric Ladyland" album before officially joining Band of Gypsys a few months later. Miles is best known for "Them Change," a song he wrote and performed.

Sing

2008-02-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. - Thoreau

Happy Birthday, Dad

2008-02-26T10:27:00.002-04:00

USS Essex (CV-9) (also CVA-9 and CVS-9) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier, the lead ship of her class.

Essex was the prime recovery carrier for the Apollo 7 mission. She recovered the Apollo 7 crew on October 22, 1968 after a splashdown north of Puerto Rico.

Winter Lawn

2008-02-25T23:07:00.003-04:00

Greener grass
Comes and goes.
One season it rests
One season it grows.

For some its never
Green enough.
For others, its perfect
No matter the month.

I'll take my grass
With it's weeds and such
Because I know it surrounds
The ones I love very much.

TK

Family Watchdog

2008-02-25T23:03:00.003-04:00

this is kind of creepy...but i guess its better to be aware of what's in our neighborhoods. I also hope that if i were to dig a little deeper, i would find that the revenue for all the obnoxious banner ads are going to some charitable cause.
TK

When you visit this site you can enter your address and a map will pop up with a small icon of a house when you live.

Surrounding your house you will see red, blue, and green, dots covering your entire neighborhood.

When you click on one of these dots, a picture of a person will appear with an address and the description of the crime he or she has committed.

This site was developed by John Walsh from Americas Most Wanted

Guess that movie line -

2008-02-25T22:58:00.000-04:00

"...the laddy fancies himself to be a poet!"

Latest Column - Birches on my mind

2008-02-22T12:45:00.002-04:00

"Over the years, I’ve come to see most birch trees only as white accents against a predominately brown and green landscape of pines, oaks and maples. They seem to appear sometimes randomly as solitary beacons of contrast in the forest."

Read the whole article by clicking the link above.

TK

Good bunch of guys here

2008-02-21T14:14:00.001-04:00

...at least they sound pretty cool.

TK

PS...now i know how "Slim Shady" feels

We shoot...we score !

2008-02-21T14:03:00.004-04:00

Well it took more than 20 years, but it looks like Ronald Reagan's 'Star Wars' program finally actually did something, sort of.

What I'm Reading - Disappearances - Howard Frank Mosher

2008-02-21T13:55:00.003-04:00

"Disappearances chronicles the efforts of Wild Bill Bonhomme and his larger-than-life father, Quebec Bill, to save the family farm. Desperate to raise money to preserve his endangered cattle herd at the end of a long winter, Quebec Bill resorts to the high-stakes world of whiskey smuggling, a traditional family occupation along the Vermont-Canada border in 1932. On an epic journey through the wilderness, the father and son encounter a cast of wild characters — and live out magical escapades as they carve their way into legend."

I still can't exactly tell if the towns in the story are made up or not...but all of his books have been great. They really put you in touch with a different way of life.

Where Eagle's Fish

2008-02-21T13:03:00.002-04:00

when we were up at Cedar lake last weekend we saw an amazing site. Turns out, we must have a local bald eagle in the area. Early in the afternoon this huge bird starting flying back and forth about 15 feet of the surface of the lake (long since frozen). Turns out, it was waiting for the guys to move out of the way who were ice fishing in a few spots out there. As soon as they moved to a different hole in the ice, the bird would hop over to the hole...waiting for a fish to jump out perhaps ? Not sure if he ever got one, but it was pretty cool to think about how the bird learned to be that patient and comfortable with humans and develop a symbiotic relationship with the fisherman. I'm interested to see if it sticks around after the ice melts and fishing is dramatically easier for all of us. - TK

Feb Column - Hearth Health

2008-02-12T16:52:00.000-04:00

"I’ve been in blue-collar living rooms and shirt and tie boardrooms where men have complemented and ridiculed each other about the condition of their woodpiles."

Counting the days until Spring

2008-01-15T17:37:00.001-04:00

Brrrr...

Latest Column - Storms and Newborns

2008-01-15T17:30:00.000-04:00

you wouldn't think they had a lot in common...and you'd be wrong.

Who's that Guitar Hero Babe ??!!

2008-01-02T14:16:00.001-04:00

Hmmm...

2007-12-20T10:38:00.001-04:00

What was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread ?

The Present

2007-12-18T13:40:00.001-04:00

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.

Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

Babatunde Olatunji

perspective

2007-12-18T13:32:00.000-04:00

so i start off my monday moning driving to work and not feeling all that excited about it. On my way up the Maine Turnpike i notice that there are 6-8 guys working in the median between the roads. They are each standing up to their knees/waists in snow, wind howling, cars flying by at 70 mph, digging out hundreds of those orange barrels used for diverting traffic on the highway to a single lane. They had all been plowed in with snow during the storm sunday and were now almost completely covered up to their orange blinking lights on top. it was 15 degrees at the time.

you would think that it would have been easier to have a machine with a hook or something that could pluck these things out of the snow using hydraulics ? Guess not.

After seeing that, i didn't feel all that bad about heading into the office to "work".

TK

Kids with Santa

2007-12-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

HoHoHo....

busy busy, no time to post. Snow's on the way again. So this is what a Maine winter is supposed to be like!

We'll call it "Cozy"...yeah that's it!

2007-11-26T17:11:00.000-04:00

We are here

2007-11-26T11:57:00.000-04:00

...or at least we will be after Dec 17th if everything goes according to plan. About an inch below the big white roof in the middle of the page.

Can't wait until summer !

Upcoming Ad for SLCT in The Scarborough Leader

2007-11-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

Had some fun coming up with the copy and headline on this one.

TK

Boo!

2007-11-16T17:27:00.000-04:00

Latest column - Apples

2007-11-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

What do Apples, Forest Gump, Janis Joplin and Timex all have in common? Read my latest article to find out.

TK

Where will I find MY Walden ?

2007-11-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Henry - with accompanyment

2007-10-25T11:43:00.000-04:00

"Life in an out of the way place carries universal import, and people everywhere seem to understand what David Mallett's songs are about. Although they are rooted in place, they speak to the essential things that move us all. If you grow up in a small rural town, as Mallett did, you can't help but learn its stories. He knows about the people who shouldn't have stayed, but did, and those who shouldn't have left, but did..."

Just ordered the CD after reading about this in the Bangor Daily News.

When you gotta go !

2007-10-19T13:15:00.000-04:00

....ahh, life with little boys ! Betcha Michelle never thought about doing this before Garrett and Alan came along!

TK

Play (yawn) Ball !

2007-10-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

Glad to see I'm not the only guy thinking this way !!

A DAD'S LAMENT
Game Time Vs. Bedtime

By Philip Lerman
Sunday, October 14, 2007; Page B02

The signs of fall are upon us: The days are shorter. The leaves are falling.

And dads are sitting in their basements, watching the baseball playoffs and getting ready for the World Series. Alone.

what i'm reading- The Prince of Thieves

2007-10-18T12:35:00.000-04:00

i originally picked this up to read on our trip to the UK...just getting around to reading it now. really good so far, with some fairly accurate descriptions and dialog of Boston.

Take care of your Mum's - Latest Column

2007-10-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

Sacrificial Mums
By Tim King

Do me a favor - after you’ve returned home from your local garden center, take a minute and put your mums (chrysanthemums) in the ground. You’ll notice I did not say on the porch, on the steps or on the ground next to the driveway. In the ground. The mums you just spent $30 on are not one hit wonders meant to dazzle for a few short weeks and then be discarded. They have more life to give.

In a few weeks, thousands of spruce and pine trees will be harvested, packaged and delivered for Christmas celebrations across the country. That is their fate. It’s what they were born and raised to be. They have had their time in the wild, living under the stars and watching the seasons change from their northern fields.

But the colorful mums we buy are different. They are whole plants, not simply ornamental figureheads. They have roots, stems, leaves and flowers that will last many years - if treated right.

It amazes me year after year, the shear volume of colorful chrysanthemums that are on display at nurseries, supermarkets, superstores and even hardware stores. It seems to me that the number of mums for sale always far outnumber the amount of shoppers looking to add some color to their dying landscapes.

Mums come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes to offer something for everyone. Bright reds, deep maroon, orange, yellow or white, purple, even shades of blue are available to complement any house palette. At this time of year, there are very few choices when it comes to flowering plants. This is the mum’s time to shine.

For this reason, each year thousands are displayed in yards across New England for a few weeks, only to be left for dead and tossed in the trash after Thanksgiving. I just can’t see the point in spending money, year after year, to replace something that is made to come back on its own.

Imagine deciding to replace your new car after it ran out of its first tank of gas, or never taking the goldfish out of the plastic bag when you brought it home from the pet store. A week later, you look at the bag on your counter with its “sleeping” resident and simply flush it away and go get another one. Doesn’t make sense, right?

To me, buying a mum without intending to take care of it is equally negligent. What these plants want more than anything is to be in the ground. Sure, some plants don’t mind the ground-like environments that we create for them in pots and containers indoors. But I’m talking about wild, hardy perennials here.

The mum is plant designed to put on a colorful show, then hunker down to patiently wait out the cold until the warmth of Spring returns. I wonder how many of you have secretly questioned the “hardiness” of the mums’ moniker after witnessing them wilted and dying after the first hard frost. Not so hardy you might think.

I’d like to see how hardy you would be without basic warmth and protection from the elements. Although the surface air may dip below freezing, the underground roots stay relatively warm and toasty into November.

So, if you’ve got some mums just chilling in a pot on your front steps, dig a hole three feet to the left or right…and plant them! Next year, buy some more, then plant those too. Pretty soon, you’ll have a fantastic fall garden that will return and expand on its own each year.

Tim King is a freelance writer who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough. He can be reached at - sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com

Red Sox clinch the Division - And we were there !!!

2007-10-01T16:56:00.000-04:00

Garrett and me at the Red Sox game on Friday night. That's us in the top right hand corner....I'm the guy with his arm in the air next to the guy with the white shirt. Garrett is the small brown smudge next to me. It was pretty friggin' cool to be there watching the Orioles beat the Yankee's on the Fenway jumbotron. I pulled this picture off Boston.com the next day.

Column - Finding the right place

2007-09-14T15:45:00.000-04:00

There’s no place, like the right place.

By Tim King

Sylvan – Adj. of, pertaining to, or inhabiting the woods.

This is the season when a lot of us will look around the garden and evaluate the year. Sure, there may still be a few weeks left of color - late bloomers, hardy annuals, newly purchased mums – but the writing is on the wall. What’s grown has grown, what’s bloomed has bloomed. Soon the color palette will shift from the ground to the sky with the brief flash of brilliance called autumn.

The only question that remains now is “Did my garden do what I wanted it to do?”

For me this question is usually followed by “well, then what can I do differently?” I am, after all, a guy…problem solving is what I’m hardwired to do.

Most often, if a plant or shrub didn’t end up living up to my expectations, it’s not the plants fault. It’s mine. Maybe I didn’t fertilize it when I should have…or at all. If I did, maybe I should have measured more carefully? Or maybe I really did plant those bulbs upside down after all?

There are a lot of things that I could have done wrong this summer. But, like most things in life, I found that simply finding the right location can be the single most important factor of insuring gardening success.

Unfortunately, plants must rely on the good sense (or otherwise) of their owners to determine their fate. Plant a marigold in the shade – you’ll watch it fade. Put a hosta in the sun – by July it’s all done.

To reach their full potential, plants must find a place that matches their specific need for sunlight. Of course water, the right type of soil and showing them a little attention once in a while is also important, but without the right location, their fate is sealed – a life of mediocrity, or worse.

This is why I can be seen digging up perfectly good plants around my yard at this time of year. If I can get them into a new spot now, maybe they’ll have a better shot of coming up stronger next year. I’ll either move them to an entirely new location or split them up and set the stage for a botanical a-b test next year. There’s nothing quite like seeing actual proof that you made the right decision. For me, affirmation yields contentment.

Whether its flowers, shrubs, trees or people, until something finds the right place to grow, it can never truly reach its full potential.

Unfortunately, you can only find this out by trying the other places first. Its trial and error and it can be scary. How long do you think it took the first person to figure out the best time, location and conditions for growing corn, or potatoes? Talk about a test of faith. Guess wrong and you go hungry.

Today, it’s easier. Many of the plants we buy come with clear planting and growing instructions right on the tag. The biggest challenge is trying to decipher the difference between partial sun, partial shade and dappled sun…or how to keep something moist and in well-drained soil at the same time.

It can take years or it can happen instantly. But when you find the right place, it’s something special.

With just the right amount of sunlight, your plants will have a much better chance of actually looking like the pictures in the catalog that you bought them from. What’s best is that most of this growth will occur on its own, with very little effort from you. A perfect example of being in the right place at the right time. Flowers will blossom with vigor and roots will grow strong and deep.

After finding this good place, future generations of plants will have an easier time reaching their full potential too. A particularly hard winter or wet spring can still wreak havoc on your garden, but at least the scales will now be tipped in your favor.

The process reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about hard work and success. Thomas Jefferson said, “I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

Finding the right place can be hard work, but the rewards are great and the choice is ours alone.

Tim King is a freelance writer who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough. He can be reached at - sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com

Latest column - Trees

2007-08-31T14:42:00.000-04:00

Take my Trees…Please!
By Tim King

The headline came to me while writing this article and I had to do some research to make sure that I was using it in the correct context. Many of you may (and many more may not) remember the famous line from comedian and violinist Henny Youngman. “Take my wife…please.”

I was relieved to learn that Henny and his wife were actually very close and were married for more than sixty years…the origin of the joke was an honest misunderstanding by a theater usher. Mr. Youngman only wanted his wife to be escorted to her seat first, but the usher found the line tremendously funny, when taken literally.

You see, I have a love/hate relationship with the trees in my yard. Let’s just say, I know why our section of town is called Pine Point! Between the hazy clouds of dusty pollen that coats everything in sight and has us scrambling for Benadryl in the spring, the sap that stains our vehicles all summer and the needles and cones that ruin the PH balance of my lawn, it’s safe to say that pines are not one of my favorite arbores.

Then again, oaks are not much better.

The oak trees in my yard are constantly shedding their deadwood branches all over my yard. In the fall, my vehicles are bombarded with thousands of golf ball size acorns and the clean white winter landscape is muddied by their late falling leaves, later to be revealed as a clumpy, soggy mess come spring.

Don’t even get me started about the riotous band of squirrels that may come for the acorns, but clearly stay for the much tastier seeds found in my birdfeeder.

All summer long the voracious roots of these overbearing neighbors suck up all the water from my lawn and block the rain and sun from reaching the ground, leaving patches of grass stunted and brown. They are forever tossing their buds, leaves, bugs and branches into my pool and prematurely darkening my deck of the already much too short summer sunshine.

In a few more weeks the work will really begin. Day after day, leaves and needles, cones and acorns will tumble from the trees and need to mulched or hauled away. It will start as a dainty flutter as the nights turn cooler, but will undoubtedly end in a deluge of tree debris covering every inch of my property.

You may be asking why I simply don’t move, where is the love…or even why I would have chosen to live where I do in the first place? Clearly my life would be simpler, maybe even happier, without all of these troublesome trees cluttering my landscape. On the surface, this is true, but I recently came to realize something that has helped me gain a better perspective.

Simply, they were here first.

This past spring, I had an arborist give me an estimate for thinning out the deadwood in the oaks and remove a few of the scrub pines whose growth will always be stunted by the much larger oaks. While we were walking, he mentioned that the age of oaks was probably around 30-40 years old. “At least the second growth, the original trees probably started here more than 100 years ago.”

I was amazed to learn that these monsters were actually second-generation oak trees. I had no idea. What tipped off the arborist were the three main shoots that came out of the ground and stretched to the sky. Each one more than a foot in diameter. “The original tree was as wide as all three of these shoots combined,” he said as I imagined a single trunk, more than five feet across! There is one such stump in my neighborhood. Counting its rings, I found more than 80.

Since that day last spring, I have found myself being more respectful of these proud sentries of my yard. Year after year, they have protected the house against the heat of the sun, the cold wind of countless nor’easters and more sleet, rain and snow than I have seen in my entire life. Actually, more than anyone I know…except maybe my wife’s 102 year old grandfather.

What has impressed me most was the shear determination they have shown over the years. They’ve survived harsh storms, drought and disease… even been completely cut down, only to grow strong and true once again.

Somehow, this makes it a little easier to deal with the mess, hard work and aggravation that comes with sharing my small piece of the world with a few trees. It also reminds me of the importance and limitless potential that can be found by developing a strong set of roots.

Tim King is a freelance writer who sees the forest and the trees from his home in Scarborough. He can be reached at - sylvan.sauntering@gmail.com

Edie Clark - writer

2007-08-30T10:50:00.000-04:00

"For the past 17 years, she has written a popular monthly essay for Yankee. Known as Mary’s Farm, the column is rooted in the place where she lives, an old farm in the Monadnock Region of New Hampshire. The farm, which once grew corn and flax, sheep and horses, once belonged to a woman named Mary. Edie bought the farm 10 years ago, and now grows only hay. And stories."