Issues/Politics Gardens shimmer in the sun in Hermann | Gardens shimmer in the sun in Hermann |
|
|
| By Susan Hegger, Beacon Staff | |
| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 10 June 2008 ) | |
|
At least it wasn't raining. That's what we laughingly told ourselves as we braved the heat and muggy conditions to visit the gardens on the annual Hermann garden tour and plant sale -- and then took in the art fair in the center part of town. Better a hot, bright sun than the almost biblical deluges of late. As usual, the gardens were a delight. I love the gardens on the Hermann tour, largely because they're created and worked by the people who live there themselves -- although they definitely seem to be people with considerably more time than I seem to have. There's little evidence of landscape architects, design firms or professional horticulturalists. They're just people who love plants and love experimenting with them. Most of this year's eight gardens were in the historic district and within easy walking distance of each other. We were treated to front yards bursting with colorful annuals and perennials, such as coriopsis, blazing stars, phlox; to backyard edens, shade gardens with meandering pathways and whimisical yard art; to vegetable plots where all sorts of things from Transylvanian garlic to all the ingredients for salsa were being grown. I left chock full of creative ideas and good intentions. Now all I need is the time. |
Editors' Picks
- Region
-
Group seeks freeze on Mo. executions: It wants a study of a system it says has been used capriciously against the poor, minorities and those with bad lawyers. | AP/KMOV
-
Testimony begins in cyber-bullying case: Prosecutors say Lori Drew of St. Charles County wanted to prey on the psyche of Megan Meier, the teen who committed suicide. | Wired.com
-
McCain is winner in Missouri vote: With all jurisdictions reporting, his lead over Obama was 3,632 votes out of more than 2.9 million cast -- a margin of 0.12 percentage points. | Politico
-
St. Louis shut out of NCAA men's Final Four selections: It was passed over in favor of New Orleans, Atlanta, North Texas, Indianapolis and Houston for 2012-16. | AP/ESPN
-
- Elections
-
State propositions run the gamut: Same-sex marriage, animal rights, physician-assisted suicide and more were decided by voters nationwide on Tuesday. | AP/Washington Times
-
How they voted: A national exit poll shows Obama did better among women than men, better among young than old, better among Jews than Protestants. | New York Times
-
Democrats pick up at least 19 House seats: The gain builds on the 30 seats the party captured two years ago. | AP
-
Democrats gain at least five Senate seats: Several races - Minnesota, Alaska, Georgia and Oregon - were still too close to call on Wednesday morning. But the Dems appeared unlikely to gain attain a filibuster-proof 60 seats. | New York Times
-
- Nation/World
-
Federal judge orders release of five detainees at Guantanamo: The Algerian terror suspects have been held without charges for almost seven years. | New York Times
-
Arizona governor will head homeland security under Obama: Janet Napolitano brings law-and-order experience to the job, particularly in the area of illegal immigration. | Politico
-
World Toilet Day is no joke: The international effort, founded in 2001, aims to make sanitation a key global issue. | AFP/Canada.com
-
California Supreme Court will weigh gay marriage ban: It accepted a challenge to the newly adopted measure but refused to allow same-sex weddings to resume. | San Francisco Chronicle
-
- Development
-
Leading economic indicators fall in October, reversing trend of a month earlier: Figures show the U.S. economy is very weak and getting weaker. | MarketWatch
-
First-time jobless claims rise to highest level since 1992: Job losses in the U.S. have totaled 1.2 million this year. | Bloomberg
-
Chances for aid to automakers wane: Kit Bond is working with Democrats on possible help, but most other Republicans oppose a bailout. | Detroit Free Press
-
Stocks fall sharply on latest economic news: The Dow dropped below 8,000 as hope for a bailout of U.S. automakers failed and worries rose about deflation. | New York Times
-
- Education
-
Pay for presidents of public universities rising faster than that at private schools: Median pay and benefits for presidents of public institutions rose 7.6 percent in 2007-8, to $427,400. | New York Times
-
Chief Illiniwek will dance again: On Saturday, the new version of the longtime mascot will make his debut after the Illini-Ohio State football game at Champaign-Urbana. | Chicago Tribune
-
Anonymous Washington U. students start bike-sharing program on campus: The Washington University Green Bicycle Project lets students, staff and faculty use the bikes without charge. | Student Life
-
Indiana University building gets revised name: It had been named for longtime trustee who was segregationist; now, name of school's first black basketball player will be added. | AP/Chicago Sun-Times
-
Jazz with Jerome Harris
Video by Christian Cudnik
Jazz musician and educator Jerome Harris talks about the importance of teaching. See a larger version of this video and read a profile of Harris.
Voices
-
Beacon Columnists
One can argue that the financial problem started when Congress required credit-card companies to charge a minimum payment that actually included principal as well as interest. So, shouldn't Washington get to the root of the problem?
-
In the News
In his much-maligned "malaise" speech, President Jimmy Carter spoke of a "crisis of the American spirit" and a Congress paralyzed by special interests. He warned that shared sacrifice had been "abandoned like an orphan without support and without friends." Those warnings hold true. The United States needs to come to terms with its lowered economic position and restore its moral leadership.
-
In the News
The Big Three automakers may well be facing drastic, forced reorganization, but they do not have the same compelling case for a government bailout as the financial sector had. Business professor Anjan Thakor explains the difference.
-
In the News
Posted 5 p.m. Mon. Nov. 17 - This weekend, nearly a hundred St. Louisans, many of them high school students, will travel to Fort Benning, GA to protest the School of the Americas. Among its graduates are some of Latin America's most notorious dictators, guilty of some of the continent's most savage human rights violations. Rachel Heidenry, who participated in the protest while a student at Nerinx Hall and Bard College, describes the experience and took the photographs that accompany the story and are in a slideshow at the end of the article.
The Lens
-
Time for a celebration!
Today is the 80th birthday of one of Hollywood's most beloved creations: Mickey Mouse !
..while yesterday was the 30th anniversary of something they'd rather not talk about: Star Wars, The Holiday Special .
Giving Back
The Beacon wants to help you share the news about good deeds St. Louisans are doing. See our spotlight on those who are giving back.
The Beacon features links to the latest work by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.This Washington-based non-profit organization promotes in-depth international coverage of topics that have been under-reported, mis-reported - or not reported at all.
To see a list on our World news page, click here . The Pulitzer Center's founder is Jon Sawyer, former Washington Bureau chief of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Join the folks who have already found the Beacon on Facebook, the social networking site. See the most popular stories of the day, photos, videos and upcoming events. Visit the St. Louis Beacon page on Facebook and become a fan.
Twitter is a "microblogging" service where users can provide short updates about what they are doing. stlbeacon is our official Twitter feed – check it out to find our featured stories and the news that matters.
Mortgage foreclosures are at the heart of the current economic crisis. The Beacon and KETC/Channel 9 have been covering how mortgage problems affect St. Louis area residents.
Visit our special section to read coverage of these issues, watch Channel 9's stories and access resources to find help.
What's this icon? It's the standard icon for RSS.
RSS gives you another option for reading the Beacon, in a way that may be more convenient for you. As explained below, you can use our RSS feed to get alerts about new Beacon content. The Beacon's main RSS feed is here.
For more about RSS, read this quick introduction or watch this video: RSS in simple English.
Joomla! is Free Software released under the GNU/GPL License.
