Information
from Past Shows

Julia Bunn, The Spirited Gardener, being, well, spirited

Pat Stone and the lively and entertaining GreenPrints

December 28, 2008

The Boss is Back! Actually, my boss is back. Not my radio boss but my writing boss. Bill Aldrich is the publisher of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine, for which (in the interest of full disclosure) I write the back page column. I invited him back on the show to talk about the January/February issue, which is available now. Bill and his staff have done a very clever thing with this issue. They’re calling it their “Special Year-Long Planning Guide” and, just as advertised, it has everything you need to know to get going in the garden and to stay organized for the entire year.

It includes the basics on tools, seed starting, garden design and picking plants for various site. It also includes a handy calendar, as well as a chart for budgeting your garden, and even graph paper in case you want to draw one or more of your own designs. And, of course, don’t forget to turn to the back page to read my column, which you can do on line.

Even in the middle of winter there's a lot going on at the Morton Arboretum. For starters, next Sunday, January 4, is the annual Yule Log Hunt, which features:

• the actual log hunt, singing by my caroling group The Frozen Robins,
• The Fabulous Fruitcake Fling (for those of you who don’t know what to do with those holiday “treats”),
• wassailing
• story telling
• and more

But, according to Marilyn Baysek, Arboretum Manager of Special Events, that’s only the beginning. If you come out on January 24 or 25, you will have a chance to see the “Husky Heroes,” Siberian huskies, in a weekend of dogsledding demonstrations, presentations, and displays of dogs available for adoption. And, until most of the snow melted in the past couple of days, cross country skiing was a big attraction at the arboretum. It’s a beautiful and healthy way to see this magnificent facility. Hey, if you’re a cross country ski enthusiast, I wouldn’t worry. Somehow, I think that we’ll see more snow before this winter is over. For more information about winter activities, log onto the Morton Arboretum Seasonal Events Calendar.

All that being said...thank you to everyone who has been a part of The Mike Nowak Show in 2008, either as a guest or a listener. I couldn’t do it without you. My goal is to make the show that much better in 2009. I hope you stick around to see how I do. Of course, tell your friends about the program or go to my home page and sign up for my newsletter (I don't send it out that often, really!) or both. Meanwhile, have a fabulous new year!

December 21, 2008

It's The Mike Nowak Show Holiday Extravaganza!

Some of you may have noticed that on Friday Stephanie Miller called her show the Holiday Extravaganza as well. I can only say that, despite the generic nature of the title, she stole it from me. But, being generous, I let her roll with it. I'm that kind of guy. This show has as little to do with gardening and green living as I can possibly imagine. However, some of that is bound to sneak onto the air waves. I can live with that.

In addition to regulars Producer John Uher and Meteorologist Rick DiMaio, here are my guests:

• Steve Darnall is a buddy who, as far as I know, knows little or nothing about horticulture. However, he is the editor of Nostalgia Digest Magazine, not to be confused with Nostalgia Digest online. Nostalgia Digest Magazine is a 64-page quarterly publication filled with articles about the "Golden Age" of radio, television, movies, and music, written by those who lived it and those who love it. Since 1975, Nostalgia Digest Magazine has provided readers with an entertaining, educational look at life and popular culture during the first half of the 20th century (and sometimes beyond).
• Kathleen Thompson is my partner, webmaster and the woman who keeps my life on even keel (she is required to carry a carpenter’s level at all times). She is a brilliant writer and has her own website: www.onehistory.org. You could do a lot worse than to pick up one of her fabulous historical photo books (created with Hilary Mac Austin) as a holiday gift.
• Jake Hartford is host of “Awake With Jake”, Saturdays right here on Chicago’s Progressive Talk. I’ve been on his show a number of times and he’s never been on mine (I’m pretty picky.) However, today he’s leaving the Jake Cave and stopping by. Or perhaps he’s calling in. Of course, the only reason I invited him was to talk to his co-host Linda Mitry. We’ll see if she shows up, too.
• Dick Kay is...well, he’s DICK KAY. You know, host of “Dick Kay: Back on the Beat.” Geez, it’s an honor to have him on the program. I’ll try not to tick him off so he’ll come back next year.
• Mom is...well, she’s MOM! And if you’re interested in her Kapusta Soup Recipe, just click onto the link. Mom says she’s been working on a Polish Christmas Carol. I’m holding her to it.
• Joe McArdle provides the golden voice of Chicago’s Progressive Talk. He is program director and creative director and provides therapy for me when I need it. Which is pretty much on a constant basis. I have no idea why he’s on the show. Perhaps it’s a sneaky way of sending me a memo.

December 14, 2008

Julia Bunn is a Spirited Gardener. Actually, she’s THE Spirited Gardener. She has put together a television pilot and a website that look at the historical connection and contemporary practices of people in their gardens.

The pilot is a look at the fascinating world of mazes and labyrinths in the garden. Julia visits the Morton Arboretum, among other places, to look at how garden mazes are put together and, more importantly, why they attract people of all ages. The Spirited Gardener debuts on Sunday, December 28 at 12:30 p.m. on WTTW Channel 11. Yes, that’s opposite my own show, but I’ll forgive Julia this one time. Just don’t make it a habit, okay?

Still looking for a gift for that special garden lover? You might try getting him or her a subscription to GreenPrints, also known as “The Weeder’s Digest.” For some strange reason, editor Pat Stone thinks gardeners are funny, sentimental and inspirational people and so that is the kind of writing he puts into his publication.

Not only that, but he and wife Becky Stone perform many of those stories, which you can find on their CDs HERE and HERE and online. They must be doing something right–they’ve been doing this for 18 years...and they’re obviously making a lot of people happy.

Our Green Business of the Week is SunNight Solar, maker of the solar powered and remarkably efficient BoGo Lights. Find out more about these unusual and very green gifts by going to the Green Business of the Week page.

December 8, 2008

If you grew up more than thirty years ago, you remember the debate about nuclear energy. It was going to be efficient, clean and cheap. And then, two things happened in 1979: The China Syndrome, which was a movie, and then Three Mile Island, which was real life, and the world changed.

Now, almost thirty years later, as it is universally acknowledged that fossil fuels are leading us into an environmental cul de sac, the nuclear question is again in the news.

This time, however, the NEIS or Nuclear Energy Information Service is around to try to cut through the propaganda surrounding the atomic power source. On Thursday, December 4, NEIS held a press conference to highlight the plan by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) to resurrect the reprocessing of spent nuclear reactor fuel. The plan is known as the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership or GNEP Dr. Ivan Oelrich, Vice President for Strategic Security Programs at the Federation of American Scientists thinks it’s a waste of money.

“The United States Government is going to try to re-start plutonium reprocessing (of used nuclear fuel) after a 30 year hiatus,” said Dr. Oelrich. “The program will cost as much as $700 billion dollars – equal to the recent economic bailout. This is not a prudent energy or waste disposal investment.”

David A. Kraft, director of NEIS agrees. “One could call it ‘Forward – Into the Past!’ he states, “and not be far off the mark.” That’s why he’s stopping by to talk about last Thursday’s news conference.

When Michelle Byrne Walsh was on the show last week, we got started on “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” of holiday horticultural gift giving. In the second hour of this week’s show, we continue down that road.

I can’t guarantee that every green gift idea I mention on the radio will be posted here (there has to be SOME reason that you actually listen to the show), but we’ll do our best to give you links at Green Gifts.

Our Green Business of the Week is about the ways you can go online and do some really meaningful gift giving. Find out more about these organizations by going to the Green Business of the Week page.

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