DEC 2019
WWW.TROUTBROOKTREE.COM
(860) 888-8472
What Is the Meaning of Thanksgiving? Connecting with friends and family ... expressing gratefulness ... giving back ... This year, we won “Best Landscaper of West Hartford 2019,” We Woodcutters Weekend. I brought my best crew and my best equipment, and for two days, we felled dead trees
and trimmed over the power lines with our 75-foot bucket truck. We do this work to save the camp money, make it safe for kids, and allow space for new cabin construction. Along with other volunteers, we live out the YMCA values of caring, responsibility, respect, and honesty that I learned at camp. The trees are what gives the camp a nostalgic mystique: providing shade, smells, windbreak, and wonders of the forest life. It felt fitting to return as an adult who still loves the trees. Camp Jewell is near and dear to my heart, and I wanted to set a new standard by giving them our highest value service on a volunteer weekend. I got to spend time with people who were close friends of mine at camp, and it was invigorating to be moving outside together working. When the days get colder and darker, we have to find ways to keep positive. Expressing gratefulness through volunteering and hard work — and doing those things with friends — all
appreciate you all voting for us, and we want to turn around and honor the community where we live, work, and play. It was a fun surprise to attend the banquet and find out we’d won, and I believe in giving back in ways that say thanks to the places that supported me and my personal development. As a lifelong resident who enjoys the town parks near my home, I want to support efforts to preserve and protect those treasured parks. We are donating trees for Friends of Fernridge Park’s long-term park beautification project. The donation is also being matched by Sustainable CT. A couple dozen or more trees are being planted beside a new “promenade” walkway that was paved from the tennis courts to the pool in the interest of recreating a “golden age” canopy look for the park that will last for generations. You can contribute a matched donation to the Fernridge Park project at FriendsofFern.org. This November, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Camp Jewell again for
go hand in hand to make us feel better in our minds, bodies, and souls. This winter is a good time to get away and see family in their homes. I’ll be making an effort to spend more time with family, especially the ones who I don’t see on the holiday itself. This means a fun bit of traveling to New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York
(from where I can still run home in time for snowstorms!)
–Andrew Bachman
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GUTTER CLEANING Q&A
ASK THE EXPERT
Q: WHY CLEAN YOUR GUTTERS? ANDREW: Over time, water from a clogged gutter causes mold and water damage to the roof, eves, and the fascia, the board behind the gutters. If water is not channeled away from the house, it ends up next to the foundation and in the basement. There is also the risk of an ice dam, which occurs when snowmelt refreezes on the roof overnight. The weight and expansion properties of the ice can threaten to break the roof and gutters. Q: HOW ARE THEY CLEANED? ANDREW: We clean gutters with a handheld blower, other hand tools, and gloves. We use strong ladders and have a blower extension for hard-to-reach areas. We guarantee to check all the downspouts and runoff chutes. For hard- to-reach areas, we utilize a boom truck. We also have a licensed Connecticut arborist on staff to discuss tree pruning over the house. For a free gutter cleaning estimate over the phone, text (860) 888-8472 or send us an email at Andrew@troutbrooklandscaping.com. Gutter cleaning ranges from $130–$225 for regular-sized homes, depending on style and size.
FEELING SAD ?
Ways to Cope With Seasonal Affective Disorder
GET SOME SUN Exposure to sunlight is also significantly beneficial for people suffering from SAD. Sunlight helps your body produce adequate amounts of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness. Getting just a fewminutes of sunlight a day through a walk or short jog can make all the difference. If you live in an area where the winters are bleak, cloudy, and dark, sunlight can be harder to come by. But technology has you covered: You can purchase “sun lamps,” which simulate sunlight without the
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that people experience every fall and winter. If you find yourself feeling blue as the days become shorter and darker, know there are things you can do to boost your mood until spring returns. increase your energy levels, help you sleep, reduce anxiety, and boost your self-esteem. Summit Medical Group states that a person who exercises for 30–60 minutes a day can manage or avoid SAD easier than a person who does not exercise regularly. When you participate in physical activity, your body releases feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which have a morphine-like effect on your brain. INCREASE YOUR ACTIVITY Keeping your body active can
active. Human bodies are designed to move, and exercise can help regulate appetite and emotions. Stretching, walking, and even working out are activities that can be integrated into your daily life. While working outside is not a part of everyone’s job, you can still incorporate physical activity through yoga, gym visits, and outdoor walks. If you continue to suffer from SAD, it’s important to seek help from professionals who can determine the best therapy for you.
damaging UV rays. MAINTAIN YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE
If you find yourself struggling with the New England winter, try to be more
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TAKE A BREAK
Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and enjoy the refreshing, citrusy scent of the white fir. You can practically conjure Christmas morning from just a whiff of its pine needles. Year-round, this elegant evergreen effuses its Christmas scent and looks right at home next to our New England dwellings. Native to North America, the white fir is Andrew’s favorite evergreen for a reason. With long, elegant needles in an enduring sage-green hue, this tree is a beauty. It’s also easier to grow than spruces or Douglas firs, but like its cousins, it is largely disease-resistant and hardy to extreme weather conditions. The tree is valuable as an ornamental. For those lucky enough to have one in their yard, the white fir is a living Christmas decoration all on its own. String some lights on your tree and enjoy its pretty form from your window as neighbors admire it from the sidewalk. The white fir has two interesting qualities uniquely its own. Its needles , when crushed between your fingers, smell like oranges, and its pine cones grow upright instead of hanging down from the branches. Have a tree that needs some love? Winter is the best time of year to have your trees pruned, and you can still plant trees as long as the ground is not frozen. Do your trees a favor and give us a call for tree planting or pruning! REACH US HERE: • CALL or TEXT : (860) 888-8472 • EMAIL: Andrew@troutbrooklandscaping.com THE ELEGANT WHITE FIR TREE
Cranberry Gingerbread
Inspired by Food & Wine Magazine
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing • 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups fresh
cranberries, coarsely chopped • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp baking soda • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/2 tsp ground cloves • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Grease a loaf pan with canola oil. 3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup canola oil, molasses, brown sugar, eggs, ginger, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until blended. 4. Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. 5. Transfer to a rack, let cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
WWW.TROUTBROOKTREE.COM (860) 888-8472
69 TALCOTT RD. WEST HARTFORD, CT 06110
INSIDE DEC 2019
THIS ISSUE
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The Meaning of Thanksgiving
Gutter Cleaning Q&A
Boost Your Mental Health This Season
3
Tree Spotlight: White Fir
Cranberry Gingerbread
4
What Do Landscapers Do in Winter?
3 Benefits of Pruning Your Trees in the Winter
3 BENEFITS OF PRUNING YOUR TREES IN THE WINTER 1. EASIER ACCESS With all of the leaves gone, our arborists can get a good look at the tree’s natural structure. We can access the canopy more easily and also see deadwood that needs addressing. Cleanup is also easier since you won’t have leaves fallen everywhere alongside the trimmed branches. 2. DISEASE PREVENTION When you prune during the warmer months, your trees are susceptible to transmitting or catching diseases like oak wilt and fire blight . During winter, fungi and bacteria are dormant, so you’ll minimize any risks of disease infection and rot. 3. REDUCED STRESS Pruning can put stress on your trees.
WHAT DO LANDSCAPERS DO INWINTER? We play in the snow and climb the trees! Is there anything more beautiful than the calm that settles around the city after an early morning snow? We love this part of living in New England, when it becomes a winter wonderland for all to enjoy. The not-so-beautiful part is the hassle of cleaning up your driveway and sidewalk after it snows. But not to worry! We are here to snow blow the driveway and get you to work. We have never missed a snowstorm in 12 years of snow service. Our equipment is top-notch and ready for all your wintertime needs. We show up in the middle of the night, when everyone else is sleeping, to honor our commitment, and we are easy to communicate with during a storm. Right now, we only have availability for homes located within 1 mile of West
When you prune in winter while the trees are dormant, the energy and sugars have migrated down to the roots for winter storage, so cutting a branch isn’t as bad from an energetic standpoint, and the tree will regrow stronger in the spring.
Hartford’s city center. Give us a call or text us at (860) 888-8472 to book your wintertime tree services!
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