Pushki in Palmer

The Cow Parsnip is enormous, nearly six feet tall already. It’s so pretty with its’ lacy flower, which resembles Queen Anne’s lace. But don’t put it in a bouquet. In fact, don’t even touch it. Pushki has this strange and aggressive quality which leads to horrible rashes and blisters, after exposure to light. It’s fierce and unforgiving. We can warn newcomers and children all we want, but always there are some who can’t keep their hands off of this giant plant which is really known as Heracleum Maximum! There are adolescent boys who seek to prove their manhood by taking the plant and scribing their skin with it as a “natural” form of tattooing or branding. There are elders who are unfamiliar with the plant who still try to collect it for their wildflower arrangement. Brave foragers and plant people actually eat the young stems, but only after removing the outer skin. The rest of us just keep it at a distance wisely and admire it from afar.

“Hay Palmer”—Surrounding Palmer are hay fields. They used to be more plentiful but quite a few have developed into subdivisions. The ones that remain are treasured. This year there is some amazing hay, for the first cut which happened last week. Nearly flawless round and rectangular hay bales posed in the Palmer fields over the weekend. They appeared to be the “Nordstrom high quality” variety of hay bales. Most years it seems to be a battle with the weather to cut the hay, dry the hay, fluff the hay and bale the hay. But not this year. We have had such a string of good hot weather, that the resulting bales are just astonishingly perfect.

Palmer Hay Flats Refuge— The “Palmer hay flats” used to be pasturelands and hay fields as well. Cows and livestock lived there. Until the 1964 earthquake where the entire area dropped 6-20 feet. Now the Palmer Hay flats is marshy, brackish and salt flats. The residents are moose, small mammals, birds and fish and it is their prime habitat. There are over 20,000 acres which are heavily used by hunters, outdoor groups, bird watchers, and wildlife viewers. There are several trails and there is the Reflections Lake destination which offers nice hikes, kiosks and facilities.

Here Come the Kilts—This is a fun weekend in Palmer when the Alaska Scottish Highland Games comes to town. There are pipes and drums. There are games of strength and competition. There is music. There are kilts. There is Rugby. There are Birds of Prey. There are bag pipers. There is shortbread. There are Tall Tales. There is Scotch tasting. There is dancing. There is food. There is genealogy. There is the Gathering of the clans. There is Tug O War. There are Scotch Eggs. There is performance art. There are Alaskan Men in Kilts. There is a tea tent. It’s a wonderful festival at the fairgrounds in Palmer… of course.

“Original Art” Abundance in Palmer— Terry Phillips has a show at Vagabonds, entitled “Tribute to Trees.” She has painted trees from Hawaii, New Mexico, Yosemite, Spain, Vermont and of course the conifers, birches and cottonwoods of Alaska. It’s a lovely collection.

Upstairs, over Vagabonds, is Alli Harvey’s art studio featuring landscapes and skyscapes and other amazing works.

Across the street at the Museum is Judy Var’s fabulous work, featuring the vanitas still-life genre of art.

Uptown at the Palmer Downtown Deli is a large show with over 50 pieces from a variety of artists, some of which are very new to the scene: Mimi DeGange, Carolyn Hayes, Myrna Ukelele, Mabel Wimmer, Becky Oviatt, Maria McKiernan, Diane Paoletti, Maureen Kelly and Barbara Hunt.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net