Reboots, Remember Whens & Whatever Happened Tos

Jennifer Zurko

I feel like 2017 was the year of the reboot, whether it was shows like “Will & Grace” and “Roseanne” (which didn’t go well, but I heard “The Connors” is good), or movies like “Power Rangers” and “Alien.” Heck—even Weezer covered Toto’s “Africa.” What’s old is new again, as the old saying goes.

Something else that inevitably happens when you think about the past is asking, “Whatever happened to …?” This just happened to me this week. For the past year, my 9-year-old has been obsessed with everything Harry Potter, but the holidays (which are less than two weeks away as I write this) have introduced a new obsession: Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet. Disney’s movie “The Nutcracker & the Four Realms” opened that door to watching everything featuring Clara, the Mouse King and the Sugar Plum Fairy.

So when I stumbled upon the movie on Netflix featuring Macaulay Culkin as the Nutcracker, it got me wondering, “Hey, whatever happened to that kid …?”

Which then brings me to … remember when Macaulay Culkin was the “it” child actor and was EVERYWHERE? Some celebrities have lights that shine brightly for decades; others end up a trivia question, I guess.*

Jen White’s cover story got me thinking about “remember whens” and “whatever happened tos” because these are the questions she answers regarding alternative energy. Remember when renewables were the “it” thing as innovative options to heat your greenhouse? Whatever happened to that? Is it still a thing? Read Jen’s article on whether energy sources like solar and geothermal are still a viable alternative for growers.

Just in time for peak production, we have a reboot of how to keep your liner trays from being too dry—and also not too wet. Find out how to get them just right.

Oh, and make sure you don’t find yourself asking, “Remember when we cleaned out our irrigation system?” … and not coming up with a good answer. You can see some really nasty images to get you in gear—and read a few refreshers on sanitation.

As spring 2019 begins to loom, my hope is that you have a reboot of last season (only if it was successful!). Or you may be asking, “Remember that one horrible year we had? I’m so glad we got through that.”

Or “Whatever happened to Zurko’s Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks?”

You don’t want to hear my answer to that one. GT

*My apologies in advance to Macaulay Culkin. I’m not bagging on him or his acting career—I liked most of his movies (my favorite being “Uncle Buck”). He just inadvertently became my example for this column and I do not wish him ill will.