 |
| Over 1200 People Showed Up in Salem to Support Wisconsin Workers! |
Where a 4 or 5 Rating is the Price of Admission
5 weeks ago
Monday, February 28, 2011
Cheeseheads Unite!
Pictures taken at the Oregon State Capitol on Saturday say it all!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
It's snowing!
 |
| Snow on Muffin Mountain |
 |
| Look at the size of her beak!! |
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
CREP Planting is finished!
Yesterday, was another tree planting party. Spencer came out and helped. It is finished! The CREP (conservation restoration enhancement program) field planting is finished. Mr. Shoulder-to-the-Grindstone has worked really hard on this during the last two years. Fortunately, we had help from Spencer and also "the unemployed bartenders from Portland" who came out and worked in the pouring down rain to put tree protectors on hundreds of trees and bushes. Now we just hope that the elk will not browse them too hard.
 |
| Sid and Spence Getting Ready to Plant Pacific Crab Apple. I wish I had an "after" picture. |
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Muffin Mountain
Yesterday, we got snow here in Old Moore's Valley. Mid-morning I decided to take the dogs out to play in the snow, and just about the time that we got ready, the snow began to turn to rain. Not wanting to lose out, we hurried up "Muffin Mountain" to higher elevation where the snow was still snow. Mr. Shoulder-to-the- Grindstone was working on some land use issues. However, decided to take a break and join us. (I am so good for him....or not.)
We found out recently from a neighbor that our 1920's farm house was known as "the big house" when she was growing up, and that her family called the hill in back of the house Muffin Mountain.
Different subject. Yesterday on Gayle's blog, she mentioned genetically modified seed and some places to get non-genetic seeds. Here is the comment that I left on her blog. I include it here because I believe that this is a critical issue with USDA decisions being made now that will have great impact on agriculture and food.
Unfortunately, the USDA is letting Monsanto call the shots for approval of genetically modified food and seeds. The USDA has approved three new genetically engineered crops in the last 3 weeks. Two of them were Monsanto's genetically engineered sugar beets and genetically engineered alfalfa. Most recently the USDA approved one of Syngenta's genetically engineered corn varieties, and genetically engineered salmon is in the pipeline for approval. Imagine genetically modified salmon in the markets and they don't even have to let us know that it is GE modified. (In Europe, GE products, if allowed, have to be identified.) The best place to get info about "Frankenfish" and other GE crops is http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org
Different subject. Yesterday on Gayle's blog, she mentioned genetically modified seed and some places to get non-genetic seeds. Here is the comment that I left on her blog. I include it here because I believe that this is a critical issue with USDA decisions being made now that will have great impact on agriculture and food.
Unfortunately, the USDA is letting Monsanto call the shots for approval of genetically modified food and seeds. The USDA has approved three new genetically engineered crops in the last 3 weeks. Two of them were Monsanto's genetically engineered sugar beets and genetically engineered alfalfa. Most recently the USDA approved one of Syngenta's genetically engineered corn varieties, and genetically engineered salmon is in the pipeline for approval. Imagine genetically modified salmon in the markets and they don't even have to let us know that it is GE modified. (In Europe, GE products, if allowed, have to be identified.) The best place to get info about "Frankenfish" and other GE crops is http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Let it go!
I am trying to let go of the fact that my blog looks like shit, but it is really really hard. It makes me not want to blog. What's with that? I did some research and found out that the problem is not just my own, but one that lots of people have to contend with....the loss of their almighty "design" button. Ahhh, well. There are certainly worse things to have to deal with.
Worked down in the lower field with Sid (who will here-to-for before referred to as Mr. Shoulder-to- the-Grindstone) yesterday. 250 Pacific Crab Apple trees arrived on Tuesday. All of which need to get in the ground soon. Most of the trees planted this year have had much smaller root systems. However, the crab apples are beautiful with major root systems, which means that every hole has to be "custom dug" for the individual trees. Other places have custom drapes, custom furniture, custom homes, but here in Old Moore's Valley, we have custom holes for crab apple trees.
Mr. Shoulder-to- the-Grindstone digs the hole, trims the roots, and then I get down on my hands and knees and plant the tree. Remember that this is in very wet, heavy, sticky, clay soil, and it has been raining and snowing. So after a few hours it is difficult to differentiate me from a walking piece of boggy sod. However, even with all that, planting is the easier of the two jobs. Digging the holes is harder. The muddy clay soil sticks to the shovel, water pours in before the hole is finished, making each hole more difficult than the last.
We planted 70 crab apples yesterday morning. Yeah, only 180 left!
(Why so many crab apples? This is part of a Conservation Restoration EnhancementProject (CREP). We (mostly Mr. Shoulder-to-the-Grindstone) have planted a few thousand trees/shrubs so far. Pine, ash, alder, ninebark, snowberry, oregon grape, willow, red osier dogwood, and the list goes on. Spence has come out from Portland a few times to help. Thank you, thank you, Spencer.
Stay tuned. I will get my camera out to the field and take pictures.
Worked down in the lower field with Sid (who will here-to-for before referred to as Mr. Shoulder-to- the-Grindstone) yesterday. 250 Pacific Crab Apple trees arrived on Tuesday. All of which need to get in the ground soon. Most of the trees planted this year have had much smaller root systems. However, the crab apples are beautiful with major root systems, which means that every hole has to be "custom dug" for the individual trees. Other places have custom drapes, custom furniture, custom homes, but here in Old Moore's Valley, we have custom holes for crab apple trees.
Mr. Shoulder-to- the-Grindstone digs the hole, trims the roots, and then I get down on my hands and knees and plant the tree. Remember that this is in very wet, heavy, sticky, clay soil, and it has been raining and snowing. So after a few hours it is difficult to differentiate me from a walking piece of boggy sod. However, even with all that, planting is the easier of the two jobs. Digging the holes is harder. The muddy clay soil sticks to the shovel, water pours in before the hole is finished, making each hole more difficult than the last.
We planted 70 crab apples yesterday morning. Yeah, only 180 left!
(Why so many crab apples? This is part of a Conservation Restoration EnhancementProject (CREP). We (mostly Mr. Shoulder-to-the-Grindstone) have planted a few thousand trees/shrubs so far. Pine, ash, alder, ninebark, snowberry, oregon grape, willow, red osier dogwood, and the list goes on. Spence has come out from Portland a few times to help. Thank you, thank you, Spencer.
Stay tuned. I will get my camera out to the field and take pictures.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I am so frustrated!
I have been trying to get this blog to go across the whole page, and I finally made that happen, but then lost the picture on the top of the page, and can't figure out a way to get it back in. ARRGGGHHHHH! So once again, please bare with me as I continue to learn this new medium.
Of course, I may go crazy before I learn anything at all.
Of course, I may go crazy before I learn anything at all.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others" Vincent Van Gogh
Wishing you each a ton of love!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Mink River
Loving all things Oregon and Pacific Northwest, I totally enjoyed my latest read, Mink River by Brian Doyle. This story of an Oregon fishing village is a crazy combination of poetry, mystical realism, stream of consciousness, and good story telling. Doyle loves words and he just piles one on top of the other.
I read really fast, and with this book I forced myself to slow down and just enjoy it. Definitely not a read for someone who wants to get where they are going very fast. Or for a really bad analogy, this is not a drive in a new BMW on the autobahn, but rather a slow drive to the coast in a 1959 Rambler.
I love the characters. Even Moses, the talking crow, works for me.
I read really fast, and with this book I forced myself to slow down and just enjoy it. Definitely not a read for someone who wants to get where they are going very fast. Or for a really bad analogy, this is not a drive in a new BMW on the autobahn, but rather a slow drive to the coast in a 1959 Rambler.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Comments & Revisit of Homeless Post
I hope that the comment part of the blog is now working. A few people have let me know that they were unable to leave comments, so I have changed the settings.
Now to back up to an earlier post about the homeless survey that we did. I know that it doesn't seem like much to interview 4 people in 3 hours, but a lot of the time was spent tromping around through parks and brush where camps have been sited in the past. At the same time that we were out beating the brush (literally), there were many other volunteers at service sites around the county: soup kitchens, Salvation Army, etc. Those volunteers, of course, interviewed many more people.
The survey was not lengthy or onerous, basically asked for length of time without a home, the causes of homelessness, access to medical care, etc. We tried very hard to ask questions in a conversational way, and like I said earlier, our four interviewees were extremely gracious.
My overall impression was how fortunate the people that I love have been. A lost job, an extreme medical problem, mental health issues, loss of support system, alcohol/drug addiction, and any combination thereof could lead to a sleeping bag on a riverbank or under a bridge.
Recommendations: The service providers (soup kitchens, etc) do a tremendous job. They serve not just the homeless, but others who are hungry. I will not give money to people carrying signs or panhandling on the street. I will buy an individual a meal and a cup of coffee, and donate dollars to food banks and missions. I think one of the most important things we can do when we see someone we suspect is homeless is to look them in the eye and acknowledge them as a human being.
Now to back up to an earlier post about the homeless survey that we did. I know that it doesn't seem like much to interview 4 people in 3 hours, but a lot of the time was spent tromping around through parks and brush where camps have been sited in the past. At the same time that we were out beating the brush (literally), there were many other volunteers at service sites around the county: soup kitchens, Salvation Army, etc. Those volunteers, of course, interviewed many more people.
The survey was not lengthy or onerous, basically asked for length of time without a home, the causes of homelessness, access to medical care, etc. We tried very hard to ask questions in a conversational way, and like I said earlier, our four interviewees were extremely gracious.
My overall impression was how fortunate the people that I love have been. A lost job, an extreme medical problem, mental health issues, loss of support system, alcohol/drug addiction, and any combination thereof could lead to a sleeping bag on a riverbank or under a bridge.
Recommendations: The service providers (soup kitchens, etc) do a tremendous job. They serve not just the homeless, but others who are hungry. I will not give money to people carrying signs or panhandling on the street. I will buy an individual a meal and a cup of coffee, and donate dollars to food banks and missions. I think one of the most important things we can do when we see someone we suspect is homeless is to look them in the eye and acknowledge them as a human being.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
