Cheeseheads Unite!

Pictures taken at the Oregon State Capitol on Saturday say it all!

Over 1200 People Showed Up in Salem to Support Wisconsin Workers!

Libby, the Snowplow

Here's Libby, wheaten snowplow terrier, loving the snow. 

I'm not sure that she can see.

It's snowing!

Snow on Muffin Mountain

Yesterday, a female Northern Flicker banged into the kitchen window, left quite a few feathers on the pane.  We found her lying below the kitchen window with blood flowing from her beak.  Poor birdie.  Sid picked her up and held her.  Now, I know it sounds stupid, but she seemed like that helped her....maybe the warmth of his hands holding her.  Anyway, we thought she was a goner, but didn't want the dogs or something else to get her, so we sat out on the front porch and held her.  Pretty soon, she started looking around.  Then suddenly, without warning, she pooped all over me and flew off. 

Look at the size of her beak!!

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.

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

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.

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.