update on my update

Tonight we are sleeping in a real bed. With pillows. And in a warm room. The hotel opened back up today. We are on the 7th floor. Only the first floor was flooded. No hot water, but that doesn't matter to us. Really appreciating the small things.

Our boys left for hunting yesterday. They are sleeping on cots. No hot water. And loving every minute. Guess it all depends on your perspective. LOL

This entry was going to tell you all about what we were doing in our jobs at Headquarters. Things change rather quickly around here. Roger & I are not there any longer. On Saturday night we were having a late dinner when we got a phone call asking us to move to Binghamton, NY. There was major flooding there and we were to help set up another HQ. On Sunday morning we headed out, with Roger driving a big truck loaded with cots and blankets and me following behind. Roger’s commercial drivers’ license that he had for driving a school bus has come in really handy this trip.

Binghamton is sited where 2 rivers come together: the Susquehanna and the Chenango. Both of these rivers were swollen from Irene and then Tropical Storm Lee came ashore, too. A lot of the downtown area was flooded out, including the local Red Cross chapter office. They set up an Emergency Operation Center in one of the fire stations in the area.

Over 20,000 people were evacuated and we currently are housing over 3,000 people in several shelters. That number doesn’t include the several hundred Red Cross workers in staff shelters.

The housing accommodations are different here than they were in Albany. We had a motel room there. Here we have been in several different places. Currently I am staying in the women’s’ staff shelter in the gym of a local church. It’s much nicer than the last place we had that had boasted one bathroom and no showers for the 65+ women staying there. LOL. Roger is staying in the men’s’ staff shelter in the activity room of a children’s home. They at least have 2 showers, although until yesterday, they didn’t have any hot water. We each have a cot and blanket issued to us. Lights out at 10pm, lights on at 6am. Same rules as in the shelters we set up for the evacuees. It sure helps us to have a better understanding of how they feel.

Some of the businesses are starting to open back up, although you can tell that they had been damaged. People are starting to be allowed to go back to their homes to start the clean up process. One of the things we do is hand out clean-up supplies: buckets, shovels, bleach, face masks, gloves, boxes of garbage bags. And then our mobile feeding units drive through those same neighborhoods handing out meals, snacks and drinks. There aren’t many places close to them where they can buy food. And right now their main focus is cleaning.  

Roger & I are both in logistics here. In Albany I was working in Staffing. It’s amazing how many behind the scenes people it takes to get the food and cleaning supplies out to the people and also provide housing and daily meals. Fork lift drivers, cooks, warehouse workers, data entry, nurses, doctors, mental health workers, shelter workers, truck drivers, shuttle drivers, janitors, security, EMTs, food servers, accountants, social workers, damage assessment workers, teachers, travel agents, etc.

It’s almost time for lights out, so I’d better finish. We put in some long hours when we are getting everything up and running. On a typical day we get to work about 7am and close up shop sometime between 8 and 9pm. So when the lights go out, we’re ready for sleep.

Good night.

Joanie

Just a quick update...we are working 12-13 hour days and are pretty tired at the end of the day, so this will be a short email. We have a day off on Friday and if we can get a little ways out of town, we may be able to take some pictures to send with the next update. Most people thing that Hurricane Irene is over and can't figure out while Red Cross is still here. I don't know how much press that the Northeast weather area is getting out West, but it's about the only thing here. Before the hurricane arrived here, New York & Vermont were besieged by storms. The ground was saturated and so when Hurricane Irene came in with it's high winds and heavy rain, the water had no place to go. The area that we are in around Albany , NY, is quite mountainous.(At least that's what I've heard. We've only seen the airport, our motel and the 2 miles to our work site at Red Cross Headquarters.) Many of the roads in the mountain areas are not paved. When Irene hit, trees fell and the rain turned the roads to mud and things slid down the mountain. Many people that live up on the mountains were cut off. One of the local volunteers told me about a family - father, mother and 2 small children - who walked into the closest little town. It took them 4 days, without food or water, to make the journey. There was no road left so they had to make their way over fallen trees and around mudslides. When they arrived in town, it was mostly destroyed, too. The Red Cross vehicles were at one of the few buildings that was still standing, handing out hot meals and setting up cots for the people to sleep in. They told officials that there were others still up on the mountain. Since the hurricane we have had severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, flash floods and more rain is being forecast for the next 5 days. Shelters and feeding stations that were closed are being reopened and people that had returned to their homes to start cleaning up are being told to evacuate again. Several towns have been completely destroyed. At least 5 of the beautiful old covered bridges are gone now, too. Creeks that were once something that you could take your grand kids wading in are now raging rivers that have flooded everything around them and there is no sign that the waters will recede anytime soon. There are hundreds of people here with Red Cross from all over our country. All of us working towards the same goal: to make sure that the people who have been affected by this disaster have food to eat, a safe place to sleep, clothes and basic necessities and someone to listen. It's humbling to see how much these small things mean to someone who has lost everything. You'd think we had given them the world.

Hurricane Irene - Disaster Relief

I think today is Friday. We left home yesterday - Thursday I think -about 7am. After a couple of flights and one layover, we arrived in Albany, NY about midnight. By the time we got our rental car and checked in at the motel, it was close to 2. Up at 6:30am, showered and off to the Red Cross Headquarters. Worked til 7pm tonight - a short day - stopped for dinner - them home...our motel room. Answered a couple of emails, started my DR blog and now its off to bed and sleep. This is a really short entry tonight. Really tired. Will need to be at work by 7am tomorrow.

It's all worth it.

My heart is in the South

A mother, taking shelter in her home, has her babies ripped from her arms by a tornado. The mother and one child are in the hospital in critical condition; her other 2 children are dead. An 18 yr old was sucked out of his father's car by the terrible storm on the way home from his graduation. He still has not been found.

Over 200 people are still listed as missing. Whole families are missing. Homes torn apart.  Lives torn apart. And more storms are on the way, with hurricane season officially starting on June 1st.

My heart is breaking for those who have lost everything they hold dear. I can't just sit here, watching the stories unfold, without feeling, without knowing, that I need to be back in the South, with Red Cross, helping in any way I can.

Deer Hunters

Colton wanted to go scouting for deer, just like his Daddy does.

So one fall day he took off walking across the pasture all by himself.

We wondered how far he'd go and how soon he'd turn around

and realize we were very, very far away.

Maybe there would be a little fear and tears on his small face,

and he would come running back to us.

He never turned back.

Fifteen months old and he wasn't scared at all.

He was determined to find a deer.

Reminds me a lot of his Daddy at that age.

Uncle Justin hurried to catch up with him,

and hand in hand they walked together

on this cool, crisp, perfect-for-deer hunting day.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures.

Reforestation

As granddaughter Kiana would say:

"Baby Christmas Trees!"

Planted 3 dozen.

 Grand Fir, Douglas Fir, Noble and Ponderosa Pine

Did You Know?

Fir trees absorb carbon dioxide and other harmful "greenhouse" gases

and release fresh oxygen into the air.

One acre of "Christmas trees" provides the daily oxygen requirements for 18 people.

Young, fast-growing trees release more oxygen than mature forest trees.

"Christmas Trees" temper winds, suppress loud sounds, filter dust,

 moderate temperature, and dissipate odors.

They also protect our water supplies, and provide refuge for wildlife.

Next Christmas, make the world a healthier place.

Buy a live tree and plant it in your yard.

Strawberries 101

Sweet, juicy strawberries. That's what this is all about.

And it only takes a few easy steps to get them.

Trust me.

In my opinion, strawberries do their best work in raised beds.

And that means less work for you...later.

Trust me.

I'm going to tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a princess

who lived at the top of a hill that overlooked a beautiful valley.

This princess loved working in her garden, especially her strawberry patch.

In order to keep the weeds away from her precious plants

and to keep them warm at night she surrounded them with straw.

She thought it was straw. She heard the lady who gave it to her say straw.

Or maybe she said hay and the princess only heard straw.

Whatever.

It really was hay.

And all those little seeds sprouted.

Don't make the same mistake.

Put your strawberries to bed in a bed.

The End.

So now, go get a raised bed box.

Add a wonderful mix that doesn't have an soil in it.

That's right, no dirt.

Just equal parts of compost, peat moss and vermiculite.

Isn't it beautiful?

Now fill the bed  about 2/3 with this mix, and we're ready to get started.

Some of the tools you'll need for this project are:

a bucket, small scissors, hand shovel,

compost and a measuring tape.

After the bed is filled,

mark spaces about a foot apart.

I use straws.

This bed is 8 feet long by 2 feet wide.

I put 16 plants in it.

Oh, I almost forgot...

make sure you are working under the supervision

of  an experienced field worker.

Here is a clump of strawberries that I dug up. Lets see what we can do with them.

You'll  notice that there are lots of leaves- some of them looking pretty ratty- 

and also some grass. 

And here are the leaves that were trimmed off.

Which leaves need to be removed? All the old ones that look like this.

And also remove any little flower buds that you see. I know that part is hard to do.

You can almost taste those juicy berries.

You need to be strong.

The plants need to put all their energy into growing healthy roots.

The sooner they have a good root system,

the sooner they will be able to produce
lots of luscious fruit for you

Here is our clump, all cleaned up and almost ready to divide.

(That grass looks so artistic.)

Dividing them will be much easier to do if we can see the roots.

This is where your bucket comes in.

Soak the plants in several inches of water until the dirt becomes mud

and it can be gently and easily removed from the roots.

Ahhh, much better. And look at those roots.

Now we can see where two separate plants will come from.
 You have some options at this point.
You can gently try to wiggle the plants apart;
or if they are hugging each other too tight,
 you will have to use a knife to cut them apart.

Here is one of our soon-to-be

 planted strawberry plants

Okay, now it's time to play in the dirt.

Dig a hole about 4 inches deep.

About.

Don't worry if it's not exact.

We'll fill it back up.

With beautiful compost.

(This compost is compliments of my chickens.)

If you aren't lucky enough to have chickens to make your compost

you can just buy some at the store.

Don't fill the hole completely up. leave about an inch or two.

Now make a hole in the middle of the compost with your finger.

Big enough for the roots of the berry plant

Spread out the roots out and then fill the hole the rest of the way to the top

with compost. Tamp the soil /compost with your hand until it's firm.

Strawberries are very particular about how they are planted.

The crown of the plant needs to be above the soil, not below it.

(The crown of the plant is where the roots stop and the leaves begin.)

To save time, you can dig several holes, then fill them all with the compost.

Now plant your little baby berry plants.

Do it quickly. You don't want any of the root hairs to dry out.

Hairy roots are good.

They are what takes up all the water and nutrients that the plants need to live and grow.

We're almost done.

All we have left to do is cover them up

Now wasn't that easy?

I cover up the plants for several reasons.

Berries will ripen earlier under this warm blanket;

It keeps the birds from eating the fruit;

And it keeps the cats from using it as a litter box.

These are large staples are what keeps

the fabric from floating away in the wind.

Oh my gosh. Another box is already done.

See how fast it goes?

And at the end of the day,

 after all the plants are in their new beds,

there is only a little dirt on my hands,

thanks to my surgical -type gloves.

See? Just a few easy steps.

Sweet, juicy strawberries

aren't very far away.

Trust me.

Birthing Babies

I love this time of year.

I love watching my seeds pop up out of the soil. Watching new life begin.

No matter how many Springs I've weathered,

 I'm still surprised by the excitement I feel

when I see that first little baby push it's head
through the earthen blanket that covers it.

And in record time.

 Twelve hours quicker than last year. A day and a half faster than three years ago.

Okay, sometimes they can be overdue.

And then I worry. Did I do something wrong?

Was the seed too old? Did it get too warm? Or too cold?

Too much water? Not enough?

Will I have to replant?

And then I see it, just one wee bit of tender green peeking through.
A promise of life.

  I just love birthing babies.

Quality Control

Today's project was getting last year's pots clean, sanitized and

ready for the baby plants waiting in my greenhouse for a new home.

I'm not too concerned about taking all the dirt off of them. They don't need to look new.

 I just want to knock off the big dirt chunks. This step is mainly to sanitize them.

But, it's a very important step.

Here you can see my quality control supervisor checking them out.

The pots get dunked in a bleach/water solution to kill any bacteria that might be hiding in them.

Ten parts water to one part bleach. Just dip them all the way under the water and then stack them up to dry.

The work is done - lets have some fun!

  We're ready to plant!!



For the Birds

 I put up a new bird feeder.

Is this a fun place to live or what?

I don't mind having to fence off my garden and orchard as long as I can have

scenes like this right outside my windows.

Spring Projects

"Use it up, wear it out,

make it do, or do without."

I can't even begin to count how many times I heard this phrase while growing up.

  A child of parents who learned this the hard way during the Great Depression.

I guess that's why I still feel it's wasteful not to scrape the last bit of peanut butter out of the jar or find a recipe to use up all the stale bread left in the bag before opening up a new loaf.

And so I  hold on to things. Not hoard, just hold on to.

Like this pile of aggregate concrete from our old front porch and sidewalk.

Not useful or beautiful right now, but it has such possibilities...

Raised garden beds?  An abstract water feature?  Mulch?

Pile of rocks for the grandchildren to play on?

Yard art?

Roger's really hoping that I decide on something soon.

I'm just having fun enjoying the possibilities.

From Couch to 5k running program

I think that really should be "From Couch Potato to 5k".  wow.  3.11 miles.

(Okay, I didn't really know that, I had to look it up.)

 I have never run that far in my whole life, all at one time, with no walking breaks.

 And it says I can be ready in 8 weeks. wow. 

My new treadmill is beckoning.  A new adventure is calling. Thanks, Kari

Country's Best

As far as I'm concerned, country living brings out the best in people.

Take for example - and you understand that this is only hypothetical - two little boys. Inside the house you might hear, "thats' mine, you'd better leave it alone!", or maybe, "stop looking at me!", followed by a loud thud and some footsteps on their way down the stairs to tattle. Then it's, "Okay, that a time out for you!"

But, get them in the great outdoors and everything changes.

Antagonist becomes ally, foe becomes friend.

Those who previously were at odds are now companions and comrades,

 holding hands as they walk through the deep woods, ready to fight to the death anyone or anything who might threaten their union. Even that loud growling they hear somewhere out in the trees is no match for their

combined courage.

Yes, indeed, after a walk outdoors,
soaking in the mist and splashing in mud puddles,

Grandma becomes a much nicer person.
I promise to share now and it's okay if they look at me.
I still might give myself a time out, though. I kinda like those.

Rainy Day Blues

What to do, what to do, on a cold, rainy day, when what I really I want to do is work in my garden? It's time to plant tomatoes! So, I put on my boots, tromped through the mud, out to the greenhouse, grabbed a bag of sterilized pots, seed starting mix and my planting trays; stopped by the chicken coop/garden shed and pulled out the heating mats; and then back into the warm house to sort through my seeds from last season to find the tomato varieties that I want to plant this year.

I know, I know...they're not freshly packed for the 2011 growing season. Yes, I do keep and use my seeds from years past, but only 3 years at most. The germination rate might not be as high, but I just plant them a little thicker. Must be my upbringing, but I just can't bring myself to throw them away. I'll  still buy some new seeds, too. I like to try at least one new variety a year.

This year the chosen few are from Territorial Seeds. (http://www.territorialseed.com/). I want some tomatoes to eat fresh and I want them as early as possible, so for that I've chosen :

Oregon Spring - it's called an "extra early" because it can be planted outside a full month before the last frost.

Siletz - supposed to come in about a week before Oregon Spring. These two are called "parthenocarpic". That means "virgin fruit". The plants will form fruit without pollination. These first tomatoes won't have any seeds, at least until the bees enter the picture. (plan for the worst, hope for the best!)

Early Girl -a wonderful variety that produces well, especially if we have a cool summer, like last year's "summer-that-never-was". They will start producing even when the weather is still too cool for most other tomatoes.  I'll give them a good start and set them out maybe middle of April, surrounded by Wall-o-Water's.

I'm also running low on canned tomatoes for soups, stews, chili, and sauces, so that means I need a good mix to put into my jars next summer. So, in addition to the above,  I'll plant:

 Heinz 2653 -  a Roma-type. Not sure how it will taste, I only got a few last year. The catalog says it has a "workhorse-ability to mature loads of fruit all at the same time". I have high hopes for this one. Maybe it was the name that sold me.

Big Beef- mmmm. BLT sandwiches...and maybe some left over for canning.

And the new addition will be (drum roll, please)

Momotaro - supposed to be one of the most popular in Japan, named after a hero in Japanese folklore. Territorial describes the flavor as "an intricate and harmonious combination of sweet and tangy." Good enough for me. A little culture in the garden will be an enriching experience. And maybe the gophers won't like it. I can always hope.

6 dozen plants should be enough: 2 dozen for me, 2 dozen to donate and 2 dozen for the gophers.Yup, that should just about do it.

Turkeys on Parade

We passed these handsome fellows on our way down the hill, while going into town today. The toms haven't been around here for awhile. We see the hens on a different hillside almost every day. These guys were preening and strutting their stuff, practicing for the day when they will meet up with the girls. We rolled the windows down and Nathan, one of our grandsons started calling to them from the backseat. The turkeys started gobbling back and really talking turkey. We couldn't tell if they thought Nathan was their competition or just one of them. Either way, we told Nathan, that meant he was a turkey.

Cold Weather Coming

Drained hoses, put faucet covers back on, checked foundation vent covers. Supposed to get down below 20 degrees by tomorrow night. The cats have already found a warm spot in the coop. One of the hens is in isolation - an old dog kennel filled with straw. She broke her foot a couple of weeks ago and can't manage to get up into the coop. She's getting better daily, but I'm concerned about how she'd fare in this cold snap. I'll probably carry her into the coop tomorrow night so she can get under the heat lamp at night.

I walked down the hill this afternoon to watch a Northern Flicker feeding. Such a beautiful bird. Gray-Black with a brown cap and red mustache, reddish orange under the wings and tail. It's the only woodpecker that feeds off the ground, preferring ant and beetles. Birds of Oregon field guide says it produces antacid saliva to neutralize the acidic defense of ants. It had better eat fast. I can see the storm clouds coming in across the valley. Snow won't be far behind.

An Early Spring?

Predictions on Groundhog day were for an early Spring. Here in Northwest Oregon we had some nice warm (over 60 degree) days in January. So when Punxatawney Phil forecasted more of the same, I was excited! Out came my seed catalogues, garden journal, seed planting trays, heat mats...An early start will make up for the summer that never came last year.

This year I'll put in lots more flowers to attract the bees, another Montmorency pie cherry tree (mmm, I can almost taste the cherry pie jam), maybe another row of raspberries, more rhubarb, a couple of extra rows of veggies for the local Food Bank. And since the weather is so mild, I can put my spinach, beets, sugar snap peas, lettuce and carrots in now.

Wait...is that really snow coming down? We hardly ever get snow, especially at the end of February. Good thing I cleaned out the chicken coop yesterday, because it looks like the girls will be spending a few days indoors under the heat lamps. And probably the cats, too.