Warning – Sunken Grade

sunken grade signBefore I moved to Oregon, I had never seen a warning sign saying “sunken grade”. In fact, the first few times I saw one I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.  (Trust me, those grades weren’t very sunken, otherwise I would have figured it out much sooner.)  Even Yahoo Answers doesn’t have the exact right definition of a sunken grade.

A sunken grade is a place where the road literally sunk down, either into some sort of sink hole or because the underlying ground has shifted.  Around here, we call them “blue clay slips”.  It’s where the roadbed has a layer of blue clay under it and when the clay gets waterlogged it turns liquid, and slips … often taking all or part of the road with it.  That’s what we had  ….

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L. Ron Hubbard 100th Birthday Event

L. Ron Hubbard - Eagle Scout

L. Ron Hubbard - Boy Scout

Last week we went to the L. Ron Hubbard 100th birthday event hosted by the Church of Portland.  It was attended by several hundred people – it was great to see old friends.

Much of the event was dedicated to a retrospective look at the life of L. Ron Hubbard, especially the many endeavors and adventures in which he was involved in the earlier years of his life (before founding Dianetics and the Church of Scientology).  I found the event very interesting, which was a little surprising given that I was already familiar with much of the story.

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Coos Curry Small Woodlands Annual Dinner

Recently I attended (and presided over) the Coos Curry Small Woodlands Annual Meeting and Dinner.  We have them every year in February.  It’s a great time to have an evening out and meet up with other small woodland owners, most of whom I see just this one time each year.

Attendees of the CCSWA Dinner

Packed room at the dinner

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Labeling … of People

Name calling.  In grade school it’s a tool of the bullies to make others feel bad.  Even though you can SAY “sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” truth is, words, be it name calling or labeling, CAN hurt. Maybe not physically, like sticks and stones, but personally, emotionally, and spiritually? Certainly.

Labeling people can also have other, more insidious effects. Dealing with a person based on their “label” can result in unfair or prejudicial treatment, which is why it’s not polite (or politically correct) to foist off a label on someone that they don’t want or feel is wrong or incorrect.

Adults can laugh it off or fight back.  When kids are labeled or called names by other kids, adults often intervene to stop it.  But what about when kids are labeled by adults?

This video is very insightful about one aspect of kids being labeled by adults.  It’s easy to see what the short and long-term results might be.

I agree with the final note in the video. Let’s let kids choose their own labels. And adults, too!

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Environmental Balance

Recently I was awoken by our new kitty, George, racing through the bedroom and bathroom.  The pounding of his little feet on the wood and tile floors sounded like a herd of elephants rather than the patter of kitten paws.  On the bed, under the bed, onto the dresser, into the bathroom, back on the bed.  Round and round he went, galumphing with extreme intensity and purpose.

As I lay there, wondering, “What in the world?!?” I heard the angry chitter of a chipmunk (called “timber tigers” around here).  Apparently while we had been fast asleep, George had gone out and caught the little critter, bringing it into the bedroom to play with.  All I wanted, at that point, was for him to kill it and be done with it.

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Humongous Mushrooms

Mushrooms in the barn

Barn Mushrooms (and an egg for comparison)

Went up to the barn recently and found an amazing thing pushing up under the empty grain bags… gigantic mushrooms, 6 of them in a big clump.  They were so strong that they pushed the grain bags aside in the rise from the underworld.

Just to get an idea of the size, I placed an egg from the chickens next to them (and this is an extra-large egg, mind you!).  It gives a feel for the size.  The front mushroom is well over a foot across and the ones behind range from 6 to 10 inches.

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First Snow

First Snow of the Year

First Snow of the Year

Last night we got the first snow of the season. Not much, but enough to stay on the ground for a little while, and it snowed off and on all day.  It’s early this year – I don’t ever remember there being snow in November.  Usually it’s late December or January when we get the first snow, and many years there’s no snow at all.

It’s supposed to get very cold tonight and tomorrow – down below freezing, which is fairly unusual around here.  I hope this isn’t a sign that and extraordinarily cold winter is coming.

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Culvert Inspection

Today was the day for inspecting the culverts that were recently installed on the Barn Road. I went with Coven, my 4-year-old grandson and Tom Purvis, from the local office of the NRCS (National Resource Conservation Service, part of the USDA).

Cove Inspecting a Culvert

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Labeling Workshop – Feb 5, 2011

The Nova StudioIt’s just been finalized that I will be doing a Labeling Workshop at The Nova Studio in Point Richmond, California on February 5, 2011.  Actually, two sessions are planned (one for the morning and one for the afternoon), depending on how many people sign up.

The 4-hour class will cover the following:

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Ground Burning the Oak Savannah

It’s not often that one gets the opportunity to set fire to 25 acres of grass, brush and slash, but that’s what we got to do yesterday.  “Why?” you might ask.  Well …

An Oak Savannah is an area that typically has about 20 – 30 mature oaks per acre, with grass underneath.  Untouched by humans, they generally burn every several years, reducing the grasses, encroaching evergreens and brush.  The grass grows back, giving good cover and providing food sources for the wildlife.  Once people enter the scene, the natural burns are reduced allowing the brush and evergreens to grow up, gradually crowding and ultimately destroying the oaks (and the habitat they provide).  Oak Savannahs are also lost due to urban development or conversion to forestland.

Oak Savannah

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