Heading into spring

Sunny, warm February. Idaho can kiss my butt ;) No offense to my Idahoan readers of course…

I already need to mow the lawn and flowers are blooming!

Trying to find time to think about the garden. Being a single full time student while being self employed with 4 homeschooled kids is kicking my rear end. Whodathunk?

Anyway, I think a few containers might work better than the big garden this year. Serious scaling down from the first year! Containers of Eatin’ doesn’t have the same effect though ;)

This nasty thing called “winter”

It’s here, complete with snow. Thrill huh? I know, I know, the tiny bit we got today is nothing compared to what the plains have been hammered with but it still sucks! Stay warm!

OSU Master Gardener Program

I got this email and am passing it on to you! Don’t miss out!

Fall Greetings from Oregon State University!

You are receiving this email because you are on our Master Gardener™ Online mailing list. We are pleased to announce that registration is now open for our January 2010 Master Gardener™ Online basic training course. This popular online class is capped at 35 students (for each of the options below), and has historically filled within the first two weeks of registration. To ensure your spot, register online now and pay in full by December 16.

Note: For past and current Master Gardener™ Online students, please forward this email on to a friend or colleague who might be interested.

The winter course runs January 11 – April 12, 2010, and includes two options:

1. Option 1 (No volunteer hours): Earn your Certificate of Home Horticulture by taking the Master Gardener™ Online basic training course. This option costs $490. Submit your online Option 1 Registration Form now. We must also receive payment from you in order to be considered registered in the class.
2. Option 2 (Volunteer option): Earn your Master Gardener™ badge by taking the Master Gardener™ Online basic training course in addition to completing volunteer hours. Volunteer hours must take place in participating Oregon counties. This option costs $390 and requires submitting an online Option 2 Volunteer Application Form and receiving acceptance into the program. Volunteer applications are due by November 9. Accepted participants will be notified by November 30 and then directed to an online registration form.

For more information on the options above, and the Master Gardener™ Online program, visit our website. For questions, please contact OSU Extended Campus at 800-235-6559 or email ecampus@oregonstate.edu.

Sincerely,
Extended Campus Student Services

Snow already

Not here in the Willamette Valley of course (I’d be headed to Mexico ala “Day After Tomorrow”), but Timerbline Lodge saw some already. Granted they’re way up in the Cascades, but I’m still saying a mournful goodbye to summer. Ah well. When I remind myself that winter here can barely be called winter (save for when we get wicked ice storms like last year), it’s not so bad – just glad to NOT be in Ida-hell! Also, autumn here lasts so much longer. Autumn in Idaho lasts like 3 days – the trees go from green to bare almost overnight.

Still, snow already? Blech.

Cape Meares

In all our trips to the coast, we always went straight over from Salem to Lincoln City, then south. With 4 very loud hyper kids in tow, you go with what you know, know what I mean? Just as we got about 6 miles outside Lincoln City today, traffic slowed to a stop, maxing out at 5mph – it took us 30 minutes to go a little over a mile. We saw the turn off to go North and went for it.

Much whining from the kids “are we there yet?” and we found ourselves at Cape Meares, surrounded by gorgeous trees and thick fog.

View Larger Map

We went and saw the lighthouse (already closed, so just the outside)….

and the “Octopus Tree”…

Then came back and ate a quick dinner (already packed in the cooler) while watching the fog roll over the trees

Then drove down to Lincoln City, but it had gotten cloudy, windy and very cool (completely opposite what the weather report said of course) so we headed back and visited the park in Van Duzen area that the kids love and came home.

This was our welcome home, just outside Monmouth

I do love Oregon.

And I have more cherry tomatoes and cucumbers ripe!

Excuse me while I move to Antarctica

This is what I get for picking on Double Danger and their weather in Texas.

I’m sorry, I’ll be good from now on! Just give us back our PNW weather please, pretty please??

It’s 75 outside, 84 inside. 4 fans running. I cannot sleep. Yes, I think we’ll dust off that a/c window unit tomorrow.

I hope everyone else is faring better then I am LOL!