I’m going over Analytics data today, seeing people looking for a lot of things I haven’t posted about, but should.

If you’re looking for community vegetable gardens in Salem, Oregon, start here. I haven’t had a chance to call any of the number on this page, but it’s a place to start. I’ll post more when I get some real information

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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!

Makes me wonder if the weather dudes don’t read my blog and decide to crank it up a notch cause the previous highs weren’t high enough!

Right now, I’d much prefer freezing cold.

Yes, I’m fighting a migraine from it! Fun, fun.

I’m watering at night so the plants get a chance to use the water, watering in this kind of heat will evaporate faster. All we have left are some russets, green beans, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, but they’re doing pretty well considering the abusive mistreatment this weather (*cough*me*cough*) is putting them through.

I don’t get out nearly as much as I should, but we bought a 1 year state parks pass a couple months ago and haven’t used it once. Considering I only need to use it once a month to get my money out of it, I’m trying to do that (trying for every 2 weeks or better actually). One of our closest ones is Silver Falls State Park, we’ve been there many times and the kids love it (3 year old has been asking for a week to go). We went and saw the falls and started on a hike. Not very far into it, my 5 year old got his first ever blister (he insisted on wearing his Iron Man shoes instead of his good walking ones, hopefully lesson learned) and we managed to forget the first aid kit (first time ever and we needed it) so we had to head home instead of going to the swimming hole and playground, but it wasn’t a bad couple hours away from work. I got good enough photos that I could mess around with them in Photoshop anyway!