Fire and Smoke Season. 9.12.2020

The Pacific Northwest is becoming less amenable to the old ways of the temperate, evergreen rainforest, and more inclined to be chaparral.   There is probably no sense in denying that, even if we mourn the lush, beautiful forests and humane climate.  Just as a person goes through stages of life, that can't be reversed, so is this region and much of the planet.  This change should not be news to anyone - as a species, in many cultures, continents, faiths, and economies, humanity has made this choice.  The information has been out there for a generation.  So we need to adapt to what we have created.

The fir trees, spruces, pines, can't survive this dry climate.  They turn into tinder, and burn explosively across the vast forests.  This is also not new, although it's much more extensive now and the effects and dangers are much greater.

I'm all for trying to stop the human contribution to climate change.  I re-purpose, up-cycle, repair, restore, reduce, and try to be thoughtful about my decisions.  I am also realistic regarding the futility of one caring person's effort, like a poppy seed in the cosmos.  I still do it, but I know - the corporations, the populists, the teeming developing mega-nations - they won't change. 

So we also have to thoughtfully adapt.  You really can't intelligently live in a forest fire zone, and have a house nestled among  towering fir trees, no matter how pretty and cozy it is. That will become a spreader event for wildfires.   You can't have evergreen "landscape cushions" up against the house.  Or directly under fir or pine trees (I have a couple like this.  They will be cut down soon).  When it comes time to plant new trees, it's important to look into whether they are potential torches, or possibly fire retardant.  It's also important to evaluate the water needs of what you plant.

There is no perfection.    One can only evolve, be thoughtful, and continue trying.

A list of fire resistant landscape plants.  

I think, in general, conifers are fire promoting.  Some eucalyptus are as will, but I'm not sure about others.  Deciduous trees are less so, although if they have died with leaves on the tree, or under the tree, yes, they will burn too.

A list of fire hazard plants.  This is from Marin, so a little different climate but with similarities to what we are becoming in the Pacific NW.  

A much longer list from Ashland.  Fire resistant plants.

I had the most likely to burn trees removed earlier this year, but I can't tell neighbors what to do.  Theirs are clearly a wildfire risk.  There are a few shrubs to remove if the current wildfires don't come and do it for us.

The view now.  I-phone does not pick up all of the yellow color.  Everything looks jaundiced.  The county health department says, stay inside.  Fortunately we have what we need.  I have a bug-out bag in the car, with emergency supplies, meds, and very few, small sentimental items.

Next Quilting Project. 9.6.2020

I made some curtains for the kitchen and did some clothing repairs. I have the fabic to make a shirt - a dark batik. However, now I think I want to start a quilt. It will be raibow colors, mixed with beach colors (blues and sandy browns), in triangles. First, sewing together the stripes that will be cut into triangles once done. I arranged the strips into the approximate pattern that I want, then rolled them up so they won't get mixed up again.

 I'm not sure that I like buying the pre-selected bundles of strips ("jelly rolls"), sight - unseen. You get what they send. You have to make something that will utilize those strips, since they are already cut 2 1/2 inches wide by (I think) 44 inches long.  I have not calculated the price per yard, but I have a nagging feeling they cost more than buying by the yard.  The advantage is that you get lots of colors and patterns, so maybe don't have to buy as much.

I don't know what this method is called.  It starts with sewing together 10 strips, in the desired order, to make larger squares.  Then trim the squares, pair them facing together at 90 degree angle, sew them together, then cut at 45 degree angles to make 4 new squares, each consisting of two color combinations.  I'll show as I go, which will be slow.

Yellow Four O'Clock. 9.6.2020

This is the same yellow Four O'clock. It just continues blooming and blooming and blooming. It's in a West / Southwest exposure, poor soil, and I have not watered it once this summer. I have been saving seeds from the red Four O'Clock. The plan is to save lots of seeds from this one too. It started blooming a little later, so I image the seeds will ripen later too.

 

Rufus. 9.6.2020

 

Buckwheat For Honeybee Forage. 9.6.2020

 I think the major honeybee forage now is dandelion and queen anne's lace.  About late June or early July, I planted an area of my garden with buckwheat.  I think it was early July.  The seeds germinated quickly, and grew rapidly.  They are now blooming.

From what I read, the buckwheat is a fantastic bee forage.  However, the nectar supply is in the am, so you have to watch then for honeybees.  This morning, the flowers were covered with honeybees.

They are still very active on borage and oregano flowers.  Next year I'll have to plant a lot more borage and oregano, I think.  Also, deer don't eat those.  I remembered that in the past, deer ate the buckwheat plants.

I tried growing buckwheat in 2015.   I don't remember a lot about it, except it looked about the same, and deer ate it all.  This time it's in the fenced garden.

Since buckwheat seems to bloom so quickly from seeds, I planted a second approx 8 foot by 8 foot area with more.  I don't have a lot of room.  That was the potato area.  If I had the ambition, I could clean up another equal or larger area for the same, but there is more firewood to cut.

This photo was in afternoon and using cellphone, so apparently not much nectar.  They are all over the neighboring oregano flowers.

As I understand it, the entire buckwheat plant  is edible by for fowl, so after it stops blooming, I can feed it to the chickens and ducks.  Also, if there is time, we might get "grain", the buckwheat seeds.  That's an off-chance.  I read that buckwheat mobilizes bound phosphorus in the soil and stores it in the plant, so if it is turned over as "green manure", there is more phosphorus available for future plants.  It also crowds out weeds and shades otherwise unused soil.  So, it's all good.