Day After Thanksgiving Snow!

Matt and I enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with our friends at John and Connie's home. It was a relaxing evening and we enjoyed the food. Matt and I made pumpkin and apple pie and Matt made rolls. That evening it began to snow - just enough to make things white.

Today, Matt and I got up and did some animal cage cleaning chores. Before we left, I noticed the birds out at my feeder were lining up on the crabapple tree, which is still sporting its red fruit. I took a few quick pics. The house finches with their red breasts look beautiful! It was hard to focus the camera with the window in the way though....



We left home to get the tree around 12:00, and noticed that although it wasn't sticking, there were some pretty big flakes coming down. By the time we got the tree it was snowing big old flakes and it looked like a Currier and Ives postcard! What fun! We managed to get the tree up on the truck and got it home in safety. Will post pics of the decorating etc. tomorrow!

The Joys of Teaching

So far in my teaching endeavors, I have learned what I thought I already knew - I really like teenagers. They crack me up. They usually have a great sense of humor, they can be VERY honest, and they thrive when challenged. So far, I have been in a high school biology classroom for two periods three times a week for the last five weeks. During that time, I have been able to teach four lessons, and have been on hand to answer questions (and direct traffic - an Anne specialty :>) during labs and individual work time. I am learning a lot of things from my cooperating teacher (the H.S. teacher whose classroom I spend time in), and have also learned a lot from my ed classes. To be honest, more than I anticipated I would.

Many of my classes have focused on inquiry methods which essentially consist of presenting students with a problem and allowing them to figure things out. The instructor provides directed-guiding questions when students are stuck or on the wrong track. This technique is usually applied to "lab type" activities. Although I would have hated them during high school...they really do require a higher level of thinking, and when mixed with other types of instruction, can really raise the level of students' confidence and ability to solve problems.

My schedule is a little crazy, but at least I stay busy which keeps me from feeling sorry for myself with Matt away. In addition to my full load of classes and 6 hours of high school class time a week, I am also teaching lab twice a week at EWU for a biology 101 class. It has been a good experience, and I have "remembered" a lot! It really is amazing how much you think you understand, but have difficulty applying until you teach it yourself! It has been good review.

I recently was made aware that I qualified for a second degree, Bachelors of Art in Education, instead of just earning my professional certification. So today I applied for graduation! Having an ed degree accompanied by a degree in my area of expertise should make me much more marketable as a teacher, as will my additional endorsements in general science and chemistry that I will also have earned.

So, I guess in a nutshell, I am having fun amidst the craziness! I love reading everyone's blogs (check them between classes!) Keep up the posts.

Wreath Making Activity

This Saturday I was asked to do a wreath-making class for Relief Society (a women's church group). I decided to take some pictures of the process, and post the final results! Everyone did very well, and we had lots of fun.

Supplies you will need (aside from fir boughs):
wire cutters, floral wire of medium gauge, a bow (or ribbon and pick to make a bow), a wire hanger, a pair of pliers, and some malleable organic material to "fatten" up your hanger (I have used scotch broom, weeping willow branches, and this time, poplar branches).

First, you need to find some fir boughs (not pine, not hemlock, and not spruce). (If you don't know a pine from a fir, find someone knowledgeable, or find a identification book). I usually get a Christmas tree about 1 foot taller than I need and cut off the bottom six branches. I then make 6-8 inch cuttings off of each branch which turns out to be enough for a wreath.


Next, I get a wire hanger (heavier gauge, preferably with a rubber coating), and then use pliers to form it into a round shape.


This is what it should look like when you are done:


Next, I wrap the malleable material around the hanger to give it a diameter between 1/2 and 3/4 inch. In this instance, I used poplar branches:


Next I take one or two boughs (if thin, I use two and offset them to make the "packet" seem fuller) and place them on the wreath. I like to plan where the bow is going to go, and place the packet on the wreath with the stems pointing in a clockwise direction just an inch or so after (in reference to clockwise) where I want the bow. Then I twist the end of the wire on itself after going around the bough once. After that, I wrap tightly three times.

The first packet should be in the direction of the wreath (in the same direction as a tangent line). The next should be placed about 1 inch farther along (in the clockwise direction) and the tip should be about 1-2 inches to the left (or middle) of the wreath. The third should be placed with the tip about 1-2 inches to the right (or outside). This pattern should be repeated until the circle is completed.


To add decorations, space them evenly (and in odd numbers) on packets in the direction of the wreath and wire them on along with the packet.


Final product:


There were the ladies and their wreaths that took my class:

The Side Yard Saga

For those of you unfamiliar with the details of the side yard...let's just say the landscaping was not "straight forward". Essentially, there were more rocks (big!) than clay, and the clay was as hard as the rocks. Additionally, drainage was a real issue. There was supposed to be a swale, but the builders didn't grade the property correctly, so we not only had to dig an underground drain (with perf pipe and gravel), but had to make it deep because the vents on the foundation have to have the ground at least two inches below them to be up to code. Anyway...it was a pain. Still not finished, but for those who saw it before grass...I think you'll agree that this is a great improvement! I got fifteen rolls of sod this morning and laid the last bit to connect the grass to the backyard that was already done. Feels good!

From the gate:

From the backyard:


Where the dirt pile was:

Candy's Cobbler

Well, after reading Candy's blog, I decided to use the cans of fruit (peach and blackberry) that I had bought for a dutch oven recipe (and had never gotten to), to make her cobbler! Turned out yummy, but too big for one person!

"Sillies"

As Megan used to say...

I have been outside all morning working on the lawn and decided to come in and surf the web for cool birding blogs/pictures. I came upon this and had to add it to my blog. Aren't the differences in bird plumage amazing! It is really a testament to their ability to inhabit specific ecological niches.

Backyard Blues

We are still spending most of our time finishing the yard. We have to dig many ditches to drain the property (we are lowest of all of subdivision), then fill them with gravel, followed by topping with dirt, and then laying grass. It all takes a while. On the bright side - the back-back yard is done!! Yeah! The side yard is in progress and will hopefully get done by Friday evening so that Matt can rest Saturday before he travels to Salem on Sunday. Will post pics soon.

New Job!

After interviewing with several companies, Matt has decided to accept a position at ClearEdge Power, a fuel cell company in Hillsboro. Matt will be staying with my parents to reduce costs until I finish school and we sell the house here. We are not looking forward to living separately, but are excited that Matt was able to find a job that will allow him to continue working in an area that he really enjoys. Matt will start on September 15, so we have three weeks to finish the back/side yard, and to arrange all of our storage so that I can find things when I need them. School starts near the end of September for me, and I am looking forward to finishing my student teaching. We plan to spend a lot of time on the phone or iChatting so I can tell Matt how things go.

We are really looking forward to living on the west side. Finally. After 11 years. Uncle Chris was right (my mom's brother), when he said we would eventually find a way to get out here, that it would just take some time. We will miss our friends in Spokane, and the gorgeous country around us, but at least now we can convince them to visit on vacation so we can show them around the prettiest part of the PNW.

Matt's Dad's Weekend Visit

Matt's dad came to visit this weekend after attending a conference in Vancouver, WA. We enjoyed showing him around Greenbluff (our farming community), playing Settlers of Catan, buying a new fish for the saltwater tank (a yellow watchman goby), and just relaxing.

Current View of the Yard

We have been spending a lot of time working on our backyard. When we moved in it was tall weeds (about 4 feet), thick, in hard clay with lots of large rocks. Because of the rocks, Matt had to weed everything by hand. We managed to lay sod, plant border plants, and put in wood borders and mulch in the main part of the backyard before summer ended last year. We didn't take any real before pictures, but this is what the yard looks like now (the grass has been cut and pasted - hence the photoshopped look...)



The side yard is a work in progress and includeds blackberries (transplanted from the coast) and raspberries. The grass is just "hanging out" until it finds its final resting place.



Some of our favorite trees





Herb and flower wine barrels also in the side yard.





In the front yard, we added plants to the gravel area that was provided with the front yard before we moved in, and added rocks to make a rock garden.

Life Bird 239

While staying at Mom and Dad's we took a short trip out to Ankeny Hill Wildlife Refuge. We started at the main pavilion where you are only about 20 feet from the closest birds. Interestingly, I have seen a couple of life birds there - always standing out on the closest island bank, looking right at me. This time was no different! Mom asked what the "chunky bird on the bank" was, and after I got the binocs on it, I happy recognized the elusive sora that has been on my "get" list forever! I had to take a quick look in Sibley to be sure, because it did not have the characteristic mask I anticipated, but after consulting the guide, the field marks clearly matched a juvenile.



(Image of juvenile from google).

Yipee!! I am on the way to 250...and hopefully 300 by the end of the year. (Which may require another pelagic trip. Anyone interested in going out of Newports harbor for a 7-10 hour boat ride in September/October - let me know. Don't worry about being seasick - I have great tips for getting vomit out of gortex :> and it really isn't a truly rewarding experience unless you suffer during it...right???)

Opal Creek

While visiting Mom and Dad, we decided to take a day trip out the Opal Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Santiam.

First we stopped at an old family swimming hole, and let Tills have some off-leash time (because no one else was there!!).











The trail to Opal Creek started out on a two mile gravel road. Parts of the road were supported by half-bridges of old timbers, and we even came upon an old mine shaft.







After we crossed the bridge, we came to the actual trail. We ended up hiking first to Opal pool, then to the mining town, and then back to the trail head. The entire trail was about nine miles, and by mile eight, mom and my feet were pretty sore. Fortunately, someone from the mining town was driving out and gave a lift for the last mile!

Matt filming at the trailhead



Opal Creek was VERY clear, and the blue, green and turquoise rocks were beautiful.









An old steam donkey used to log





Matt hanging out over a 20 foot ledge to film a guy jumping into opal pool!!

Tillamook County Fair

While staying at Gram's after the reunion, we all decided to go to the fair on opening day. As always, it is fun to watch the 4H kids showing their animals.

We saw people showing rabbits,



Pigs,



and Cows.



We also enjoyed looking at the sheep,



goats (a family favorite),













and pigs.







We all enjoyed the flower displays.

Flower arrangments





Gladiolas



Roses





Lilacs



Dahlias



Other flowers



Before we left, Elyse (my cousin Pat's daughter) and Matt decided they needed to do battle on the bumper cars. They both seemed to have a REALLY good time! (Note the concentration and evil looks of glee...)