I’m a Featured Local Blog on Washoe Valley’s Website! Very Cool!

How cool is that? I was just checking my blogstats when I saw WASHOE VALLEY WEBSITE as a referrer so I clicked it on to see what it was. I didn’t know Washoe Valley had their own website!

Washoe Valley. Taken from south end of lake looking NW towards Slide Mountain. 7/2006.

I loved living in Washoe Valley. We moved up to Northern Nevada from Southern California after my dad retired from LAPD. He wanted us far far away from there…Bozeman, Montana actually. But mom put her foot down and they compromized and bought a house on Partridge Lane, Washoe Valley, Nevada. (I think there is a goat farm at our old house now) So in July of 1980 we moved to Washoe Valley. Thus started the longest damn bus rides to Wooster High School…first on the bus and the last to get off. Ugh. ROFL! Kids have it made today…Galena High is much closer.

My sister and I joined 4-H ~ sewing, pigs, dogs, photography, cooking, ceramics…my favorite being in the Swinging Swine pig club. We were the East Side kids…there was another pig group over there on the West Side. I loved my photography group too. I was good enough to join Wooster’s Yearbook staff. We had four pigs, two mallards, three chickens, two white geese (one later became Thanksgiving dinner after goosing mom one too many times), three Springer Spaniels, one cat.

Swam at Washoe Lake, Bower’s Mansion and Jumbo pond. Ice skated at Little Washoe, Davis Creek. Hiked, rode horses and 4-wheeled up Jumbo Grade to Virginia City. I still have a bucket full of square nails that I found along the water flume that went from Virginia City to Washoe Lake area. 4-wheeled in our 2 wheel Datsun pickup among the sage brush between Ormsby Lane and the lake. It was amazing where us teenage girls could get that little truck into. LOL! Attended Bower’s Mansion Bluegrass Festival (started up right after I graduated from high school). Kruse’s Feed & Hardware store…loved that place. I wonder if they still hold the spaghetti feed and dance every year out back of the store…pretty sure it was a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department.

Washoe Valley, south end of lake looking north. 7/2006.

Pelican (my favorite birdie) on Washoe Lake, south end. 7/2006.

Fishing at Davis Creek Park. 2007

Hannah’s fish from Davis Creek Park. 2007

We lived there when Slide Mountain came down. I had just retreived my sister and her friend from swimming at Bowers when it came a rumbling down the mountain. Lived there when a fire burned most of the west side (List Ranch & Little Valley area). Luckily we moved out just before the flood came and washed out Jumbo pond…as that came down and wiped out the whole of our front yard.

I still think the best part of living out there was just the smell. I loved the cool crisp mornings ~ the smell of the sage brush and earth after a rain. I pray that Reno doesn’t get their hands on Washoe Valley like they have been every other place. Would hate to see the valley over-built.

Copper Jewelry and Lap Quilts

In between building my raised garden bed (soon those veggies will be growing!) I’m working on a couple of lap quilts for Odyssey Healthcare in Gulfport, MS and playing with copper wire for myself.

Sitting on the floor last night while watching one of my favorites on the Food Network channel, Guy Fieri’s Diners Drive-in’s & Dives, I played with my copper wire again. Made two round necklace pendants (ok…so one is not so round) with beads and wire wrapped. Hammered them. And placed one in a container with Liver of Sulphur (LOS)…ahhhh…that took me back to my geology lab days! ROFL! I love the smell sulphur in the evening! Kept the one piece in the LOS for about one hour and then peeked in…had gun metal grey, brown and reds…so I took it out. Pretty cool looking. I’m wearing it today.

Here is the other one ~ with out the “antique” oxidizing. It’s too big for my liking. 1-3/8″ across. Think I’ll try it again in the size of a quarter.

My friend Belinda was approached by Odyssey Hospice for volunteer help and she rallied all of her online friends to help…I volunteered to make a few lap quilts. I have to go get some cotten batting for these, discovered all I had on hand was for my husband’s Underground Railroad quilt. So many unfinished projects! ACK!

A couple of days ago, I received a request from someone who manages volunteers for a hospice in Mississippi. She was looking for volunteers to sew for her hospice patients and was asking me for resources. I will be sewing for this hospice, Odyssey Healthcare (www.odsyhealth.com ) as well as continuing to sew for Mission of Hope (www.missionofhope.org ). I would like to encourage you to sew simple projects for this hospice, or perhaps one like it in your area. Although my dad was never put on hospice care before he died, I had the opportunity to watch the hospice staff as they visited other patients in the nursing home, and I was always impressed with their unique ability to bring smiles to people who were in situations where all they wanted to do was cry. I think that people who are directly involved in hospice work must be very special people indeed.

Anyone who sews, knits, crochets, or quilts can volunteer to donate simple projects. Blankets, pillows, pillowcases, adult bibs, crafts, and quilts are all acceptable. Apparently, there are no restrictions and any donations will be used, with nothing going to waste.

If you should decide to volunteer to sew, knit, quilt, or crochet for this worthy cause, here is the contact information

TClark@odsyhealth.com or 228-297-5976

(I would suggest that initial contact be made via e-mail or phone because there are a few guidelines that must be followed.)

The mailing address is : Tiffany Clark, Manager of Volunteer Services, Odyssey Healthcare, 9414 Three Rivers Road, Suite 3, Gulfport, MS 39503

I hope that some of the readers of this blog will consider sharing sewing, quilting, crocheting, or knitting skills, even if it’s just one time. You might play a small part in making someone’s final sunset just a little bit easier, and after they have passed through that final sunset, the blanket or pillow that you made might bring some comfort to the family left behind. At first, they might see through tears, but eventually, they will be able to look at a project that someone sewed or quilted, and remember happier times with their loved ones. The tears may still come, but with each passing day, it may become just a little bit easier to smile through those tears. Wouldn’t it be a great feeling to know that perhaps by creating just one simple project, you might play a part in bringing a small measure of comfort to someone?

Here are two finished quilt tops ~

Split Rail Fence Quilt Pattern

Raised Garden Bed Box for Backyard ~ Finished! Well…it’s made.

Yesterday after buying a new bed for upstairs I dropped my husband off at Savers and I went to Lowes to shop for the garden lumber. Taking with me the directions from Sunset’s Western Landscaping Book (below) ~

I bought 6 2×12x12 redwood planks and 2 4×4x8 treated fir posts, and one box of 3-1/4″ galvanized nails. Looking back…I should have looked for 2×8x10 or 2×8x12 as now I have LOTS of back-fill to look for! Luckily I have oodles of river rocks and can place at the bottom of the bed and then fill with some dirt then mix in some top soil/manure. Off to Craigslist to see if anyone has any free dirt I can go get.

The finished container is 2×5x12 (2′ high x 5′ wide x 12′ long). I’m thinking I’ll put a wood sealer on the redwood as I opted out of the treated wood. I may staple plastic sheeting along the insides too. Not really sure about that. And Boy-Howdy! If you make the size I did…you’ll want two extra hands on flipping that box over! It was a struggle with the two of us, but we did it.

And ladies…find the roll of duct tape as your husband will probably want to cuss up a blue streak. I about threw my hammer at mine, no patience at all that man! I would have much rather had my mom and sister helping me than my husband. I’m very handy with a saw and hammer…which I don’t think he has gotten used to, even after 13 years of marriage. LOL!

Here are before and after shots of our back area. We’ve finally decided to find some decomposed granite for the the rest of the yard. Got lots of that around Northern Nevada…just back your truck up to any road side cut and filler up!

Soon to be veggies ~ Onions, beans, sugar peas, cucumbers, lettuce ~ red leaf and spinach, radishes, carrots, corn (outside the box next to the wall), garlic, potatoes (I have two tires for them to go into), zucs, tomatos (outside container), pumpkins (actually in front side yard), peppers.

Swarms of Earthquakes in Western Nevada

26 April 2008 Update….had a nice earthquake around 11:40 pm Friday night.  Was downstairs at the time as I was finishing sewing a quilt.  Good rumbler…I think they said it was around a 4.6 - heard the ground moan and pop. 

I grew up in Canyon Country, California…so these wee earthquakes are nothing to write home about, but since we’ve had so MANY of them and friends are emailing and calling, here is the poop:

University of Nevada’s Mackay School of Mines (yes, I still call it that) SEISMO LAB PRESS RELEASE on yesterday’s 24+ earthquakes.

And for a really cool look at all of them in the past few days…USGS’s EARTHQUAKE LIST ~ I love the USGS’s site.

I was dropping some paperwork off at the lower end of campus before the 4.2 earthquake hit…walking down the hallway when the door next to me started rattling. I looked at it and thought “what the hell is wrong with them?”…then passed another door and looked in and saw the water cooler swishing…AHHH! An earthquake. Just kept walking. Got downstairs and there was a group of women standing in the hallway all wide-eyed. I then commented that the hallway, under all of those lights is NOT the place to run out to when there is an earthquake. Under your desk, women.

As stated, I grew up in Southern California (first 14 years of my life)…went through the 1971 San Fernando Earthquake which had a magnitude of 6.5 or 6.6. And I remember screaming (I was almost 5 years old) on the top of my lungs UNDER the maple dinning table (mom still has that table). The aftershocks were big and lots of them.

The point is ~ Nevada is the 3rd most active state for earthquake activity, behind Alaska and California. As a kid we had Earthquake Drills in school. I started high school here in Nevada and thinking back, we didn’t have earthquake drills at all. Just fire drills. Do kids here know what to do if there is one? Obviously the workers in Ross Hall yesterday had no clue…let’s run out into the hallway! Where there are things to fall on top of our heads! What a great idea!

UNR’s Police Department sent out an email to employees yesterday afternoon and I thought it had pretty good sound information ~

According to the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council:

Nevada is the 3rd most seismically active state in the U.S., after Alaska and California.
Western Nevada is in a seismic zone similar to Los Angeles.
We are due for a 6.0 or greater earthquake.

What to Do When the Shaking Begins

DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON!

Take cover under a piece of furniture or against an inside wall. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you’re sure it’s safe to exit. Stay away from windows. In a high-rise building, expect the fire alarms and sprinklers to go off during a quake.

If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.

If you are outdoors, find a clear spot away from buildings, trees, and power lines. Drop to the ground.

If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place (as described above). Stay in the car until the shaking stops.

Other recommendations which are contrary to the DROP, COVER and HOLD ON advice, have been made by individuals with limited expertise and questionable credibility.

Research has shown that most injuries in U.S. earthquakes occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave. Quickly seeking a place of safety, such as under a sturdy table or desk, and moving as short a distance as possible to that place of safety, is recommended based on research.

In the 2003 San Simeon, California, earthquake, two people were crushed by falling debris when they ran from the building. Studies of the 1979 El Centro, 1987 Whittier, 1989 Loma Prieta, and 1994 Northridge earthquakes, as well as mounting evidence from earthquakes outside the United States, confirm this pattern of injuries. DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON reduces the likelihood of serious injury from falling objects.

After the Shaking Stops

Be prepared for aftershocks which can occur in the first hours, days, weeks or even months after the quake.

Help injured or trapped persons.

Check your home or building for damage. Leave the area if you smell gas or chemical fumes.

Josh Gates of Destination: Truth ~ NECKLACE ID HELP!

Ok…this is driving me crazy ~ I’ve been trying to get a good look at that dang necklace of Josh’s! Other than stalking the man (which still is a possibility…he’s a damn good looking man! ~ although my husband may not like it) so I can get up close and personal, I can’t figure out what exactly it is!

Googling doesn’t help, going onto his website hasn’t helped. Any ideas folks? Anyone have a close up of it? Is it a compass arrow? I’m guessing it’s a compass of some sort. I’d like to make one in copper or silver.

Leo, The Devil’s Cabana Boy and Max, Mama’s Bubba-boo

It’s time to meet the boys ~ we have two cats…with totally two differrent personalities. 

We’ve had Max since he was a kitten, picked him out of a litter in Mogul (between Reno and Verdi). His mom was a Ragdoll and his dad was the neighbor’s Russian Blue…they weren’t supposed to get together! But glad they did. Max is 13 years old now. Cranky…hates Leo. Tolerates my husband. Loves me. LOL! He was a perfectly adjusted guy that loved to drown his stuffed dino in the water dish, fetch his dino if we threw him, sleep on your head, and sounded like one of those large percolator coffee pots when he purred. He has long soft grey fur lined with silver…very handsome when combed. He LOVES to have his belly rubbed…will plop down in front of you and roll onto his back begging for a belly rub.

Then I brought home Leo…

We adopted Leo from a lab tech here in the Med School at UNR. I saw the flyer on the bulletin board for a FREE CAT. She said she adopted him from Petsmart one weekend and said he was over a year old. Took him to the vet and we figured he was under a year…still a kitten and still growing. We’ve had him for 6 years now. He’s a lean, mean 15 pounder now and is pretty pissed that Max is Alpha Male. We call him the Devil’s Cabana Boy as he’s part Bengal and part Terror Tabby. Also Snufflelufagus as I’m pretty sure he was hit or kicked in the head when he was little…his right nasal cavity is closed shut. He wakes us up at 3:30 am wanting to be fed. If I don’t get up he’ll start knocking things off the shelves, walls, nibble on you, snuffle in your ear, rouse Max off my head and make him howl. He is a lovey-dovey. Loves to snuggle, likes to get under the covers at night to sleep (bed hog!) and loves water. Begs to get in the shower. Likes to chase a stick. He has the most wonderful soft fur…like a rabbit’s pelt…and it always smells so good!

Leo trying to open (and succeeding!) the fireplace insert at Grandma’s house that we rented before buying our current house ~

Leo being sweet ~ when he’s sleeping! The second picture is what I used for Sleepy Cat Hollow logo.

Sea Salt Soap, Quilting and Pizza!

SEA SALT SOAP ~

Last month I played hooky and made up a batch of Raspberry Lemonade Sea Salt Soap. I used coarse Dead Sea Salts and fine Pacific Sea Salt in this batch ~ along with colloidal oatmeal. The oils used were Sunflower, Castor, Jojoba, Palm & Coconut. Butters used were Shea, Cocoa and Mango. Then I swirled with ultramarine pink.

Well ~ it’s ready to be used and I put it up on my Etsy shop ~ RASPBERRY LEMONDADE SEA SALT SOAP.

SPLIT RAIL FENCE QUILT ~

Continued working on the Spilt Rail Fence quilt…it’s definitely alotta pink. LOL! Not something I would make for myself…not even sure why I had that material in my stash! Hmmm…wonder if I have fabric gremlins? Trading out my Civil War repos with hot pink?! I get up at 4:30 am now, so I don’t have a lot of time to stay up like I used to. For some odd reason I’m pooped out by 9:30 pm. LOL! It’s going to take a while to finish these quilts, me thinks! Here is what I did last night ~ four 12.5″ blocks then sewn together. I’m using 6 different 2.5″ fabric strips for this quilt.

PIZZA! ~

Ok…even though I’ve lost a lot of weight (63 pounds and more to go!)…I love pizza. And I’m able to indulge myself at BLACK ROCK PIZZA in Sparks, NV. It is THE BEST pizza I’ve ever had. Very original pizzas, and great customer service. Thanks Stephanie and Juan Carlos!

Black Rock is owned by Linda & Dave Winchester and they’re there every day (at least every day we are there…and we go at least once a week). ALL PIZZAS (30+) are thin crust with either Multi Grain or Sweet Italian…I love the multi grain crust. There are many sauces ~ Pesto, Olive Oil/Garlic, BBQ, Spicy Sicilian, Thai, Hot Wing, Ricotta White.

My favorites are the veggie Planet X (Ricotta White Sauce, Fresh Garlic, Spinch, Roma Tomatoes, Asiago Cheese) ~ Wild Wings (Buffalo Sauce, Buffalo Chicken, Celery, Jalapenos, Gorgonzola Cheese) ~ Sage Brush (Olive/Garlic Sauce, Turkey Sausage, Sage, Lemon Juice, Fresh Garlic, Romano cheese) ~ Stone Boy (Pesto Sauce, Basque Chorizo, Roasted Red Peppers, Sun dried tomatoes, red onions, gorgonzola cheese) ~ Carlin Trend (Pesto Sauce, Sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, asiago cheese and sliced almonds) ~ Razorback (BBQ’d smoked pulled pork shoulder and green onions) and the Poker Brown (Thai peanut sauce, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, smoked red onion, green onions, celery, red bell pepper topped with habanero jack cheese and oriental noodles!). I also love the Pale Face (Olive/Garlic sauce, fresh chopped garlic, pine nuts with gorgonzola and provolone cheese)…but I had gallstones and this one made my stones go crazy. Luckily that sucker was pulled last October so now I can eat it again. I’d stay away from this one if you do have gallstones! LOL!

The sandwiches are to die for too! Great salads ~ and I’m in love with the Gorgonzola Dressing. They should market that stuff! Starters are tasty ~ Rattlesteaks (Thin strips of Sirloin Steak, marinated in Buttermilk, Seasoned, cooked crisp, drizzled with Chipotle Sauce) ~ Sawtooth Knobs (Mushrooms filled with ham, fresh garlic, cream cheese, jalapeños, onions; all distinctively flavored in BRP’s smoker) ~ Tumbleweeds (Artichokes tumbled through seasoned breading, served with marinara, ranch, gorgonzola or balsamic vinaigrette).

Made you hungry yet? If you live here in Reno or Sparks ~ there is no excuse why you haven’t given them a try yet. You’ll be hooked on the first visit. If you’re coming into town ~ they are at 2855 N. McCarran Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431.

Blue Oyster Cult & the Rest of the Weekend

Had a pretty good weekend, even if the flipping Washoe Zephyrs tried to blow us off of the road. I really, really, really hate the winds…I don’t mind a breeze…hate the winds, especially those over 40 mph. Grrrrr….

Hit the garage sales and found a few things for $4 total ~ including a 1999 Daisy Longaberger Basket for $1! Also picked up a tube of thin copper sheeting, wooden copper tools, a metal fishing box and a nice size trowel.

GO GO GODZILLA!

My husband was a little bummed that he didn’t get to go to the Van Halen concert that was in town last week…so he asked me to buy tickets for Blue Oyster Cult that was playing at Harrah’s Tahoe on Saturday. For less than the price of one Van Halen ticket I got two for BOC ~ really enjoyed the concert. They played the 3 main songs that the radio stations play (it’s amazing that a band can be 30+ years old and radio stations think that people only want to listen to 3 of their songs)…along with other great songs. Loved Eric Bloom & Buck Dharma…Jules Radino on the drums was a lot of fun to watch ~ he and the bass player (not sure of his name…Eric said he played with Ozzie, Whitesnake and some other band that totally escapes me at the moment) made my heart have an irregular beat a few times, me thinks. LOL! Richie Castellano was pretty good too. Solos were excellent ~ music sounded great, crowd was good mixture of ages. I enjoyed myself.

Taken with my cell phone…so not the best picture.

The ride up to Tahoe was AWFUL! Damn winds…my hands and shoulders were killing me when we finally got up to Harrahs. And they didn’t die down when we drove home! On top of that it started to snow. Oy! I hate springtime in Nevada.

Spent more time out in the front yard planting and digging up plants then planting them elsewhere. Last year I planted two Russian sage near some iris’ ~ they’re getting too big for the area so I dug them up and planted them near the weeping cherry tree. Had a quote of $550 to take out the rest of the junipers in the NE corner of our property. Hmmm…I may tackle some of it myself again. Even though I said never again. (I lied!)

Cut 2-1/2″ strips for a couple of quilts for the Odyssey Healthcare hospice in Gulfport, MS…dug through my fabric stash and found some purples/green/tans for one quilt and hot pinks/pink for another. Will have to dig out some blues too. I’m going to just do a Split Rail type of quilt.

Cut 2-1/2 inch strips ~ color off somewhat.

Finished Blocks ~ true to color. BIG SIGH! Ok guys…Better? :-p

I was in a Spring Exchange with my Crafters’ Cafe Ebay group…received two paintings done by Nana (Betty) ~ I absolutely love thistles.

University of Nevada’s Medical School Canada Geese Goslings

Well…the Howard Medical Building’s new gaggle of Canada Geese are here! Every year a Mama goose lays her eggs on the edge of our second floor balcony. We have four new goslings ~ I took these pictures this morning. Mama only hissed at me once.

Vegetable Gardening in Northern Nevada & How to make a Raised Garden

After just about killing ourselves over those bloody junipers and planting the lilac and weeping cherry, I’ve turned my sights to the back yard and making my raised vegetable beds!

In the very back of Sunset’s WESTERN LANDSCAPING BOOK, pages 404-405, in the Materials and Techniques chapter, there is a section on Building A Raised Bed.

Raising your garden above the ground can solve some of the most frustrating problems gardeners face. An easy-to-build bed makes it possible for plants to thrive where soil is poor, wildlife is hungry, or the growing season is short. And if you need easy access to your plants - due to a disability or simply to eliminate back-bending labor - you can sit on the edge of the bed and garden in comfort.
Fill the bed with the best soil you can. Good soil means that plants can be placed closer together, making a small area more productive. Line the bottom of the bed with wire screening to keep out pests, or fit it with a PVC framework for bird netting.
A raised bed can be any size, but if its more than 4 feet wide it will be difficult to reach the middle from either side. If the sides will double as benches, build the frame 18-24 inches high.

We have a small backyard ~ with a huge front and side yard. So much rearranging of the landscaping to do! OY! Here’s what I have to work with out back ~ The soil that has been turned was going to be sod…but I’ve decided to put pavers there instead. The compacted ground area behind will be where the raised garden bed will go. Behind those rocks is a an area of about two feet wide to the fence…that will be where I plant the corn.

A couple of weeks ago The State of Nevada Employees Council had an Open House at The Joe here on campus and I signed up for a lot of information from the University of Nevada’s Washoe County Cooperation Extension office. I used to be in 4-H out in Washoe Valley…so I knew they were loaded with great information. I highly recommend them for all us in Northern Nevada and the Eastern California area! I posted a link to all of their free publications below.

Here are some of the pamplets I asked for:
Vegetable Varieties For Northern Nevada
A Quick Guide to Composting
Nevada Soils - Worth the Toil
Urban Forestry Tree Planting Practices for Nevada
The All Seeing, All Knowing, Lawn Care Manuel for Northern Nevada
Roses for Reno and the Northern Nevada/Eastern Sierra Area
Spring Planted Bulbs Boast Beautiful Blooms
Hardy, Drought-Tolerant and Moderately Salt-tolerant Shurbs and Vines for Northern Nevada
Seven Ways to Make Your Trees and Shurbs Drought Resistant

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS FOR FREE

The Vegetable Varieties for Northern Nevada is four pages long and gives a list of all veggie varieties that are great for planting here with the planting dates. Great comments on which are better for canning, yields, rust resistance, maturing, indoor growing, storage values, disease resistant, most popluar, etc.

ps: For all of you in the Reno/Sparks area…or those of you who will be in town on May 17th ~ at the Washoe County Extension Office on Mill Street there will be a plant sale that morning.