Meandering on the Way — July 22 to August 3, 2022

Friday, July 22, 2022

M’s birthday! E made him a double chocolate sour cream bundt cake. She’s made it before and M loves it. E herself is less enthusiastic. She likes the chocolate chips that are baked in and also the richness that comes from adding the sour cream. But how, she asks, can anyone even think about a cake that doesn’t have any frosting at all? She ate a little to be polite. We had our friends D and S over to mark the occasion. We hadn’t had a chance to talk to them for a long time. Very nice.  

As for presents, M got just what he wanted. E gave him a refrigerator (!) and M gave himself a solar capable battery pack to run it. These are for his latest project: equipping himself for low rent truck camping. He figures he just needs one or two more things. A little folding or roll-up camp table would be nice. And he may end up getting solar panels to charge the battery pack. But those are down the road a bit. First he has to get a new truck. 

Monday, July 25, 2022

M sold his old truck to Carmax. We are both sorry to see it go. It was cute and tough. But its bed was too short to sleep in. Also, it’s color, alas, was controversial.  

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

We went shopping in Salem today. E went to REI and Macy’s and got some summer cloths on sale. M went to a used car dealer (the horror! the horror!) and bought a new truck. It’s just like his last truck, but one year newer. Features include a more efficient engine, a longer bed, and less red paint. 

Friday, July 29, 2022

Daytime highs have been in the upper nineties all week. We do our plant watering and truck dealing in the early morning. We walk mostly in the evening. 

Saturday, July 30, 2022

We went on a guided butterfly and moth walk today. The event was sponsored by the Luckiamute Watershed Council and took place at a property owned by one the Council board members. What a lovely place! The ranch consists of 240 acres, much of it forested in Douglas fir, western red cedar, hemlock and valley pine. There are two streams and two largish ponds. There are also scattered open areas of various sizes that provide good habitat for butterfly and moth species. The landowners have been working with a lepidopterist and are in the process of creating some additional open spaces so as to create a ‘butterfly corridor’ across one end of the site. 

The owners originally purchased the property as a timber investment, but soon began to appreciate it for its beauty and decided to live there. They built themselves a house with wonderful views and a big fish pond not far away. They also began giving attention to restoring the overall ecosystem of the site. Helped out by a couple of restoration grants, they first removed many acres of Himalayan blackberries and other invasive species and then replanted with natives. Another ongoing process involves the protection and expansion a small area of oak savannah. They believe that the savannah had once been much larger, but had suffered from Douglas fir encroachment that was encouraged by the forestry practices of previous owners.

The butterfly and moth walk started with a group of sixteen or so nature lovers sitting in the shade listening to Dana, an OSU lepidopterist, who gave us a basic introduction to the field. Dana then passed out butterfly nets to those who would have them and Dave, one of the land owners, took us on a walk to a part of the property where butterflies are common. As we started out, several of the group couldn’t wait to get into action and ran off into a field, nets flying. Others held back, thinking quite correctly that the really nice netting spots were a little farther along “You’ll see a lot of those later!” Dana called out to them as the rest of the group continued along the dirt road. 

It was a lovely walk. People who caught things in their nets could take them to Dana to be identified, whereas people who were more interested in flora could ask Dave questions about how the area had been restored and what remained to be done. Everyone, though, sooner or later came round to the idea that Dana was a true master of the butterfly net. He’s a strong man with quick reflexes and thousands of hours of practice. His net moves faster than the eye can see. Whew. 

Sunday, July 31, 2022

J and B came over this evening, along with retired hairdresser and bon vivant C. E made a Pavlova merengue with fresh berries and whipped cream. Our guests brought champagne. Delicious. We also took a turn about the yard to see what was thriving and what was not. We had our last sips of champagne outside on the patio, in the welcome cool of the evening.

Monday, August 1, 2022

M performed emergency surgery in the garden this morning. Last evening our friend B had noticed a trailing plant with white flowers in our newly expanded Hummock #1. Oh dear, said he, that’s bindweed. It turns out that bindweed (Convolvus arvensis) is a very obnoxious invader that is known and feared all over the world. It spreads quickly, strangling other plants as it goes. It is difficult to eradicate since it grows both from seeds and from roots. We don’t know where ours came from, but it was probably from a contaminated bag of mulch or potting soil. M has dug up what we could see, but it had already seeded some. We could be in for a long struggle. Or not.

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

E had a dental appointment this morning and was once again amazed at how pleasant the experience was. It began with the dental chair, so comfortable, so supportive. She felt like a leaf bobbing in the wind. The dentist himself is always so competent and uplifting. It’s true that there were no free cupcakes in the waiting room due to ongoing COVID constraints…but a lot of places have cupcakes. Not many places make you feel better when you leave than when you came in. 

We had K(R) and L over for dinner. E made paella. Yum. For desert the guests brought strawberry pie. They have a connection to a family that has ever-bearing strawberry plants. Pretty tasty. K and L are going to Portugal in October, with travel arrangements being made by their son C. That sounds pretty good. Also of interest, K has a spare solar panel he wouldn’t mind parting with. Ah…. 

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Highs only in the 80’s these days. Much nicer than last week. We hiked up Bald Hill today and when we got back to the car E noticed some bindweed in the parking area. We looked around. Oh no! There’s more of it along there! ‘Hello, 911? There is a plant emergency at Bald Hill Park.’