Culture: Page 265

Are We Getting Warmer?

Planting for a disrupted climate

Gardening

The numbers are in, says The New York Times: 2012 was the hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous U.S. 2012 also turned out to be the second-worst on record for climate extremes, amassing 11 weather disasters that exceeded $1 billion in costs, including tornadoes, freak storms, floods and catastrophic drought. Globally, the decade from 2000 to 2010 was the warmest on record. Nobody who is under 28 has lived through a month of global temperatures that fell below the 20th century average, because the last such month was February 1985. Welcome to a warmer world.  Continue reading →

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Culture

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” These are the iconic words of Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights champion who our nation celebrates every January. Though, tragically, Dr. King was gunned down on April 4, 1968, the words of his legendary “I Have A Dream” speech have lived on to become some of the most memorable — and powerful — words ever uttered on a public stage. Continue reading →

It’s About Time – January 2013

About Time

Migration is the word for this month. The ponds and reservoirs in the valley are teeming with winter residents. Nothing makes having nice binoculars pay off more than feasting the eyes on the intricate patterns of a male green winged teal, shovelhead or bufflehead. I never get over the flash of amazement at how quickly a bufflehead can spin over and disappear under the water on a dive. Similarly startling is a cormorant suddenly coming up like a submarine periscope breaking a glassy surface. Continue reading →

Turn That Gown Upside Down

Upcycling bridesmaids dresses

Culture

A good friend calls late at night, breathless with exciting news: “He proposed!” she exclaims. And whether you whoop with joy or nervously gulp chardonnay like Kristen Wiig’s character in the wildly funny movie Bridesmaids, one thing’s for certain: You’ll soon be making room in the closet for a dress you most likely have no control over picking out. In addition to letting it gather dust or letting it gather dust at Goodwill, there’s another option: the upcycle. Continue reading →

Ornamental Natives

Some of the best native plants for our climate

Gardening

Studies show that native plants attract a wider variety of pollinating insects than standard garden ornamentals do, and pollinators need all the help they can get these days. That’s just one more reason to include native plants in your landscape. This top 10 list of showy, well-behaved native shrubs reaches a bit beyond the boundaries of the Willamette Valley, but all will tolerate conventional garden conditions, including summer irrigation. Vine maple (Acer circinatum) Continue reading →