ACTIVITY REPORTS

 

 

 FIRE AND FOREST CLOSURE

 

A week ago yesterday what has been named the Pipeline Fire was reported in the very same area as the Tunnel Fire a few weeks ago.   A Type 1 Team with 751 personnel and plenty of equipment is still on scene of the now 26,500 acre fire.  NOAA is predicting early monsoon weather starting tomorrow night for the rest of the week.  That will surely help.  In the meantime, some residents are still evacuated and partial closures of the forest are in effect.  We can't walk our dogs in the forest by our house.  We can walk them in Kachina Village at a couple of acceptable places, as well as drive short distances to walk them in the forest that's open. 

 

SUMMER RUNNING SERIES

 

Run 4 was on Mormon Lake Road.  If you look VERY closely, you can see water in the distance.

 

Run 5 was through Mormon Lake Village and beyond.

Run 6 was on Lake Mary Road.  This is the longest and last hill of the Series.

 I'm happy to report that the forest is still open in the area I'm doing this Running Series!  

TINY BEAR HIKE

 

 

 

 

Jasmine was hot and panting from chasing ground squirrels.  Or is she licking her chops after having caught and disposed of one???

  

A NEWS SUMMER ACTIVITY: MICROGREENS

 

This is what microgreens could look like. 

Microgreens are a trendy food item.  I saw them in a recipe, read up about them, and decided to try growing some in the deck box Ron built for me several years ago.   The name is also trendy.  All they are is sprouted seeds.  The difference between seeds sprouted by rinsing them with water and microgreens is soil.  Microgreens are planted.  Both sprouts and microgreens are super high in nutritional value, though one doesn't eat enough of them at a time to make more than a microdifference.

There are choices for seeds.  One can buy a single seed, say arugula, beets, kale, or radishes.   If one wants a mix, the seeds have to have the same germination time-table.   Pre-mixed seeds are available, where someone knowledgeable figures that out for you.  I shopped a bit on-line, and wasn't sure I wanted 1#/$20 worth of seeds out of the gate. I found some packages at Home Depot, and bought two. 

Planted and watered.

I wasn't sure how many to plant at a time. They're a one-off.  When they get a couple inches high, you cut them off with scissors, eat them, and re-plant.  To continue having greens, you have to continue to plant.  I planted half this box, and will plant the other half in another week or so.

This is 8 days after planting.  Either the germination rate isn't good, or I severely underestimated the quantity of seeds I needed to plant, or I haven't waited long enough.  I think it's a combination of the last two. I also think I'll be buying that 1#/$20 bag of seed sooner than later. 

  

                                                         I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.

                                                                                                        --Susan Branch