Liz Writes Life 7-1-2020

July 1, 2020

Liz Writes Life

Celebrate

I love my country. I genuinely appreciate the freedoms and liberties I enjoy under the U.S. Constitution. I am grateful for the Bill of Rights and admit that I have questioned some recent government demands on what are considered “rights” during this pandemic; and now the terrifying violence from riotous anti-government and cancel-culture protests. Yes, it is a conundrum of thoughts I am feeling.

So, I was very grateful when a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in favor of religion, last week. It is sort of complicated, but two Catholic priests and three Orthodox Jewish congregants filed a suit in Northern Dist. Court of New York after mass protests and looting occurred in New York. You see, the New York Governor and NYC Mayor allowed the rioting that included encroaching on social distancing, while still in covid-19 virus pandemic lockdown. This was after lawful religious services and government-implemented Phase 2 (reduced size) worship gatherings were halted by those same elected officials.

The hypocrisy was evident and flagrant. This was a good decision to protect our religious and individual rights. These men were brave and religiously dedicated to file the lawsuit and I thank them. Yes, I appreciate being able to worship God. I also believe that the same rules are meant for everyone, whether in protest mode or worship mode.

And, if for no other reason, the violence, riots and destruction should be stopped, because of the social distancing lawlessness regarding rules of this pandemic. (Let alone, the devastation to the innocent business store owners and employees, car and home owners, government offices and monuments – is not right. Destruction of property is criminal!)

Even with all this heightened and anti-establishment organized unrest, I still believe in the United States of America. The vast majority of us believe we are all created equal and appreciate our ethnicity, colors, cultures and diversities. America is, after all, a melting pot from the entire world.

I pray to God for our deliverance from the evils that would destroy the liberties and freedoms of our nation.

Please join me this Saturday, to celebrate our original independence from oppression on July 4^th. Let us proudly fly the United States flag, reaffirm our belief in our National Anthem and recite the Pledge of Allegiance – earnestly praying and hoping and working towards “justice for all.”

Garden

Monday morning saw temperatures 15 degrees cooler, dipping to 45 degrees by 6 a.m., compared to just a few days ago. Had to put on a jacket! It was a great relief from the heat wave and warm nights. Whew! But, the plants liked the heat and have grown by leaps and bounds.

Early summer flowers are starting to bloom like the volunteer feverfews’ small daisy-like flowers – the ones I didn’t get pulled-out. What I call wild daisy is also blooming and I weeded a lot of them out, too. The tall lambs’ ears are sporting their inch-wide magenta flowers mixed-in with the orange California poppies that are struggling to continue blooming in front of the fence and a flowerbed.

The ever-dependable old-fashioned orange day lilies are in full-swing and the sweet William and snapdragons are still showy in a variety of colors. The larger Shasta daisies just started opening-up and the six portulaca that I planted around the bee balm really liked last week’s heat and are blooming. They don’t need a lot of water, so I just squirt them a bit each morning.

In the garden, the four-foot-tall bee balm is boasting its red-fluted crowns and smells wonderful. I have also let hollyhocks grow in the garden and pink flowers are starting at the bottom of the stalks. The blooms move up the stalk during July and August. There is also a red hollyhock that opened a few big bells.

A friend emailed me about possible problems with using lawn clippings for mulch – after she mentioned it does deteriorate into great soil. I appreciated the info. She said that too much irrigation or rain can make the bottom side of the clippings go slimy. Good to know. Luckily, I don’t overhead irrigate. Also, the clippings from last year had reduced down to barely an inch thick and Callahan didn’t get enough snow or rain to make them slimy. But, I can sure see how it could be a problem if I left the clippings four or five inches thick in the fall and we had a wet winter.

She also said that earwigs will sometimes get in the lawn clippings.

Because it is so dry and full-on sunshine here, I haven’t had problems with them. Sure did in other places that we lived. A trick for getting rid of the earwigs is to use a low-rimmed bowl and drill 3/8 inch holes on the upper sides and pour some vegetable oil and soy sauce in the bottom. The mixture and the holes for them to have to crawl back through make a great trap for these pesky plant eaters, she said.

This friend also mentioned that her corn is already knee-high and it isn’t even the 4^th of July, yet, which is the old saying that our corn needs to be knee-high by the 4^th of July – in case we have an early September freeze. I have experienced an Aug. 25^th and 26^th freeze back in the early 1990s, but I grew 65-day corn and we had already eaten it!

My friend also said she is eating ground cherries. I had to look ‘em up on the web and found they are like a tomatillo, but smaller, on shorter plants and sweeter. I had never heard of them. Guess they make a great salsa.

Enjoy your week and Happy Birthday to the USA!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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June 24, 2020

Liz Writes Life

OK, I bit off more than I realized, when I decided to write about the history of the Klamath Project, which includes lands in Eastern Siskiyou County, Modoc County and Klamath County in Oregon. During the past 20 years, I have learned a few things about the Klamath Basin and became friends with several farmers in the Klamath Project as they have voiced frustrations over losses of irrigation water. After reading additional various histories on the Klamath Basin and the Klamath Project, I realize the word “complicated” correctly describes the development of the area.

I grew up here in Siskiyou County and learned that the basin grew lots of agricultural crops – especially sugar beets (back then) and potatoes. I did not understand that the Klamath Project was established through the National Reclamation Act of 1902. As a result of that act, the new Bureau of Reclamation agency was authorized to construct and operate federal water supply projects for the irrigation of lands in the western states.

U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt is known for his protective actions for natural resources; and this also included his crusade to develop federal programs for irrigation and hydroelectric development in the West. He supported the National Reclamation Act of 1902 and signed it into law. This legislation opened arid, dry and swampy areas to settlement with the federal government investing in large scale irrigation and water storage projects.

At the turn of the 20^th century, agriculture had expanded throughout the West and water wars were a major problem. Territories and States worked to settle disputes and create water rights. Water is the ultimate power.

The beginning of the development of the Klamath area goes back to Peter Skene Ogden, who is known to have trapped the area for the Hudson Bay Fur Company starting in 1826. Capt. John C. Fremont led a U.S. military expedition to the area in 1843. He noted it was a rugged area with fertile valleys, huge swamps of water and lakes -- and high dry desert.

It was after the ending of the wars with the Modoc Tribe, when farmers began creating irrigation systems in the 1880s. It was difficult and hard. Cold, snowy winters slowed progress even after the Klamath Project was started in 1903. Various European immigrants moved into the area and survived. Others did not. But, the need to build and improve irrigation canals and ditches continued. Support from the federal government was a solution.

Many of the farming families in the Klamath Project today are also descendants of veterans, who fought in World War I or World War II as they were able to apply for homesteading plots. Other homesteaders also moved into the area in the 1920s and 1930s. I will reiterate that it was a monumental task to create farm land, but stubborn, determined folks met the challenge.

It needs to be mentioned that the United States was still struggling to feed its growing population in the early 1900s. The Reclamation Act was also meant to grow agriculture, with supply chains, to establish regional and national economies.

Congressional legislation to the act was later extended to include hydropower, industrial and municipal uses along with recreation, fish and wildlife protection, flood control and navigational benefits. Whew, talk about multiple-uses for water that was initially intended to feed America! No wonder there is conflict.

Today, there are more than 20 irrigation water districts that represent around 1,200 farmers in the 210,000 acres of the Klamath Project. Water is re-used up to six times as it flows south. Several wildlife refuges were created as part of this intricate water and agricultural system. When Reclamation shut-off all the irrigation water to the project farmers in 2001, more than 400 species of birds and wildlife lost their habitat. Many animals died.

This year, the wildlife may also be affected, as irrigation water was cut back to less than 40 percent of the legal allotment. Then in May, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an even further reduction down to about 20 percent of their annual legal allotment. This was devastating. Seeds were in the ground and crops were growing. The stoppage of water in June, July and August would see crops die and financially destroy the growers.

The project farmers, along with supporters, water districts, groups and elected national, state and county officials, voiced huge frustration of this additional water loss. On May 29, 2020, a 20-mile long rally of pickups, semi trucks, log trucks, cars, you-name-it, drove through the basin, including Klamath Falls. The rally was called “Shut down and Fed Up.” Apparently, these voices were heard as Reclamation announced, in mid-June, that the farmers should receive most of the April 1^st allotment of the 40 percent of water. I certainly hope this happens.

Because of the Covid-19 virus pandemic, we have recently found our food supply and its infrastructure of supply-lines affected. Our country needs its farmers and ranchers who own private property and have water rights. We also need the reclamation projects, where family farmers also grow our food.

I have only touched on the basics of the history of the Reclamation Act, which also built the Hoover, Shasta and Grand Coulee Dams and put millions of acres of otherwise non-productive lands into agricultural production. Mostly, I just want to encourage respect for the people that grow our food. It looks like tough times are ahead. Farmers and ranchers are certainly a necessity – and they must have water.

Garden

So, I got another big batch of lawn clippings (from my source that has a very large lawn) and the entire garden in now mulched. The clippings quickly dry and shrink, so I will continue to add them weekly. I weeded around the cucumbers, bell peppers, zucchini and cantaloupes. Haven’t pulled-in the clippings around the plants yet as the cucs and cantaloupes are at just three or four leaves big and I don’t want to lose them in the clippings. I did toss clippings into the two-foot-tall red potatoes and the smaller, younger foot-tall Russet potato plants. Already, I can tell they are holding in the moisture – and that is the object!

Personally, I am not looking forward to the 100 degree temps this week, but it should really make the garden plants grow!

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 6-17-2020

June 17, 2020

Liz Writes Life

Folks have been letting me know how their gardens are doing. One friend was expecting to pick his first zucchini and another emailed a huge list of fruit trees, berry plants, perennial and annual garden vegetables growing in the couple’s garden. Everyone has different ways of gardening. I say whatever works for you is great. But, I have decided one thing – it does take consistent work. And, maybe, more work than we planned on. Yep!

Some irrigation systems with timers, mulching, and raised beds can certainly reduce the time spent in the garden, but the plants must still be checked on every day or two. There are threats of irrigation systems getting plugged, insects that attack, weeding and the need for extra fertilizer.

When my dad worked the ranch, when I was a kid, I recall that every evening he spent time out in the garden, as the sun was going down, weeding, digging around the plants and re-furrowing for irrigation water to flow down the rows. Mom usually worked in it each morning. She was the picker and canner.

For quite a few years, I have not had much problem with gophers or moles digging tunnels. But this spring they are raising havoc. One of the small cucumber plants succumbed to the loose soil, before I found it. Then, I barely saved a two-leaved cantaloupe in time. I try to mash-down the tunnels as quickly as possible and even run a bunch of water down the hole with the hose.

Luckily, Monday morning I walked out onto the porch in time to see one of my old arthritic cats eating on a mole. What a good kitty!

Want to mention the lettuce has bolted and gone to seed. It is about two-feet tall. I will chop it up and put it back down on that row as mulch. With the heat coming this weekend, I better harvest the few spinach plants that are left. The onions starts have doubled in size to four-inches, but are still too tender to transplant. I fertilized last week with Hawaiian Bud and Bloom. The cucumbers look happier. I also started staking-up the six tomato plants that are well-over a foot tall with some blooms. The peas are producing, so I am making stir-fry for dinner.

Klamath Project

The saga of the government taking away legal water right allocations to 1,200 farmers in the government-encouraged Klamath Project continues. I attended many meetings in 2001 and reported (for a Fort Jones newspaper) on the entire shut-off of water to Klamath Project farmers and saw first-hand the fraudulent government scientific information that was used to justify the taking of irrigation water. It was excruciatingly sad, humiliating and down-right wrong.

But, believe it or not, this year is even worse because the Klamath Project farmers were told by federal agencies they would receive at least some water – but less than half their legal amount. Most farmers obtain loans to plant their crops, so they plan accordingly. Now, their crops are in the ground and growing. But, last month, federal agencies said the project’s water allotments would be reduced – again – meaning no water for July, August and September.

A rally called “Shut down and Fed Up” was held on May 29, 2020 with more than 2,000 people showing-up with tractors, log trucks, hay trucks, pick-ups and cars rolling from Merrill, OR. into Klamath Falls, OR. and down through the basin to Midland, OR. It was over 20 miles long.

In 2001, well-over 15,000 supporters showed-up to the Bucket Brigade Rally held on May 7th. I, and many Siskiyou Co. agriculturists, attended. It was quite the peaceful rally.

The fight continues to be about water needed for the sucker fish that are listed with the Endangered Species Act. Drought adds to the lack of water. This is where the government’s science has caused this huge problem. It has been proven the modeling and science to improve the suckers’ numbers is wrong, yet the federal bureaucrats turn a blind eye.

Last Thursday, June 11, 2020, a huge pulse of water was released from the Upper Klamath Lake down the Klamath River with the expectation of flushing out a parasite that can harm salmon – not the suckers. This pulse was so large that it caused flooding. The pulse was ramped-up for at least five days taking the legally-stored water, which is the legal water-right to the Klamath Project farmers. Such a waste! So this is creating another federal government-made drought, which will destroy food and farmers. Why?

Our Dist. 1 Congressman, Doug LaMalfa, has been seriously engaged with other Oregon and California elected-officials, including our Siskiyou Co. supervisors, to pressure the federal bureaucrats and get the legal water back to the farmers. It is a mountainous job. LaMalfa drove a tractor in the May 29^th rally. He and his staff have been attending meetings and explaining the dire situation with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Of the situation, LaMalfa said: “With the current uncertainly to our nation’s food supply chain because of COVID-19, Klamath Basin farmers play a key role in producing for their market share of our nation’s food supply. They’ve worked for generations to supply this country with their unique crops. The federal government has, in this last-minute water grab, created its own unnecessary disaster that threatens the entire Klamath Basin’s 2020 crop year – its prosperity and way of life – only compounding the ability to keep healthy food on our nation’s supermarket shelves. Farmers typically contend with the possibility of poor weather and crop prices in a given crop years, but this year, atrocious forecasting and a mind-boggling eleventh-hour water cut by federal bureaucrats have caused potential for the greatest calamity the Basin has ever seen.”

The project farmers cultivate 210,000 acres of wheat, barley, alfalfa, potatoes, onions, horseradish, sugar beets and other crops. Hypocrisy and this destruction to farmers does not bode well for the health and well-being of the United States’ people.

Next week, I will explain some history of this government-made farming area, which is, ironically, under-siege by that same government.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 6-10-2020

June 10, 2020

Liz Writes Life

Garden

Frost did hit on Monday morning. I believed it would and gathered more cardboard boxes last week to add to the tubs and buckets that I needed to cover the small and bigger plants. When uncovering, everything looked like they made it OK. The potatoes and bee balm were so high that I didn’t even try to cover them – even with sheets or blankets -- and they also looked good after the sun came up. Whew!

The butter crunch lettuce did not like another week with several days of 90 degree temps and began to bolt. So, I harvested about a third of it. The spinach has not yet bolted, but is quite tall with giant crinkly leaves. I looked up how to freeze spinach and it is so easy. You just rinse it, squish it into plastic bags, seal it up and put in the freezer. Several instructions said that because it was not blanched, it should be used within six months. Hum, that means before Christmas. Ended-up with four gallon bags of spinach and gave a big batch and much of the lettuce to a friend. I cut the lettuce off at about an inch above the soil. It should re-grow and if the temps stay cool for a few weeks it might be edible – not bitter. We will see!

The peas are blooming and attaching to the two-foot-tall page wire fencing I staked for it to climb. At 8 o’clock on Saturday morning, it was quite nice, so I sat on the ground taking my time weeding the seedling purple onions. They were almost two-inches high with the roots still quite fragile. Good thing I finally got to the project, cuz some weeds were getting up to three-inches with bigger roots that wanted to pull-up everything with them. This onion seed bed is only about a foot-and-a-half-square, but it ended-up with at least 60 tiny onions still rooted and growing. I packed the soil around them, which should help. I haven’t transplanted onions for many years and I think I will need to transplant them to their permanent growing-row when they are about six to seven inches tall. This is another “we will see” project.

Five zucchini came up and loved the heat. Will need to thin them to just two or three plants or else I will be overwhelmed for sure in August. There are ten pickling cucumbers up and about seven cantaloupe boasting two leaves in the row with the one three-leafed cantaloupe that survived being put in the ground as a plant. The green beans did not fare as well. Only one came up. Hum, what to do?

After the good daylong rain on Saturday, May 30, 2020 and a few more sprinkles, the soil was just right for plowing-up the weeds on Tuesday. I used the old-fashioned push-plow. It did a good job and I did get most of the dreaded mallow weeds out. My, it looked nice. I just love newly-turned soil with the promise of good things to come!

This was the only part of the between-garden-rows that was not covered in this year’s grass clippings that I am using for mulch. It needed to get done immediately as my source for fresh grass clippings would be on Wednesday. Yep, I was able to get a bunch of tubs filled with nice clippings, loaded in the car and spread out on the weeded soil. This looks really nice, too.

I have been getting clippings for over a month – a lot of them – and most of the garden is now mulched. Can’t believe how easy the few weeds (wild morning glory are the worst) pull right up, when they do make it through the clippings. My plan is to continue to add clippings all summer, because they dry-out and shrink from the heat. Any extra clippings will go in the perennial flower areas to try and suffocate the noxious rye grasses and weeds in there.

I also planted cosmos in the flowerbed areas and several are up. The snapdragons are in full bloom with burgundy reds, oranges, yellows and one white. Even though I weeded this area to reduce the volunteer four o-clocks, I need to thin them again. I bet there are still 50 or more than must be removed. One rose bush is gracing the world with bright pinkish-yellow blooms and several pale pink and yellow columbine are also blooming. Oh, the wild Shasta Daisies are also open. I did weed a bunch of them out as well, cuz they were taking over one flowerbed where the gladiolus bulbs are planted. Ended-up with a few adding some June smiles.

R & R

Life in the United States is in turmoil with fears of the Covid-19 virus, to mask ourselves or not, the holding of peaceful rallies, marching of some-times not-so-peaceful protests, riots, terribly destructive looting and extremely strong opinions.

Atrocities have occurred and need to be addressed. I pray for our leaders -- that calm will be restored at all levels of governments, cities and communities. But, in my opinion, solutions will not be found until respect and responsibility become the norm throughout our society and our melting-pot of cultures.

There will always be bullies. There will be people who do not do the right thing for none of us are perfect. That is why we have law enforcement. To enjoy liberty, all must abide by certain rules and values.

At this time, I want to thank our police, especially our local police and sheriff officers. Because of a few bad police officers, (and most of us have watched the disgraceful death of George Floyd) they all are being painted with the same label.

This is not right. It is not true. We have so many good and courageous and kind law enforcement officers, who deal with so many terrible situations, domestic violence, stealing and murders. They deserve our respect.

Thank you to our men and women in blue! Many of us do appreciate you and pray for your protection. And may a big humbling into mutual respect and self-responsibility become the common ground for future decisions and solutions in the agitated areas.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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Liz Writes Life 6-3-2020

June 3, 2020

Liz Writes Life

Life certainly wasn’t boring last week with extreme temps of 95 degrees-plus, thunderstorms that must have included a small twister that flattened some barns, fences and big trees at several ranches in the middle and east side of the valley; and then a steady, long rain on Saturday with a big cool-down of the temps to the 50s on Saturday night. Sure sorry for that mess and the loss of the barns and twisted wheel-lines. So very frustrating. Oh and here at the south end of the valley, the power was out all of Saturday afternoon.

It sounds like the lightning-caused fires on Thursday night were immediately put out by firefighters. Good work fire guys and gals. Whew!

Firefighting

Because so many of us are worried about the danger of wildfires amid this drought and Covid-19 virus threat, I called Ray Haupt, our Dist. 5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor, to see if any decisions had been made. He was on a Klamath National Forest and Cal-Fire briefing teleconference in mid-May and said the goal of both agencies is to attack the fires as quickly as possible with all resources and firefighters that are needed. In past years, there have been complaints about poor-management of fires. This year really should be different. Ray said the directive is that large fires must be avoided at all costs. And, it sounds like that directive is coming from pretty high up at state and federal levels.

Luckily, KNF completed its hiring of personnel and equipment contracts before the Covid-19 shutdown. Apparently, some areas of the USFS in Northern California are under-staffed for fires, which is still a concern.

Ray is part of a healthy forests group of retired forest management professionals with extensive fire suppression experience. In early May, the group, which is called “National Wildfire Institute,” compiled concerns and potential solutions into a letter and sent it to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Each leader of this group then contacted any and all higher officials (whom they knew) to help influence the ultimate goal of attacking fires immediately.

Ray spoke with Jim Hubbard, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, whom he has met several times and explained his concerns for Siskiyou Co. and the west. The NWI letter of recommendations was also sent to 11 western U.S. Senators, who are taking the overwhelming dangers of wildfires seriously, and sent a letter on April 30, 2020 to the U.S. Forest Service Chief regarding the impending fire-threat issues and poor management of public forests.

Several recommendations included contracting smaller aircrafts that can utilize retardant in 30 to 45 minutes of a fire starting, because they can be stationed at smaller (local) airports. And, to also deploy smokejumpers and rappelers for initial attack. More solutions were also explained.

The NWI group also reminded Ag. Sec. Perdue the possibility of fire camps and threat of Covid-19 may add to health problems and loss of life to firefighters and in neighboring communities.

Also, Ray said the Siskiyou Co. Board of Supervisors re-authorized the Declaration of Emergency based on the continued lack of forest health and threat of wildfire. This declaration was established in 2014 and is still active.

Gratefully, I want to thank our local volunteer fire departments and Scott Valley Fire District firefighters for their dedication and hard work to stop fires – along with our Cal-Fire and KNF people. All firefighters are so appreciated!

A little aside story: There seems to be some realization (at the higher levels of federal agencies) that vegetation is much too thick in many areas of the public lands. I have noticed several articles where 100s of sheep or goats will be released, monitored by herders and guard dogs, so grazing can be used as a way to reduce the risk of destructive wildfires. This type of grazing has gone full circle and is now considered to be cost-effective, low impact to the environment and natural. Good news for sure. Now, we need to get more cattle back in our mountains.

Garden

The lettuce and spinach didn’t seem to mind the three days of 95-plus temps, but I sure did! Everything added lots of growth and I see the zucchini, cucumber and green beans are popping up. The onion seeds are also up about an inch, but so are masses of tiny weeds that will need to be carefully picked out - ASAP. At least, this is only in a few feet. My plan is to transplant the onions as they get bigger.

Outside the garden fence, volunteer California poppies and lavender lupine have been gracing the landscape. The larger orange and salmon-colored Oriental poppies are finally blooming. Under the pine tree, the purple and lavender iris are also in their glory; and several yellow ones by the house just opened. It is so nice to have bright colors. The perennial Sweet Williams are also blooming in dark pink and variegated pinks.

Two dahlias are over a foot tall and I planted some cosmos and four o’clock flower seeds for some August flowers. I decided to stop the irrigation in an area of the perennials, where the dreaded rye grass has invaded. Quite a few comfrey plants are blooming with their little pink bells in that area. I want to continue to have comfrey, so will need to cut them back this week and transplant a handful to the vegetable garden, where they will receive water.

After these good rains, the weeds will be growing. But, the soil is soft for easy hoeing. So, I will get busy on that bigger job. Yep, there is always something to do when you have a garden.

Liz Bowen began writing ranch and farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at: lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.

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