Male Western Meadowlark mid-song; photo by Larry Rea

… its Oregon’s state bird (as well as Kansas’, Nebraska’s, North Dakotas, Wyoming’s and Montana’s). The meadowlark is the second most popular state bird after the northern cardinal (state birds for Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia).  The first state to even have a state bird was Kentucky (1926). Oregon didn’t get one until 1926 when school children chose it in a poll sponsored by the Audubon Society.

The meadowlark is the same family as blackbirds and orioles – you can recognize it by the bright yellow throat and a distinctive black “V” on its breast. You often hear it before – or even instead of – seeing it, and the males that do the singing.

Western meadowlarks forage on the ground and beneath the soil for insects, grain and weed seeds (though it is estimated that at least 65 – 70% of their diet consists of beetles, cutworms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, sow bugs and snails – yuk).

Meadowlarks are a protected non-game species.

There you have it – your tweet for the day.

Luv,

Sissy

The 55-foot keelboat could be sailed, rowed or poled like a raft; photo courtesy of LewisandClarkTrail.com

…was $2,500 in 1804. In 2012, $2,500 would be $49,019.61 (one 1804 dollar equals $19.61 today). So, 33 men left St. Louis Missouri on May 21, 1804, arrived near Astoria Oregon in December 1805, left for home on March 23, 1806 and arrived back in St. Louis on September 1806, for $2,500 tax payer dollars.

Think about this. One year, 11 months and 11 days – $3.52 a day divided by 33 men = 11cent a day per person (today, $69.04 divided by 33 men = $2.09 a day per person).

Think about this. 7690 miles at the 55.5-cent 2012 government rate reimbursement = $426,795.00.

Think about this. It takes a 40 pounds of dog food a month to feed a Newfoundland dog and the expedition took one with them (named Seaman) = $705.00 (35.95 in 1804).

So, think the Lewis and Clark party were pretty frugal? I guess so. It would cost $142,000 to take a 710 a day cruise in 2012 ($200 a day) or $7241.20 in 1804 (10.20 a day in 1804) and they did it for $3.52.

Well gosh. You learned it here – smile.

Luv,

Sissy

Unidentified Willamette Valley farmer checks wall mounted seed pinning map at the Marion County Extension Office in Salem Oregon; photo by Jan Jackson

…Did you know that a farmer in the Willamette Valley (and a lot of other places too), can’t just up and plant whatever he wants to plant where ever he wants to plant it? Aha! I thought not. Here’s the scoop.

Maintaining adequate isolation distances to prevent cross-pollination by crops of the same species is crucial to preserving seed variety integrity. The distance required varies widely and is influenced by many factors – even wind direction and intensity.

Farmers manage crop isolation distance with pinning maps. In most states, these are large, wall-mounted maps housed at county Extension officers; growers and seed company representatives locate their fields on the map and mark crop locations with color-coded pins.

So now, as you drive through the countryside admiring the patches of this and the patches of that, you’ll know what all went into it.

And remembers, you learned it here – smile.

Luv,

Sissy

… get close to the makeup.

What did YOUR mother tell YOU about wearing make-up? How not to look like a painted lady? How not to look like a clown? How not to look like you fell face down in it?

Remember when you used to sneak lipstick to school and how you made sure you wiped it off before you got home? Well ha ha. My world-traveling travel-writer friend Marilyn caught one of my cousins in the act. Take a look at her make up job – bless Bess if she isn’t a sight!

Keep up the good work Marilyn. I never seem to get far from my hot rock so I’m happy to have you traveling the world for me.

Here’s to the rest of you, look out for Marilyn – you never know where she going to show up next. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – smile.

Luv,

Sissy

A field of meadowfoam growing along Highway 22, west of Salem Oregon; photo by Jan Jackson taken May 20, 2010.

… it’s white like snow – God Bless America (I said that just for Smothers Brothers fans – smile).  It was named meadowfoam because it looks like the foam on the ocean but I think it looks like snow. The first time you see it you go, “Whoa, wait just a minute, what’s that?”

Well, meadowfoam is a native wildlower found along waterways in Northern California, southern Oregon and Vancouver Island, Bristish Columbia.

Commercial development began in 1980 on an experimental farm in Oregon. In 2010, more than 4,000 acres were contracted for meadowfoam production.

What do they use it for? The oil can be chemically transformed into a liquid wax ester that is a substitute for sperm whale oil and jojoba oil. It can also be converted to a light colored premium grade solid wax, a sulfur polymer factice potentially valuable to the rubber industry, or used as a lubricant, detergent or plasticizer. It has also proven to be invaluable in the body care and cosmetic industries. After crushing the seed and utilizing a solvent extraction process to remove the oil, the remaining meal may be used as a feed source for beef cattle.

Now when you drive by a field that looks as white as sea foam (or snow), you can nonchalantly say,”That? Oh, that’s meadowfoam.”

You learned it here – smile.

Luv,

Sissy