Brush Up Your Civics

During this year's election season, I found that there were a lot of things about government and the election process that I didn't know.

Because I'm out of college now and working a full-time job, I don't have time to take political science classes to brush up on the civics lessons that I should have learned in school -- or did learn and just plain forgot.

So in order to fill that knowledge gap in time for me to vote, I went to the library in search of a book that would help me understand how U.S. civics work and not put me to sleep.

I checked out a book called "The Everything American Government Book" by Nick Ragone.

Upon first glance, it looked user-friendly with clear subject headings, chapters that weren't too long and margins that were wide enough that the book didn't look too intimidating to read. That last factor is especially important because I'm not a fast reader and I would be reading about government (snore).

But, surprisingly, I did not fall asleep while reading this book.

Ragone starts from the beginning by explaining how the United States formed its government and why. He goes on to break down the articles in the Constitution and what each of them establishes. He then does the same for the Bill of Rights.

Ragone then goes on to explain the function of each branch of federal, state, and local government, and then he concludes with how citizens can get involved.

He also touches on other subjects in chapters called "The Media", "Presidential Primaries and Elections" and "The Federal Budget".

The appendix includes the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States of America and a brief timeline of landmark events in the history of U.S. government.

Before reading this book, I would look at my ballot and wonder what the State Treasurer does, or what the Secretary of State does. After reading this book, I now have a better understanding of what those and other job functions are for federal, state, and local government officials.

I think this book would be a great addition to any classroom or personal library because it contains a lot of valuable information that a lot of Americans -- young and old -- don't know and should be aware of in order to be well-informed citizens. I believe it will help readers better understand how government works in the U.S.

Baking Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I bake chocolate chip cookies, I usually follow the classic Nestle Toll House recipe found on the side of the chocolate chip bag. I never tried to think outside the package until a co-worker of mine brought in freshly baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Genius! I knew then that I would bake those for the monthly baking contest at a local culinary store.

The next step was to find a recipe. The one I used comes from allrecipes.com. I baked a test round last week before I submitted the official batch.

Instead of baking them for 10 min. like the recipe called for, I baked them for nine minutes and had them cool for two minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

What I like about these cookies is that they're so moist. This is due to the canned pumpkin. Unlike most cookies I bake, which dry out over a few days, these cookies were still soft and yummy days after I baked them. I highly recommend them for the Thanksgiving holiday, especially for those who do not like pumpkin pie. It's a great alternative.

Photo courtesy of Allrecipes.com.

Apartment Gardening: Preparing for Cold Weather

Brrrr! It's cold today. Cold in relation to when I last wrote a blog entry. Today's high temperature was about 59 degrees with rain and wind, and judging by what my impatients and tomato plants look like, they're on their way out.

This season was quite the contrast from last year. Only about eight of the red pear tomatoes made it, and the Lemon Boy tomatoes never made it to the color or size of a lemon. I think this is partly because of the lack of heat this summer and the lack of sunlight that reaches my patio. I feel sad because I was looking forward to finding out how the yellow tomatoes would taste. But because the startings were less than $2 each, I'm not too bummed out.

However, I did experience déjà vu with the impatients. Like last year, they spread out like a carpet almost a foot high. They were really pretty.

The fern and hosta also did well. They grew quite a few leaves and are pretty well established.

Yet with the cold weather creeping in, I'll have to say goodbye to my tomato plants and impatients. I'll dig them up soon and loosen up the dirt before more rain sets in.

I'm open to suggestions of what I should plant next year.

Apartment Gardening: Growing Tall

It is already the beginning of August, and my garden continues to grow. The first two red pear tomatoes have come out, but it will be a little longer before they are ready to eat. The Lemon Boy tomato plant is still growing, but not fruit yet. Both plants are much taller since I last wrote. I'm not sure though how high is too high.

The basil plant smells wonderful, and I can't wait to make Caprese salad. Mmmmm :)

The impatients are spreading like two beautiful carpets on both sides of the gate. On one side, I planted some begonias bulbs (right). The yellow one has come up, and the red one is almost in bloom.

The hosta (also from a bulb) keeps growing. Every time I pass by it, the plant seems to sprout another leaf. Some of my neighbors grow hosta (below) too, and the plants get to be a pretty big.

Apartment Gardening: Trial and Error

One thing I've learned about gardening is don't be afraid to try new things. Last year, I planted tomatoes, impatients and basil. Everything did alright except for the basil, because the pot it was too small.

This year I tried planting coleus for the first time. Unfortunately, since the last time I wrote, we got a spell of cold weather and the coleus pretty much died. Coleus apparently is very sensitive to cold weather, especially when it comes without warning. So, I decided to stick to what I know and planted impatients again. Impatients (right) like to spread out like carpet, so I chose bright colors and a couple of white ones to balance them out. They like the rain, and they need plenty of water and good soil when the weather is dry. You can find them for as low as a dollar each in some places right now. They're an annual, which means they'll die about the time the first frost hits.

With the cold and wet weather in May and June, I was worried that my tomato plants would also die. Luckily, that didn't happen and they're still growing. There are a few yellow blooms on both plants right now, so the fruits should be on their way. This season I planted Lemon Boy and red pear tomatoes (below).

As far as the bulb plants, the hosta (guacamole) is still establishing itself. It has three leafs right now. The Lily of the Valley doesn't seem to want to come up (not sure why), and the begonias are still growing. The grape hyacinth is on its way out for the season. So to give it a proper farewell, my grandma suggested I tug at the leafs and pull them out when they give. She says don't cut them because the leaves are still collecting nutrients before the bulbs go dormant until next year.

So if you're gardening for the first time or the tenth time, don't be afraid to try something new, even if it doesn't work out.

Apartment Gardening: Coleus

If you live in an apartment that has a lot of shade like me, coleus is a great plant to consider. It adds create color and is low maintenance.

Last week, I went to Fred Meyer, and I bought this vibrant plant that grows in partial to full shade. The leaves vary in design, but they are mostly bright green and dark magenta. If you like Star Trek, there's even a variety out there called 'Vulcan'.

Today is the first day of May, and the coleus survived being on my back porch close to the building for the past week, so it was time to plant. I spaced the eight plants a few inches apart from each other to give them room to expand. They can grow up to 10-12 inches and expand outward. I also watered them with a little bit of fertilizer. They are an annual, so if it doesn't work out, I can try something different next year. I hope they last though.

Gardening: Take 2

It's almost May, and that means it's time to start planting my garden!

Last year, I had a good run with two red tomato plants, two beds of impatients and a nice flower basket.

This year, things are different. Since crews constructed new, higher fences in my apartment complex, I don't get as much sunlight on the flower/plant beds. So, I'll need to adjust.

Yesterday, I picked up some plants from the OSU Extension Service's plant sale. I bought bush snap peas, red pear tomato and yellow tomato seedlings, and a fern (kind of random, but the fern was only a dollar). Total spent: $7.


Today, I went to Fred Meyer to pick up some potting soil and a couple of blue glazed terra cotta pots. I also bought a few more plants: yellow and red begonia bulbs, some coleus seedlings, and a pink impatient. I thought the impatient would fit in one of my small pots. No such luck. I'll find a space for it later.

Above: This coleus looks similar to the one that I bought.

My goal is to have a lot of color and see if these plants will survive under the new conditions.