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The INDEPENDENT, August 16, 2007
VERNONIA INN
Enjoy a quiet weekend with us.
FULL SIZE, IN ROOM
HOT TUBS
Queen Beds • Private Bath • Separate Entrance
Cable TV • Phones • Handicapped Access
• Commercial Rates
FOR RESERVATIONS CALL
1-800-354-9494 / 503-429-4006
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900 MADISON AVE., VERNONIA, OR 97064
Just one block off scenic Nehalem River Hwy. (Oregon 47)
Can You Dig It?
By Schann Nelson
OSU Master Gardener
A complete lack of mo-
tivation caused me to re-
view my past articles, writ-
ten in August, for inspira-
tion. What strikes me first
is that, in most of these ar-
ticles, I wrote about how
hot the weather was.
Maybe it’s just my house, with its low sun expo-
sure, that makes me feel like the hot weather
hasn’t gotten here yet. I sure am tired of being
cold until noon, even if I am upstairs. Mind you, I
certainly don’t want any weather even approach-
ing the three digit mark. Especially if we have to
wait until November or December for the rain.
I want to go firmly on the record as despising
anybody’s weather predictions that either: A. es-
pouse an overly cheerful delight in continued
hot, sunny weather; or B. bemoan any and all
rain. Both of these attitudes show a remarkable
lack of understanding of the local ecology. One
of the most difficult things for gardeners new to
our temperate rain forest is the annual drought.
When summer finally decides to arrive, it be-
comes difficult to keep enough water available
for the plants in your landscape. One trick is to
never let the soil surface dry out completely, by
using mulch and drip irrigation.
Drip irrigation does not have to be terribly
complicated or expensive. An X shaped hole in
the bottom of a plastic gallon jug will slowly re-
lease the water you fill it with. Setting the jugs
about an inch into the soil works well for individ-
ual plants like squash or tomatoes. Turning a
plastic sprinkler hose upside down works nearly
as well as drip hose. Part of the trick is to get
your watering devices set up and the area wa-
tered BEFORE you mulch. The goal is not to al-
low a single drop of precious water to escape.
Whatever water we have available in the ground
now, is all that there will be until the long misty
days return.
The occasional heavy, late summer, rain runs
into the rivers and streams. These rains dramat-
ically reduce the danger of forest fires, trigger
the salmon migration and signal the end of sum-
mer, but they don’t add significantly to the
ground water supply. Our heavy clay soil forms a
hard surface that lets heavy rain just run right off,
drying out again wherever exposed under the
sun. In order to recharge the aquifer, water must
penetrate the surface and find its way deep into
the earth. Our survival depends on ensuring that
there is enough water.
Gardeners, farmers (especially tree farmers)
understand. We all know what will happen if our
crops don’t get enough water. Every year we
wait anxiously for the rain to quit. As soon as it
does, we start worrying about when it will come
back. We understand that, until our lovely cloud
cover and long misty days return, the concrete-
like clay will continue to shed water. Even heavy
clay soil that is not exposed to the hot summer
sun (under mulch, in the forest, in the shade) will
develop a complex life system that works to
bring organic matter deep into the soil, turning
the clay to incredibly productive topsoil and al-
lowing water to penetrate.
This is why weather reporters sometimes
sound incredibly clueless to me. We WANT it to
rain, especially in the summer. I get a little tired
of the continuous cloud cover (I’m still tired of be-
ing cold in the morning!) I don’t want too much
rain too fast. But any rain in the summer is a
good thing, which I wish was better appreciated
by weather people.Besides, how else am I going
to keep my moss(back) watered!
Church Directory
N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH
S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH
Gary Taylor, Pastor
Grant & North Streets, Vernonia
503 429-5378
Sunday School 10:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Nursery available
Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m.
Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator
960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-8841
Mass Schedule
Sunday 12:00 Noon
Religious Education
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH
S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST
Carl Pense, Pastor
850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-1103
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m.
Children’s Sunday School
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia
503 429-8301
Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m.
Bible Study 9:15 a.m.
F IRST B APTIST C HURCH
V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH
Do you have a service to offer?
Tell people about it in
The INDEPENDENT Service Directory
Call 503-429-9410 for information
Grant Williams, Pastor
957 State Avenue, Vernonia
503 429-6790
Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m.
Morning Worship 9:45 a.m.
Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m.
Youth Group 6:00 p.m.
Preschool Tues. & Thurs. 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer 7:00 p.m.
Friday Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m.
359 “A” Street, Vernonia
503 429-5190
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m.
S T . A UGUSTINE (C ANTERBURY )
E PISCOPAL C HURCH
375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall)
Vernonia, 503 705-2173
Please call for service schedule.
C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST
OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS
Marc Farmer, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia
503 429-7151
Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m.
Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m.
Relief Society, Priesthood and
Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m.
A SSEMBLY OF G OD
Wayne and Maureene Marr
662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia,
503 429-0373
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m
V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH
Sam Hough, Evangelist
410 North Street, Vernonia
503 429-6522
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
Morning Worship 11:00 a.m.
Every Wednesday:
Ladies' Bible Study 9:30 a.m.
Ladies’ Worship 10:00 a.m.
Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m.
Family Bible Study 7:00 p.m.