The INDEPENDENT, December 3, 2009
How to keep your Christmas tree fresh
Greener, fresher Christmas
trees make prettier and safer
indoor decorations. A freshly
cut tree is preferred because it
keeps its color longer and is
less of a fire hazard while in the
home. Buy a cut tree with a
high moisture content if possi-
ble.
Try these methods for deter-
mining the moisture content of
the tree:
• Break a small branch be-
tween your fingers, if the
branch breaks easliy, chances
are the tree, or that part of the
tree, is too dry. Don’t buy a dry
tree because of the high fire
risk in the home.
• Tapping the tree trunk on
the ground can indicate the
tree’s vitality. If an abundance
of needles drop from the tree, a
good part of the tree may be
dangerously dry.
• Needles that bend and
cannot be easily pulled from
the tree’s branches are a good
indication that the tree is fresh.
• If more than an hour has
elapsed since cutting, the tree
base will need to be re-cut. This
exposes fresh tissue that will
readily accept water.
• If the tree is to be stored for
some time before being moved
indoors, stand the tree trunk in
a container filled with water. If
the tree is to be displayed im-
mediately, set the trunk in a
tree-stand that is designed to
hold water. Purchase tree
stands with large water reser-
voirs.
• After putting the tree in-
doors, fill the stand with water
and keep it filled for as long as
the tree remains in the home.
Some tree stands hold only a
small amount of water, so be
certain to fill these stands sev-
eral times a day.
Precautions to keep your
tree fresh and safe should in-
clude locating the tree away
from heat sources that would
Assure holiday food gift safety
From page 14
banana or zucchini) in canning
jars. Although similar “canned”
breads may be available in gift
shops, there isn’t a research-
based safe method for making
them at home.
Be wary about low acid
home-canned food gifts that
may not have been processed
correctly. Meats, fish, vegeta-
bles and poultry must be
canned in a pressure canner to
be safe, and up to date canning
instructions must be used.
Source: Carolyn Rabb, Oregon
State University
dry the tree out quickly; being
certain the tree is placed away
from doors – in the event of a
fire, the tree could block es-
cape from the room; the cooler
the room temperature, the
longer the tree will stay fresh,
consider lowering the thermo-
stat a few degrees; and if the
tree is tall, consider stabilizing it
with guy wires to the ceiling
and wall, thin wires are usually
adequate and are almost invis-
ible.
Source: Chal Langren,
Christmas Tree Specialist
Rainier tree lighting on Dec. 12
Rainier will hold its fifth an-
nual Tree Lighting Celebration
and Holiday Decorating Awards
on Saturday, December 12, at
OSU
City Hall, starting at 5:00 p.m.
The Rainier Chamber of
Commerce and the City of
Rainier invite the community to
bring the kids and
enjoy the holiday
spirit with friends
and neighbors.
There will be
caroling, hot cocoa
and cookies, door
prizes from area
merchants
and
prizes for the best
decorated busi-
ness and resi-
dence. And, Santa
will be on hand to
light the tree.
Vernonia: Rising Over Adversity, cont.
From page 8
fish, raft, kayak, and catch
crawdads, can become so de-
structive. It is also hard to
imagine moving from this com-
munity where residents and
visitors camp and picnic along
the Nehalem River and Rock
Creek during summer months;
where bikers, horse back rid-
ers, and walkers enjoy the
serenity of the path around the
mill pond and along the linear
trail; where Washington Grade
School gymnasium is packed
with family and friends as
youngsters present their annu-
al holiday program; where bas-
ketball and football games are
major community events;
where volunteers raise money
and present a fabulous display
of fireworks each July 4th fol-
lowing a parade of mostly
youngsters and animals; where
loaded log trucks are a major
part of every parade; where a
salmon festival, celebrating the
return of salmon to their spawn-
ing grounds, is held annually;
where a week-long Art in the
Park holds lessons for children;
where the residents have
shown, time and again, their
ability to work together to over-
come enormous obstacles; and
where there is a group called
“Vernonia Pride” which works,
year-around, to make Vernonia
truly a place where residents
can take “Pride”.
Some residents have left
Vernonia, with the population
hovering around 2300 at pres-
ent (2009). Most have re-
mained and are working on
ways to continue enjoying the
blessings of living in this little
“pocket in the woods” while ex-
ploring options to ensure that
the proximity to lovely Rock
Creek and the meandering Ne-
halem River will no longer be a
curse to the community.
Connecting A Portable
Honor roll announced for VHS
From page 11
Honors, 3.25-3.49 – Alex
Barber, Calvin Barnes, Klara
Breil, Kelsey Brown, Genesis
Castro, Jayme Due, Wayne Fo-
gel, Mackenzie Frantz, Nora
Hieronimus, Christopher Lev-
enseller, Rebecca Levenseller,
Emily Mitchell, Parker Roach,
Preston Roach, Daniel Shaw,
and Paul Whiteman.
Honorable Mention, 3.00-
3.24 – Jacob Barnes, Robert
Page 21
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