The Power of Love VS the Power of Powerlines

So, those of you who know and love me, I mean really Love me have put up with my crazy power affected life for 7 months now. Yes, it has been that long. I have gone from a flower growing Hermit to an empowered advocate for plants, wildlife, and the well being of people affected by the Bonneville Power Administration's I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project. More than ever I know the REAL & IMPORTANT things of this EARTH & PLANET we all share.
Tomorrow my youngest heads off to experience a new type of power. The kind we experience when we first inter-are. She is bringing all the seeds of love I have sown in her life to be planted and sprout into a mighty power line. One that will grow taller and last longer than any electric power line man could ever create. Because it contains the elements all REAL things need to survive, Love not power.
Congratulations Rich & Lyssie!
Love, Mom

Flat Stanley visits Aunt Erin

This week my niece Kiera sent Flat Stanley to visit along with a note asking that I help him learn about different places, landmarks, and people in my area. I am so honored. We have enjoyed his visit thus far, he has been to the Energy Trust Better Living Show @ the Portland Expo Center. I was very discouraged with the show at first, it was very commercial and I felt quite out of place until we came to the Opal Creek Booth (www.opalcreek.org) they made me feel at home as we shared favorite hiking trail info. They shared that Multnomah Falls was getting boring and had not heard of Moulton, Lucia, and Sunset Falls on the East Fork of the Lewis River by my home. We listened to the discussion on Sustainability which consisted of a panel of 5 people, one from the Sierra Club, one from Portland Mayor Sam Adams office, I will write in more detail about this later but I asked a question at the end, the only one to ask a question and was told "No one wants to touch that. The question of course involved the BPA and possible destruction of the important Environmental Areas that currently exist here in my area by a 70 mile 500Kv line. If we fail to seriously care about and consider these questions before destroying these rare diverse Ecosystems because they are out of sight out of mind now, what do we tell Kiera and Flat Stanley when they have no more clean air, water, biodiverse native plant life???? , and the people selling Sustainability books are long gone??? I could use some words but I do not want Kiera or Flat Stanley to hear them. Next I spoke with Oregon Wild and of course we connected they gave me a beautiful book Oregon Wild Endangered Forest Wilderness thank you my friends, visit www.oregonwild.org. I also met Tammy Weisman of the Lower Columbia Fish Enhancement Group www.Icfeg.org, bought some Willows to be dedicated they were caring anyway. visit www.Icfeg.org. And finally my favorite and most kindered Oregon Cougar Action Team ..Saving Oregon's Cougar and rich biodiversity they sustain. ( WWW.OreCat.org ) Here I met Jayne A. Miller of Grape Lane Poultry Farm (www.GrapeLanePoultryFarm.org) Best part of my day!! She is a Farmer, Herbalist, published Author and Artist fellow United Plant Savers gal. Look forward to helping OreCat and getting to know Jayne and her group better. Please keep praying for my precious Botanical Sanctuary, the plants, animals and watershed here in the NorthEast corner of Southwest Washington. Yes I am only 45 minutes from the Portland Expo Center so if you think big environmental changes here will not affect you you are sadly mistaken.

Below my daughter is holding Flat Stanley, and yes his ears are lime green one of my favorite colors, kind of gives him a magical quality don't you think.

Plant Nerd Night

I haven't posted in a while because life has kept me busy, busy, busy. Not long ago I was blessed to attend Plant Nerd Night in Lake Oswego, Oregon with my dear friend Debbie. She has an amazing Clematis Nursery called Silver Star Vinery. We have had so much fun getting to know each other. She is a fellow plant junkie like me. These pictures are from Nerd Plant Night which I highly recommend if you have never gone, and Silver Star Vinery which is beautiful and full of extremely healthy well loved Clematis. I picked up 5 yesterday and 3 at plant Nerd Night so I now have 10. Till I met Debbie I had no idea what variety Clematis had in bloom type, size, etc. I especially love this quote on the Tee-Shirt.

Juneau Blossoms

Spring is on the way with the exception of a few snow flakes last week. Juneau loved the cherry blossoms fully though she is not supposed to be on the table. she enjoyed the beautiful table cloth my dear friend Florence gave me too. Who wouldn't want to lay under blossoms like this for a day?

Girlfriend Valentines

Saturday February 6th, my Dear Friends and I got together
Our day was spent sharing Valentines, a potluck lunch to which we each bring a different element. I brought many veggie soup a favorite in my home, Robin brought an amazing salad with hand roasted pecans, Florence made mini quiche and lavender lemonade & Katy an incredible apple dessert. It is always fun to see what each one of us brings for the day in food, fun and fellowship. We started getting together monthly just one year ago. It is hard to believe a year has gone by and how close we have all become. I could not have imagined all the adventures and misadventures this past year brought into our lives. Having friends to share with has made the unbearable things survivable, the adventures funnier, and life in general richer. Each one of my girlfriends is extremely talented as you can see from this beautiful quilt Florence just whipped up, and the wool pillows Robin taught us to create. Katy is our master chef and poet, we are hoping to publish some of her great works soon. Florence provided the setting which as she always does, gave us a magical, wonderfully comfortable place to come together and create. I left feeling very loved, cared for and warmed by my fellow Smokin' Hot Mary Jane's( a name we penned and laughed about at one of our very first meetings) Wishing you the love of warm friends & family this Valentine's Day.

Tired, Exhausted, worked on the BPA thing way too long

As I go to post this my daughter gave me the title. I now have a latch key husband, children and even my kitten. Just grateful they all miss and love me so. I long for days when I could walk my creek bed, and just marvel at it's beauty not stress about possible 500Kv running over it. But this journey has brought so many amazing people into my life you cannot imagine. I have heard stories of a blind woman who lives right next to Moulton Falls park here in Clark County. The picture of the ravine and river (East Fork of the Lewis) are from her place. It has incredible views which I cannot imagine placing power lines over. Eagles nest there, and her children, and grandchildren are there with her now. She has 7 wonderful children who have come to help her. They told me stories of this property being in their family since 1912. Her husband recently passed away and she could not read the " Letter of Intent " she received from BPA and was scared. I have come to know my neighbor Debbie, clematis grower extraordinaire(silver star clematis) who has become very dear to me in this last month. Another neighbor down the road who is a mapping pro & guitar player. I am tired, exhausted, worked on the BPA far too long, but I am also very blessed with many people, places and spaces that I love with my whole heart. Hope I can see them all be protected and well. Many Blessings, Erin

Rally @ BPA Portland, Oregon

I recently attended a peaceful Rally at Bonneville Power Administration Portland, Oregon(next to Lloyd Center) Our hope is for people to understand the number of homes and critical ecosystem that stands to be destroyed and forever changed should this 70 mile/500 KV(the highest voltage lines allowable) go through from Troutdale, Oregon to Castle Rock, Washington. It will probably be going through my backyard. You can see what my yard looks like from the pictures on this blog. It is a "Ferngully" or "Avaitar" (Southwest Washington Rainforest) right here in these United States. This week I attended an EFSEC(WA State Energy Facility Evaluation Council) Meeting. We as citizen's were allowed 5 minutes to speak and had to keep our comments, and letter within tight parameter's. Our concern's were largely ignored but we had one angel in the form of Hedia Adelsman-Dept. of Ecology who recommended the Bonneville Power Administration's Work Plan have some wording changed.
It will now go back to be adjusted and resubmitted Feb. 9th. On the way Hedia suggested the Clark County Commissioner's be spoken with since they have shown us (Clark County WA. Citizen's) support as stated in our letter. This process has been a hard lesson in just how rare it is to get Senator's, Congressmen, and people in power to listen. To find a route to be heard. When you are telling them the truth, and it affects Good People, endangered plant, amphibian, bird, insect & animal species. I don't know the answer yet. At the rally we were shuffled from Woody Guthrie Courtyard to a park by Lloyd Center all because peaceful citizen's who are important parts of these United States, who live in the areas that will be affected, have critical detail to share, but I don't have 50 attorney's on staff or an endless supply of funding. Just me and the truth that if these sacred families, this River, my 600 year old fir snag are destroyed these United States and everyone in them will lose something more important than money or power. We will lose the well being of our future.