California waterways

Model of a typical stage station, used to monitor river water levels and provide warning of floods.

This last weekend we went to the California State Fair in Sacramento. We were able to see many of the displays and vendor areas, as well as sample some of the famous and expensive fair food items.

One display that caught our attention was regarding the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It was very informative and included a number of excellent visual demonstrations. There were also a number of brochures outlining facts about the delta. It seems that the delta these days is being faced with a number of challenges.

The delta as it exists today is controlled by a system of manmade levees, many of which are over 100 years old. They started out as a way to manage flooding of farmlands and houses. Since 1914 they have been regulated by the State Reclamation Board.

Today they also exist to control drinking water for 25 million people, support California’s trillion dollar economy and $27 billion agricultural industry. Wildlife that now depends on the delta include: 52 mammals, 22 reptiles and amphibian species, 225 birds and 5 species of fish. It is also home to 260 invasive species of plants and animals.

Recreation is another thing it is used for by over 12 million visitors annually. There are 290 shoreline recreational areas, 300 marinas and about 500,000 boaters. Sport fishing is also a big concern.

The two main rivers that feed the delta are the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. There are a number of lesser rivers supplementing this flow such as the Mokelumne, Cosumnes and Calaveras Rivers.

Over the last several years the Sierra snowpack has been below normal which allows for less runoff than normal during the summer. That runoff ideally is what keeps the river levels constant and thus keeps saltwater out of the delta.

Also, at the same time, many of the levees that surround the delta islands are getting older, some of which are in a state of decline. Levee breaks can be disasters of the first order, inundating homes and farms but also diverting some river water which in turn allows the salt water to move up into the delta.

There is a lot of controversy these days over what to do about the delta. The state assembly is constantly addressing legislation regarding the delta. Maintaining the delta is an expensive proposition and must rely on cooperation from much of the surrounding areas, mainly those areas the rivers flow from.

One brochure in their fact list stated: “Delta waterways are the single most important geographic feature of the State’s water resource system.” Maybe they should think again and state that it is one part of many in the state that is important to the State’s water resource system. Partnering with the other areas of the state instead of saying they are the single most important feature might get them further down the road to a workable solution.

Things like building more dams and other ways to control and maintain constant water flow may need to become a reality. These items need serious consideration and action if long term solutions are to be reached.

Trying to highlight the delta as the single most important water feature in the state is a mistake. But we have seldom seen any government project have long term success. At least we can not think of any recent ones.

Coincidently an article headlined “Local water leaders get look at DeltaVision” was on the Enterprise-Record website Tuesday, August 26, which addresses similar issues. We think it is worth reading. Maybe the Daily New will consider running this article if it hasn’t already.

Neighbor helping neighbor

Name brand baby clothes in near new condition purchased in thrift store.

Does your neighbor need help? Who is your neighbor? These are questions many try to avoid so they do not have to deal with the problems of other people.

We consider our neighbors to be anyone we know that has a need. If we can not help them directly we try to find someone who can. There are many volunteer organizations in our county that offer much of that type of help. It does however take the contributions of many locals to make that help possible.

Contributions can be given in several different forms. Money is always a welcome one but not one everyone is able to contribute. Several other types are services which require the gift of time and the gifts of donated items which may be new or used but still in good shape.

Volunteer organizations generally have the ability to reach out to a greater number of those in need than an individual does. They have the knowledge and experience it takes to find out how best to help those in need. Many organizations also help those in need by teaching them how to better help themselves.

One such place locally is the Care Net Pregnancy Center located on Main Street in Red Bluff. Most of their clients initially come in for pregnancy tests which are offered free. But their services do not stop there.

For the clients who want to keep their baby but find it difficult to deal with the added expenses a baby brings, the clinic has a store of baby items from clothes and baby furniture to diapers and wipes. These are all donated items the people within the community donate.

No item in the store is sold for money but for points earned by the clients. There program is called “Earn While You Learn.” The clients choose from a list of topics they would like to learn more about such as nutrition, the stages of pregnancy, how to care for a baby, Bible studies that deal with spiritual issues, learning about the effects of alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy, handling finances and more.

After a client decides what topics they want to learn about appointments are set up on a regular basis for those studies. Points are received for each study they complete. The points are then what they spend in the store for items needed for their baby.

Individuals who donate items for the store are in turn helping their neighbors. Perhaps not the neighbor on the other side of the fence from them, but maybe one that is down the street or across town. Not only is the donated items an immediate help but the information in the education provides long term help.

Donated items given to the store need to be clean, stain free and in good repair.

We recently went thrift store shopping, which happens to be one of our favorite hobbies. While shopping, we found several cute, barely used baby boy outfits that were on sale for pennies on the dollar. They ranged from about .95 cents for the one piece outfits to $1.75 for a name brand shirt and overall set. We had fun and were able to help someone out all at the same time.

More information on Care Net services or needs is available at 528-8102.

Margin for overloaded lives

"Margin" by Dr. Richard A. Swenson

Life today is hectic – ask anyone. There is hardly enough time to catch our breath before having to move to the next thing. Even though we live in Red Bluff, which is described by some as a “nice little town,” everyone is busy. There is no time to step back and think. Many feel overloaded.

To help remedy that, we read a book called “Margin,” by Dr. Richard A. Swenson. Swenson is an internationally known lecturer and author of six books. He is a medical doctor, practicing and teaching in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Pick up any printed book or newspaper and notice the white area around the edge of the pages. That is the margin. The reason the publishers do not print on the page edge to edge and top to bottom is that it makes it very difficult to read. They could get a lot more in, but nobody would want to read it. A certain amount of unused space is necessary. Life is like that too. We cannot live our lives successfully if there is no buffer, no gap or a place to recharge. The space between what we must do and all we possibly could do is our margin. The idea behind this book is to understand why margin is important, how we lost it and how to get it back.

The book is divided into three parts, the first of which discusses the problem of pain. Swenson is not talking about physical pain, although that may be present. He is primarily focusing on the pain of life – such as the pain of progress, of stress, of problems. Who is not “stressed out” these days? Who does not sometimes wish that the progress made in the last 25 years or so could be rolled back? As useful as some of the new electronic gadgets and other things can be, everything has a down side and that is what causes us the pain.

The second part of the book is titled “The Prescription: Margin.” In this section margin is discussed and applied to various life situations. According to Swenson, margin is what we have left over after we take care of all of our obligations and commitments. It is what we have in reserve. It is what we can draw on to deal with the things life throws at us.

We need margin in all areas of life in order to live without pressure. There is of course a need for margin in our time. We cannot schedule every minute of the day and still feel focused and productive. But we also need some margin in our finances, our physical and emotional energy.

Finances are a major contributor to pressure and stress for individuals and families. It is well known that most marriage problems are at some point related to finances. Not everyone can be “financially independent,” but we can all reduce our debt, put off purchases until we can pay cash, save and give some.

The third part of the book talks about what the future will look like if we make and keep some margin in our lives. Various areas of health are pointed out; health through contentment, simplicity, balance and rest. Who does not want that?

The point the author makes is that we cannot have these things if we keep living our lives the way we always have, or the way our society tells us to live. We have to make some changes. And for most of us, that usually means getting rid of something.

Maybe we should work less hours, be involved in one less social activity so we can spend more time at home loving our children. It may require moving to a less expensive home, driving a cheaper car or even turning down a promotion at work that requires a lot of overtime. But as difficult as those choices may be, not making them may in fact be even more harmful.

This book is a great read. But for those who are not readers just applying the principles outlined above is a good start on a more satisfying life.

Walnut-oatmeal burgers

Easy to make walnut oatmeal burgers make a great tasting meal.

Walnuts and oatmeal are two main ingredients used to make meatless burgers in a new recipe we tried recently. Many readers are now rolling their eyes and moving on to another article but we say these burgers are worth trying. They taste very good and are easy to make.

We came across the recipe for these burgers in the “Southern Living 1996 Annual Recipes” book. The first time we tried it we stuck to the ingredients as listed. It was good but we decided to customize it with a few more seasonings. They remind us of meatloaf.

Here is our version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons water

1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, uncooked

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 tablespoons grape seed oil

1/2 cup water

Combine the eggs and three tablespoons water in a large bowl and beat with a fork. Add oats and next seven ingredients. Shape mixture into four patties. Note: the salt can be reduced or left out for those on restricted diets.

Pour oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high until hot. Add patties and cook three minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Add half cup water and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until water evaporates.

Burgers can be served on buns with all the regular fixings one would use for regular burgers. Another option is to serve them `with noodles or mashed potatoes and a favorite vegetable or salad.

Our suggestion for desert is a peach-blackberry crisp. These are two fruits that are in season now and make a good combination. Below is one recipe we use.

In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish layer the peaches and blackberries with about three tablespoons of minute tapioca and two teaspoons of cinnamon mixed in. Use enough fruit to fill the dish about two-thirds full.

For the topping mix the following ingredients:

1 cup granola

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup margarine

Spread topping mixture over the fruit layer. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

We shared our recipe for homemade granola in our June 29, 2007 blog. Also a two-serving fruit crisp recipe we use was in our July 20, 2007 blog. Both are posted on this site.

Making healthy food choices does not have to be difficult or lack taste. The above recipes are not only healthy choices but are easy to make and taste great also. It does take a little planning to purpose to eat healthy but once the habit is formed it is easy to stick with the change. We encourage everyone to give it a try one recipe at a time.

Taking digital photos

A close up of a wild iris on the Northern California coast.

About a year and a half ago we got a digital camera to use for taking pictures for this column. It has worked out great, but we found that it did take some planning and a little information for us to get good pictures. A lot of the general picture-taking concepts are similar to a regular film camera, but there are some advantages to using a digital camera that film does not have.

Now before anyone wants to make the point that the pictures that appear in the Daily News are fuzzy and hard to make out we want to point out that the pictures themselves did not start out that way. The quality of photographs goes down in the process of printing these days. For those who want to see a more accurate view of our pictures they are posted on the blog site listed below.

Picture taking is usually broken down into several subgroups, depending on the type of pictures being taken. Landscape photos are probably the most common type. These are usually taken on vacations and trips to other areas. A little composition of the picture goes a long way. It’s best to try to frame the picture at least partially with a tree or building on one side. Also, positioning the main subject of the picture off center a little is a nice effect.

The camera will usually not be able to set itself correctly on automatic for nighttime shots. Most digital cameras allow manual adjustments for shutter speed and aperture. For instance, we recently took some pictures of the moon using manual settings. Because the moon is fairly bright, we used 1/100 second shutter speed, f 8.8 for the aperture and zoomed in as much as possible. Most night pictures require long shutter speeds, so a tripod is a must.

Another type of picture often taken are portrait pictures, whether it is one person or of a group. First, it’s important to get in close. It may be helpful to turn the camera vertical in order to zoom in more and still get a full-length picture of a person. If a full-length photo is not necessary take the shot from the waist up. One thing that we always try to avoid, however, is the dreaded cut-off-head effect.

The advantage of digital cameras is the screen on the back. Using the screen it is easy to review how the pictures look. That way one can tell if another shot should be taken before the subject takes off.

Another important thing is to use a flash, even outdoors. A flash will illuminate the dark shadows on the faces.

For this column we often take still life photos. Such pictures are also taken in museums or art galleries. It’s important when taking close shots to use the “macro” settings on the camera. That will allow the camera to be positioned closer to the objects.

Also good lighting is a must. Since most of these pictures are taken indoors, try to get as much light as possible on the subject. Arrange it to be somewhat indirect so as not to cast shadows and also use the flash.

Digital cameras are easy to practice with as there is no film to buy or wait for to be developed. All the unwanted pictures can be eliminated on the spot and the good pictures are ready immediately. There is the option to hook up the camera directly to a printer and print out the pictures. The pictures can also be downloaded to a computer, put on a disk or sent by email to friends and family. The options are almost endless.