Intense Day

Apr 9, 2009 by Naomi.

Long intense meeting this morning at McNary Refuge. Designers came from the Regional office in Portland to discuss the content and placement of the informational signage for the environmental education center which we now will call the McNary Discovery Center. The administration building has to be identified as such and somewhere the McNary refuge itself will be mapped with the part open to the public clearly marked. As with all institutions there are certain rules or standards that must be used in the finished signs. We are limited or constrained by money that is available to pay for the pretty things.

The Friends of Mid-Columbia River NWR Complex and the USFW staff decided what we wanted the signs to impart to visitors that will lure them further into the Discovery Center and ultimately outdoors to experience their connection to nature for themselves. I am satisfied that we gave the designers (word crafters) our ideas to work with. The next step is for Friends and USFW to review those first brainstormed ideas. We may go around several times to get the text to please us all but that is critical. Text is easily changed. Once words are integrated into the design a change is costly and probably will not happen.

At home I finally got out into the sunshine (71 F) to straighten the soaker hose I laid behind the south fence that will irrigate the Nancy-planted shrubs and trees. Then I took my garden rake and began digging out the weeds that are covering my driveway. The little plants with tiny white flowers (the size of a pin head) look like a fuzz on the ground. The stems are about 2 inches high but the roots go twice that far into the soil. Anyway I managed to clean out several square yards, raking with much pressure to dislodge the plants and skim the stems and roots out. I worked hard gasping air through my mouth. Strange how that physical activity made my ears ache painfully. Maybe the unusually high pollen from trees affects me more than I like to admit. I don’t have allergies. (yeah, right). I stuffed Vicks in my ears and nose and hope for relief.

All I can do is settle down with a porkchop and with bleary eyes watch Jeopardy.

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