Wayne's Gardening Tips - May 14th 2009

Hello ward gardeners. For those of you who know what needs to be done next in your garden I hope you can find the time to get it done. For the rest of you, make time to now before it is to late. You can still plant lettuce, and all the leafy green stuff you want to. It may burn up in the prime of it’s life or we may have a mild Spring and you will harvest before it goes to seed. Broccoli, cabbage, and any of the other woody (with a stem or stalk) veggies are still good to go. You need to get your potatoes, tomatoes, peppers in the ground soon. You can wait a week or 2 before you need to plant the cukes, pumpkins, zucchini, water melon, cantaloupe stuff (or you can start any of these in small containers close to the hose bib, they need watering often to get the seeds to sprout). Good luck to all of you and bless your gardens. You can e mail me at sparky1947@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments. Brother Glasgow

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Gardening in the Canyon

I will be posting things on the web blog & in the bulletin too. Some of the Ward has asked about growing food in the canyon and it is tough. That is why they used the canyon for Summer cottages, to get away from the heat. If you are going to stay there for a long time I feel that a hot house-green house would be a very good investment. If not I would partner up with someone in the valley that would share the work & the bounty of a summer garden with you. You can share the cool Summer delights of your location with them. Fresh garden dinners or lunches. Snowy Winter veggie stews & soups. Make the good times last into the Winter.

The term “cool weather veggies" means lettuce, spinach, chard, bock choy, cabbages, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts. You can plant any of these outside now; they will be slow to come up and remember to keep them moist but do not drown them. Light sprinkles every day till they pop up, then heavy watering with some drying out spells when they are 4” tall.

No corn, squash, peppers, tomatoes, gourds, beans, or viney things yet. You can start any of these inside in starter pots and watch them grow in to mighty plants that want to be set outside when it warms up. You can plant your potatoes now but they will not come up till the weather hits 65' day temps and stays above 55' night temps. I keep mine in a cool, dry place till the temp comes up. It is good for them to sprout out, just not good to get mushy. Good luck to you and your garden, I hope you are teaching your children (grand children) about the progression of a garden, it is very much like all other things in life. You get out of it what you put in to it. Happy gardening you can reach me at sparky1947@gmail.com my cell 801-885-5979 or on our web blog http://provocanyonwardpreparedness.blogspot.com/ Brother Glasgow


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Carolyn's Provident Living Column - May 2009

This month I would encourage you and your family to make an Emergency Plan. What will you do in an emergency or disaster situation? It is important to be aware of what types of emergencies can happen in your area and anticipate how you will respond. For our Ward areas we can anticipate and have had: avalanches, power outages, flooding, fires, evacuations, and road closures all in the last 5 years.

Recommendations this month would be to decide how your family will contact each other in the event of an emergency. Family members are often all not together, or at home during an emergency. How will you let your family know where you are or what your status, or situation is? Decide what you will do and then share this with your immediate family and friends. In an actual emergency it is often difficult to make phone calls in your immediate area, but you can make long-distance calls out of state. Make sure everyone in your family knows who the out of state person will be, their number to call, and then have a way to make that call either with a cell phone or a phone card, or money with them all the time to make the call.

Make a list with the following information:

• Name, phone number and email information for each family member.
• Emergency contact person’s name, phone number and email information
• An out of town person’s name, phone number and email information.

Put this on a small card and carry it with you.

There is an excellent website that has recommendations and a template you can fill in with this information and then download to your computer:
http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared Continue Reading »

Employment - April 2009

In the past weeks we have seen a few brighter days in the economy but in general things have remained about as they were for those out of work and looking for employment, or for those in need of upgrading their present positions. Whether you or someone you know is in this situation we hope the following information will be helpful.

The Church operates two employment centers in the valley. The Provo Center is located in the Deseret Industries (DI) facility between the drop off area and the store (1415 North State Street, Provo). There is also a center in Springville, located at 1672 West 700 South for those who may current be working in that part of the county but are looking to upgrade their employment. Both of these centers provide:

- Programs to help find a job or a better job;
- Education, Apprenticeships, Vocational Training Programs;
- Programs for Contracting, Small or Home Businesses
- Individual Specialized Coaching

Also be aware that the Provo Center usually conducts a Career Workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, call for specific information 801-818-6161.
Also consider reviewing the wealth of information available on lds.org (click on Home & Family – then click on Employment and review all that is of interest or help). You may also check ldsjobs.org.

Once again we remind ALL Ward members that a number of individuals within our ranks are in need of employment or job upgrades. One of the most important keys to finding a job is networking with people who learn of companies who may be hiring and then passing that information on as quickly as possible to those needing jobs. If you are aware of employment opportunities please call Carl Mackay at 224-4885 and leave a message if he is not able to answer at the time. Continue Reading »

Carolyn's Provident Living Column - April 2009

I made a discovery this past month which surprised me,--- but shouldn’t have, because I know I need to do this. I have several first aid kits at my house in various sizes for various needs. With my husband’s recent surgery on his hands, I needed some more tape and some steri-strips to cover his incisions, because the ones the doctor had put in place had become wet and needed to be replaced. When I went searching for the steri-strips, I found several items in the first aid kit that had expired, and I remembered I had not checked them recently to replace those items.

A good first aid kit should be in every household. It can be simple or complex, depending on your needs, skills, and first aid knowledge. I have put together several kits over the years from a very large one for Young Women’s Girls camp, to a small one that fit inside an old metal bandaid box. The size and purpose will determine what needs to be in a first aid kit. Once a kit is assembled, it needs to be checked annually to replace items used and to replace outdated supplies. Rolled tape of most types, adhesive, paper, or plastic, can turn yellow or become extremely sticky and difficult to use under certain conditions, and long storage. If you have instant cold or heat packs, they can become unstable and need replacing. Antibiotic ointments, medications, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide all have expirations dates on them. So it is a good idea to date your kit to know when it was last checked and do a clean out and checkup of the kit on a regular basis.
If you have basic supplies you are better prepared to handle any situation when you or a family member is hurt or injured. Most injuries are not life threatening and do not require immediate medical attention. But if you know how to treat and care for minor injuries, you can make a difference in any emergency. So brush up on first aid skills.
A very basic kit should have things to help with immediate first aid needs:

• A couple of pairs of latex gloves
• Sterile dressings to stop bleeding
• Adhesive bandages in various sizes---I love a Liquid Bandage too
• Tape
• Antibiotic ointment to prevent infections
• Burn ointment ( I love Burn Free pain relieving gel)
• Thermometer
• Ace wrap bandages
• Cleansing agent, soap or antibiotic towelettes to disinfect

Nice to have:

• Scissors, Tweezers, tube of petroleum jelly or lubricant, some type of ice pack, Moleskin or corn pads, blister treatment
• Prescription medications you need daily-especially need to rotate these regularly
• Basic non-prescription medications: Aspirin, or non-aspirin pain reliever, Antihistamine such as Benadryl, Anti-diarrhea medication, antacid, Laxative
• Medical supplies for special needs, (Diabetics, glucose, blood pressure monitoring equipment)
• Eye wash solution to flush eyes or as a general decontaminate
• Feminine hygiene supplies
• Paper and pencil, Flashlight or pen light, Space blanket, First aid book

I’m going to refresh my First Aid kits, how about you?

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