Gardening in Vancouver, Washington

Gardening Information

Understanding your gardening environment is essential to success.  What are the climate conditions in your area during a year's cycle?  What is the soil like?
What kinds of plants are grown successfully in your area?  What nurseries are nearby.  

Vancouver, Washington, USA, Zip Code: 98662

Hardiness Zone:  Zone 8a: 10F to 15F

Average First Frost:  October 21 - 31

Average Last Frost:  April 1 - 10

Koppen-Geiger Climate Zone:  Csb - Warm-Summer Mediterranean Climate

Ecoregion:  3a - Portland Vancouver Basin

Palmer Drought Index:  Extremely Moist

Average Annual Rainfall:  43.55 inches

Heat Zone Days:  Rare Over 86F 

Elevation:  171 feet above the Pacific Ocean

Soil:  

Nurseries:  Yard and Garden, Shorty's, Tsugawa in Woodland, Lowe's and Home Depot.  

General Geography: 

The Pacific Ocean and Astoria, Oregon, is 100 miles to the West from Vancouver.
The south side of the City of Vancouver is the Columbia River, and across the river is Portland, Oregon.  The Cascade range and Columbia Gorge is to the East.  Looking north: 165 miles to Seattle, 494 miles to Vancouver, Canada; 105 miles to Olympia, and 45 miles to Mt. St. Helens.  

January Average: 33F low, 46F high, 6" Rain

February Average: 35F low, 50F high, 4.99" Rain

March Average: 37F low, 56F high, 4.38" Rain

April Average:  40F low, 60F high, 3.28" Rain

May Average:  45F low, 67F high, 2.67" Rain

June Average:  50F low, 72F high, 1.88" Rain

July Average:  53F low, 79F high, .8" Rain

August Average:  57F low, 82F high, .5" Rain

September Average:  49F low, 75F high, 1.91" Rain

October Average:  42F low, 64F high, 3.41" Rain

November Average:  38F low, 52F high, 6.49" Rain

December Average:  34F low, 46F high, 6.68" Rain

Yearly Averages:  42F low, 62F high, 43.55" Rain


The Spirit of Gardening

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Colors in the Garden: Vancouver, WA

Dad Died Today

Michael James Garofalo (1/10/1916-4/2/1997)

My father, Michael James Garofalo, died on this day, April 2nd, around 3 am in 1997.

He had a series of strokes, beginning in 1992, and then, due to complications from diabetes, increasing dementia, old age, inactivity, overeating, a broken hip from a fall, and congestive heart failure ... all led to his death.

In his youth, he was always strong, active, hard working, diligent, and demanding.
He built himself the three houses in which he lived, in starting in 1945.
He and my mom, June, raised three sons.
When he retired, at 62, he was the Chief Piping Engineer at the Fluor Corporation.

He was a Catholic believer. His outlook was conservative, Republican. He worked with all white men in a non-union workplace. He did not think well of people of other races and creeds. He thought all poor people were just lazy and stupid. Compassion and kindness were not high on his list of virtues. He also had a low opinion of women rights. His income was sufficient to provide for us when growing up.

I'd say he was an untreated manic-depressive. After he was 65, he resisted all my many recommendations to consult with better physicians or a counselor. He could be quite stubborn at times with not complying with medical recommendations. 

He paid to send me to Catholic Schools, 1st to 12 grade. I was indoctrinated properly by nuns and priests. It was just "get good grades, study, obey, do what we say" everyday. 

He liked to travel in the Western Regions and Deserts: Southern California, Nevada, Mexico, Utah, Arizona. 

For more Information about my Dad.

He did not read very much. Listened to sports on the radio and right wing talk a lot. Not conversant much with modern thought, and viewed the 1960's changes a low class sinful rot. He spoke in stereotypes and racial slurs a lot. His Italian identity, was touted a lot. Also, he enjoyed bossing others around a lot.

Frankly, for me, he was hard to love or like at times very much. 

I thank him for paying the way in my youth, providing for decent room and board, a good education, a safe home, and providing me with a useful inheritance from him from his final estate. 

I'd say he was a decent father, a good provider, but a friend to few. 

Yes, I loved my Dad - with Reservations.

A Dying Old Man is Tossed Away

 A Dying Old Man is Tossed Away

By Mike Garofalo

A skinny old man of brittle bones
failing in a screwed dementia brain,
family all dead, all alone,
living in a small ratty group home,
a penniless unknown on Medicaid,
can't think straight, can't vote.

Wears a red MAGA hat
put on his unwise hairless head
by a cruel Nurse Ratched Republican
as a joke.

Millionaire heartless political renegades
with visions of fancy expensive escapades
decide that Medicaid is welfare graft so
buy votes for a pompous fat stupid Axe
Cutting the helpless brainless man
Off of Uncle Sam's Medicaid rolls.

Where will he go?

Shame, shame on American ways.

God will no longer bless America;
He is disgusted and dismayed.

"Politics can be the graveyard of a poet;
and only poetry can be his resurrection."
- Langston Hughes

Cannon Cane Taijiquan Routine

Cloud Hands Blog Repost from 2023:

Cannon Cane, Eight Immortals Cane Routine #2.  

A Hypertext Notebook by Michael P. Garofalo

Traditional Tai Chi Eight Immortals Cane, Routine Two (Cannon Cane). Demonstrated by Master Jesse Tsao. Instructional DVD, 65 minutes. Produced by Tai Chi Healthways, San Diego, 2008. Routine Two, Cannon Cane, is based on the Chen Style of Taijiquan. Master Tsao developed this cane form himself, with grandmaster Zhu Tiancai's support. "This is the answer for people looking for the martial arts aspect of Tai Chi. You will surely love the way Master Jessee Tsao presents to you this unique auncient practice. A short stick, umbrella, or any everyday object of the proper length can be used as a substitute for a cane. Like the Chen Style Tai Chi Cannon Fist, this routine is full of powerful moves and explosive strikes. Detailed instruction is provided in English, with front and back views. It is a good reference for home study, or a resource for instructor's teaching preparation. Suggest 30 class hours. (Difficulty: Intermediate through Advanced Levels). DVD-R, (62 minutes). There is a streaming version available through Amazon." VSCL

Mastering Tai Chi Cane for Health and Self-Defense. By Jesse Tsao, Ph.D., Tai Chi Healthways, 2022, 225 pages, $27.00.

"The cane has been used as a self-defense weapon for centuries. But it is more than just a weapon or a walking aid—it is a useful tool to practice the ancient Chinese art of tai chi and gain all the benefits of relaxation, health, and wellness for students of any age or fitness level. For the very first time, Master Jesse Tsao brings his fifty years of tai chi practice and training, combined with his PhD in Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Education, to this comprehensive guide to mastering the tai chi cane with routines he has created.

Rooted in the Taoist Eight Immortals legends, this book takes you through the steps of tai chi cane stretch and self-massage to increase flexibility, loosen tight muscles, and prepare the body for daily activities as well as stimulating energy points to open the body’s blockages and flush out stagnation and toxins to promote self-healing. Routine I blends the softer flow and circular movements of the popular Yang-style tai chi for stress management and personal fitness. And for students looking for training in cane self-defense, Routine II is based on the fast and vigorous practice of traditional Chen-style Cannon Fist that mixes robust leaps with explosive strikes—ideal for diehard martial artists.

With more than 300 photographs and illustrations, Mastering Tai Chi Cane for Health & Self-Defense provides clear, step-by-step instructions for each posture followed by key points for mastery, making it a perfect manual for beginners while the in-depth content will be invaluable to martial artists and tai chi instructors." VSCL.