Gratitude through the Flames
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When it’s 2:15 in the morning, the power is out, the air smells of smoke, yet you are fast asleep, then you realize that firefighters are pounding on your door shouting, “Evacuate Now”, what do you do?
I thought I was very prepared for an emergency with packed Go Bags in our vehicles and one in our hall closet that had a list in large letters of what to grab. But when my husband and I were given exactly ONE MINUTE to get out because the fire was only 100 feet from our house, there was no time to gather items. In the dark, with a flashlight leading the way, there was just enough time to throw on clothes, grab my computer, purse, phone, keys, and Go Bag. Outside the front door, I put on my garden clogs and off we went as two trucks of firefighters battled the blaze from our driveway.
Here are the cliff notes of what I learned that frenzied and frightful morning that could have improved our one-minute evacuation.
- 1.Put keys, wallet, handbag, phone, glasses, and other essentials in the same place every time. My husband left without his wallet and glasses.
- 2.Everything on your list should be stored near your Go Bag. On my list, I had written: computer, back-up discs, passports, insurance papers, family DVD’s, and my first-edition books that I wrote. There was time to only get my computer.
- 3.Have duplicate keys to homes, offices, or other keys you may need in your Go Bag. We were allowed to only evacuate with one car. My car had everything we needed in it, but we were directed to take my husband’s car that had nothing.
- 4.Keep a pair of shoes near the front door. Check!
- 5.A headlamp is the best flashlight option when you are searching in the dark, attempting to find things. Two hands are better than one when you can take only what you can carry.
- 6.Bring a warm coat, blankets, socks, and maybe your pillow. It was cold and the two thin blankets in my emergency bag were not sufficient. I wish I had stuffed my pillow in my bag.
Today I’ve amended my emergency Go Bag. This may be the new normal.
The firefighters were calm, professional, and truly heroic in saving lives and homes. Our sincerest gratitude to all these brave men from many fire districts who orchestrated a successful save. Bravo!
All is well that ends well.
EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT-GO BAG
by Cynthia Brian
In the midst of the many disasters that seem to be continuous, I encourage clients to put together an emergency “Go Bag”. Whatever the calamity, it will behoove you to have an emergency supply kit in every vehicle and a larger one in your home. Make sure you know where all of your important documents are located. Make copies and put everything you need either in your Go Bag or next to your Go Bag. Know how to manually open automatic garage doors and gates. Sometimes, as is the case with our California wildfires or earthquakes, a matter of minutes is the difference between life and death.
Make copies of your passport, driver’s license, credit cards, and have some small bills available. Pack duplicate chargers for phones, tablets, and computers. Back up your computers and keep files in the cloud or off-site. Make a plan for your pets and animals and have a bag ready for them as well. Know your neighbors and their contact numbers to keep in touch to make sure everyone is safe. Have a list of a network of friends that you can call in an emergency. Know where you can go in evacuations.
Most of all, remember that saving your life and that of your family is the most important. Everything else can be replaced.
Fill a backpack or small case with the following and keep one of these in ALL of your vehicles and one in your home:
First Aid kit
Work gloves
Warm gloves
Towelettes
Small towel
Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day)
Blanket
Walking shoes
Socks
Warm jacket
Peanut butter
Honey
Protein bars
Personal hygiene kit with a toothbrush, soap, medications
Matches
Candle
Flashlight and headlamp with extra batteries
Eating utensils
Breathing masks (Niosh-N95)
Clothing change
Extra set of keys to home, office, etc.
Cash
Toilet Paper
Bottles of Wine (optional)
I hope that we never have to use these emergency kits, but it’s best to be prepared.
Cynthia Brian is the columnist for Digging Deep with the Goddess Gardener. www.CynthiaBrian.com
Cynthia Brian
Starstyle® Productions, LLC
PO Box 422 * Moraga, Ca. 94556
925-377-7827 * www.CynthiaBrian.com * Cynthia@Star-Style.com
Born to Be Wild
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“All journeys have secret destinations
of which the traveler is unaware.”
~Martin Buber
Volcanoes, glaciers, highlands, prairies, lava flows, fire, ice. Nature untouched and untamed.
Iceland.
Resting on the boundary where the North American and Eurasian Tectonic plates meet, Iceland is a country of intense volcanic eruptions, boiling hot springs, rushing rivers, venting steam, spouting geysers, powerful waterfalls, ice caves, aqua blue lagoons, northern lights, and minimal sunshine. With a population of only 338,378 and a median age of 38, most people live in the capital of Reykjavik. Iceland, a country of fierce contrasts, is geared for the rugged and the youthful.
I visited this wild, wild country recently during the season of “the midnight sun”” when darkness never comes and sleep is elusive. Twilight reigned supreme allowing for plenty of exploring and hiking adventures. Summer in Iceland was freezing cold with unpredictable blustery North Atlantic weather, gray skies, menacing clouds, bone-chilling rain, and gusty winds. Sunshine in any minimal amount was not on the agenda. My daily wardrobe included gloves, faux fur hat, layers of clothing, double mufflers, boots, and a warm raincoat. Naturally, a bathing suit was always packed in my bag for that daily dip in a “secret” hot springs lagoon where the natives and visitors come to warm up.
As a traveler who dives into the culture of a nation, I wanted to indulge in the Icelandic cuisine. To supply fresh vegetables, hothouses operate year round using geothermal energy providing tasty and nutritious veggies to augment a diet of fish and meat. Dining out is expensive. The average price for a green salad was thirty dollars. Everything I ordered at authentic local restaurants was unique and delicious with the exception of fermented shark which was the most disgusting, foul smelling, horrid tasting item I’ve ever experienced. I spent a full day sick to my stomach after just a few nauseating bites, yet this is considered an Icelandic winter staple.
What interested me most was the ever-changing unique landscape on this small isle bordering the Arctic Circle. I was mesmerized by the plethora of wildflowers, grasses, and moss carpeting the island. Flowers sprouted in the cracks of lava flows, spilled down the sides of volcanoes, and grew on the edges of the glaciers. While riding Icelandic horses ( a small sturdy breed endemic to Iceland only) through the countryside, miles and miles of blue lupines filled the fields as far as the eye could see. In the 1950s seeds from Alaskan lupines were scattered in a few regions of Iceland to help with erosion and soil improvement. They have now naturalized, much to the delight of visitors and the chagrin of the populace who have denoted lupines as invasive weeds that crowd out indigenous plants and stunt the growth of hungry sheep. Acres of buttercups, wild perennial sweet pea, angelica, mustard, hawkweed, lady smock, Arctic sea rocket, meadowsweet, wild strawberry, gentian, Lady’s mantle, marsh marigold, cornflower, yarrow, violets, and Iceland poppy hugged the ground. The dandelions grew to almost two feet tall and are harvested as a nourishing edible. Lichen and moss covered the fields of lava. The treasured Icelandic moss is said to be so delicate that a single footprint will take a hundred years to regenerate. 
Autumn is an auspicious time to sow wildflower seeds in America. What makes a flower a wildflower? Basically, wildflowers grow happily without any human cultivation. they live and thrive within an interactive plant community. Many wildflowers are native to a certain region and when they freely reproduce in another area, they have naturalized.
If you’d like to introduce wildflowers into your landscape, decide on the species you want and buy seeds from a trusted company. Make sure the plants are not an invasive species. (You can always check the USDA plant database at https://plants.usda.gov/java/)
Sow seeds directly into the ground or into containers. Make sure seeds are protected from winter chills and marauding birds.
Here’s my list of beautiful wildflowers that will easily domesticate:
Blackeyed Susans (Rudbeckia)
Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
Buttercups
California Poppy
Columbine (Aquilegia)
Coneflowers (Echinacea)
Coreopsis
Lupines
Mustard
Penstemons
Wild perennial sweet pea
Yarrow
If flowers can flourish in the extreme climate of Iceland, they will go wild in our temperate gardens. Create secret destinations that are born to be wild!
“Wild thing.
You make my heart sing.
You make everything.
Groovy!
Wild Thing
I think I love you.” The Troggs
Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.
Read more: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1216/Cynthia-Brians-Gardening-Guide-for-October-Born-to-be-wild.html
Cynthia Brian
Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, raised in the vineyards of Napa County, is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3.
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show and order her books at www.StarStyleRadio.com.
Buy a copy of her new books, Growing with the Goddess Gardener and Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store.
Available for hire for projects and lectures.
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
Where there is smoke…
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By Cynthia Brian
“Count the fires by glowing flames, never by the ashes that fall.
Count your days by the golden hours, don’t remember clouds at all.
Count the nights by stars, not shadows.
Count your life by smiles, not tears.
And with joy on every day, count your age by friends, not years.”
Hello November! We are grateful to welcome you.
With the devastating fires of the past month throughout California, our atmosphere has been filled with smoke and ash. The air quality has been so poor that we have been warned to stay indoors or wear N-95 rated masks when walking outside. Wildfire smoke and soot irritates eyes, skin, throat, nose, and lungs, and is especially dangerous for anyone with asthma or other respiratory illnesses.
But what effect does the smoke and debris have on our gardens?
Surprisingly, healthy plants have the ability to absorb the dangerous carbon dioxide and turn it into oxygen. Some landscapes may actually benefit from smoke as it diffuses the light allowing the shadows to be less intense under the top leaves of plants. The lower leaves then produce more food for the plant. Plants use carbon dioxide as a fertilizer, cleaning the chemicals and toxic particles in the air while restoring and cleansing our atmosphere.
Houseplants are extremely beneficial in cleaning our indoor air quality. They have the ability to reduce the effects of mold, dust, microbes, and VOC’s (volatile organic compounds). Spider plants, pothos, snake plant, spathiphyllum, philodendron, palms, and ficus benjamina are all easy to grow and work overtime to keep us breathing clean, fresh air.
Scientists are discovering the dire consequences of climate change not only on our physical well-being but on our mental fitness. Disasters such as the catastrophic hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and fires have a dramatic negative impact on our health. We can help the environment as well as our families by maintaining a positive outlook and putting a smile on our face while we work together diligently to reduce our carbon footprint.
Cynthia Brian’s Gardening Guide for November
Want to protect your valuable plants from any negative effects from the smoke?
Here are a few simple tasks to undertake.
- 1. Any vegetable or fruit still in the orchard or garden needs to be washed thoroughly before consuming. A solution of vinegar and water is a time- tested cleanser.
- 2. Compost any damaged bush, flower, fruit, or vegetable.
- 3. Spray your plants with a hose to remove any clogged particles. Continue to do this until you see a difference.
- 4. Fertilize the landscape now, including your grass and lawn.
- 5. Add three inches of mulch to your garden if you didn’t already do it last month.
- 6. Any bare earth needs a cover crop. Clover, alfalfa, wildflowers, fava beans, vetch, and mustard will add nitrogen to the soil.
- 7. Remove any dead or dying trees or shrubs. When planting new trees, space them at least 10 feet apart.
- 8. Be fire-wise by clearing your roof, gutters, eaves, decks, and patios of debris.
- 9. Mow your lawns and keep them green. Lawns clean the air we breathe, absorb smoke and pollutants, and change sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide into oxygen. A swath of green offers a healthy filtration system while being a flame retardant safety zone.
Make fire prevention a top priority by creating a defensible space around your home and garden. Fires burn only when fuel is present and a dry landscape is fuel for the fire.
Other Tips for your November To-Do List:
- • WINTERIZE your garden. Cover frost prone plants and shrubs with blankets or burlap. Wash patio furniture before storing or covering. Move fragile container plants under an eave or away from harsh winds.
- • PRUNE your fruit trees and crape myrtles once all the leaves have fallen. Keep branches a minimum of 6 feet from the ground.
- • RAKE leaves to add to the compost pile. It is especially important to rake redwood and pine needles as they tend to blanket an area suffocating any other living things.
- • PLANT bulbs for spring blooms. (You have been refrigerating your tulips and crocuses, right?)
- • CLEAN gutters of all debris to prevent clogging when the rains come.
- • SOW lawn seed and keep the seed watered until it sprouts.
- • PICK guavas and bananas as they ripen.
- • WAIT another month before harvesting persimmons. If you are having problems with the birds and squirrels eating your unripe fruit, pick early, and refrigerate.
- • PLANT garlic and shallots before the weather turns cold. Easy to grow, they will over-winter to supply you with big savory bulbs for a summer harvest.
- • ARRANGE roses, clivia, euphorbia, and branches for a beautiful fall display.
- • GROW chrysanthemums. These long blooming flowers are available in a variety of colors and textures adding a smile to any visitor.
- • PROVIDE food and water for the birds, especially since many are migrating.
- • HARVEST cruciferous vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, kale, carrots, beets, Swiss Chard, Brussels Sprouts as well as arugula and nasturtiums for your healthy meals. These foods are high in antioxidants which support the body’s ability to fight off toxins and reduce chronic inflammation.
- • AERATE your lawns. For more information on grass selections and the benefits of planting grass see www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1117/Digging-Deep-with-Cynthia-Brian-The-grass-is-always-greener.html
- • MARVEL at the changing colors of the leaves on trees, specifically Japanese maple, pistache, liquid amber, and crape myrtle.
- • CHECK out the glorious bark of the eucalyptus tree and the hanging trumpets of the Angel trumpet vine.
- • CUT a few branches from grapevines to use as table décor for an autumn gathering.
- • BRING houseplants outside for a shower and day in the cooler sunshine. They’ll be ready for a winter of air freshening back inside.
- • ADD a peaceful, quiet element to a container by planting a white mandevilla. If you protect it from frost, you’ll get an annual display of florets.
- • PACK “To Go emergency bags” and keep one in your home and in your car. In case of a disaster, every second counts.
- • TAKE a break and head to the beach. The sea air will refresh and reawaken your joyful spirit. (It works every time for me!)
- • GET ready for Thanksgiving with a garden display of mixed pumpkins, gourds, and scarecrows.
Gratitude is the theme for November. The days are short. The soil is warm. The nights are cool. We pray for rain and for peace on our planet. Our thoughts and prayers go to all of those who have suffered in the recent natural disasters. It’s been a challenging few months for our country and our world, yet despite the tragedies, let us all count our star blessings and keep on smiling.
Happy Gardening and Happy Growing!
Read more at Lamorinda Weekly: https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1118/Cynthia-Brians-Gardening-Guide-for-November-Where-there-is-smoke.html
Cynthia Brian
Cynthia Brian, The Goddess Gardener, raised in the vineyards of Napa County, is a New York Times best selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are1® 501 c3. Please make a donation to help with hurricane & fire disaster relief at www.BetheStarYouAre.org.
Tune into Cynthia’s Radio show and order her books at www.StarStyleRadio.com.
My new book, Growing with the Goddess Gardener, is available at www.cynthiabrian.com/online-store. Will ship end of November.
Available for hire for any gardening project.
Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com
