Bring in the Herbs

Bring in the herbs

By Eric Reed

Many of us who garden cannot stand the off-season. So one alternative to pacing the indoors is bringing the outdoors in. An indoor herb garden is a splendid way of keeping a green thumb dirty. Not to mention an occasional spring or leaf making its way into whatever is on the stove.
Many herbs will take to growing indoors. A small planter box, terracotta pots or a re-purposed aquairium may serve well. Just make sure there location can provide about five hours of sunlight. Adding some life to your window and growing seeds for that Spring transplant will help ward off a gloomy Winter. For the more ambitious grower, starting a few veggies from seed can also get you a jump on the season when it is time to move outdoors once again. A small indoor herb garden can keep those fresh greens close and the love of nature closer.

Things you can use:

A planter. Recycled items such as old pots or boxes can work. Use your imagination.
The basics of live. Water, Sunlight, seeds and soil. Organic potting soil works best.
Any seed will do. Pick your favorite and add variety to what you might like to look at and eat from your windowsill. Dill, parsley, thyme, savory basil, oregano and rosemary.
Start a bed. A wet mix of potting mix.
Seed it. Push seeds into mix about ¼ - ½ inches down and gently cover.
Make it cozy by creating a mini green house using plastic wrap, with small holes.
Keep the soil damp, but not soaking, and in the sun. A Southern or Western facing window helps.
Adding some organic fertilizer once they have grown up a bit and clip herbs’ outer leaves as not to kill the plant.

Counting Thoes Who Often Don't Count

Bundled to ward off the occasional Southern California drizzle a woman pushing a shopping cart on the streets of down town San Bernardino is stopped not by a cop wanting to move her along, but by another woman who just wants to talk. San Bernardino County Supervisor, Jose Gonzales, spends time talking with her until her team mates press her to move on and continue the hunt. Teams of volunteers fan-out across San Bernardino County in a one night effort to count the homeless population. Gonzales along with the Mayor of San Bernardino, Pat Morris, San Bernardino City Police Officer Marci Atkins and approximately 700 others, spend their Thursday night to scour the city in search of finding people living on the streets. They volunteer their time for a cause that will ultimately help those being rousted from their spots of relative shelter.
In order to receive grant money from the government the county must count those who are difficult to find.
The San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services and Homeless Partnership conduct a "Point-in-Time" bi-annual census count of the counties homeless population, late Friday night, Jan. 22, 2009. The census is to help determine the need for services and allow agencies to apply for federal funding. This count is mandated by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As Mayor Morris approaches a man in the dark to ask if he would answer a few questions, Moses Sanchez hesitates in an uneasy manor at first to see if he is in any trouble. Sanchez is street savvy after four years but is quickly impressed to find the Mayor is out this late evening to talk with him.

In the Presence of History

Inauguration: A Nation Gathers
Students and faculty of California State University San Bernardino gather at the Santos Manuel Student Union's Event Center on campus to watch the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack H. Obama on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009 in San Bernardino, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Reed)

Keeping in the loop is a challenge in a news vacuum. The lack of a news room, as a listening post, can be a disadvantage in a breaking news sense. But, the freedom to choose what to do when has its advantages as well. I was able to find this event of people watching the Inauguration of our 44th President at Cal State San Bernardino and cover it for The Associated Press. It was nice to have a reason to push myself a little.

Photo Annon

Photography Anonymous: What do you get the REAL photographer for the holidays? A point and shoot camera of course. It is important to have THE shot than no shot at all. I just got one this year and love it. I find it satisfies the overly compulsive urge to shoot with out the hassle of 10 to 30 lbs of camera gear on you like normal and fits in your pocket. Hours of fun posting family snaps and fun pix to Flickr.com. Also there is a professional note to take into consideration. The real stealth mode. When you need the shot but the powers that be find large cameras in close quarters intimidating and want to throw you out. Sometimes being anonymous has its advantages.

Here is my new website as well - http://www.ericreedphoto.com/

Let It Snow, Its Officially Xmas

It is hard to get into the holiday spirit when it is 80 degrees and blue skies here in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. But when we were blessed with almost two feet of the white powdery bliss I kept hearing the song, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas." It was not an easy transition. Hundreds of people were stuck, stranded and cold. A few were injured as you might imagine, So Cal drivers do not mix well with ice and snow. I was not too happy about working in it either. I can not decide which is more stressful, driving in those conditions or shooting in them.
(Below)An AMR supervisor takes pictures of a ambulance that rolled over in the snow on El Mirage Road near Sheep Creek in El Mirage, no one was injured, as the High Desert experienced a day of heavy snow on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008.
(Above)Motorists and truckers were stuck over night, many of whom stayed it a Red Cross Shelter at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville until roads could be cleared Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008. Eric Reed/photographer

One trick I have learned over the years is leave the cameras in the trunk. They need to stay cold and not change temperatures or they will fog, no bueno. Cameras (electronics) like the cold but not the wet and batteries do not like cold either, so I keep an extra in my pocket. The first venture that got my rear moving was an over-turned ambulance about 15 miles from my house, do the math at 20 mph on how long it took to get there. That was at least one major advantage of living in the High Desert... I was stuck where the rest of the LA basin media can not get to, so I shoot and send to the rest of the world from my side of 'the hill'. Well after a couple of days of driving in and shoveling snow off my driveway I realized Christmas is here and I am glad I don't live in the mid west.

A Lot of Protesting

Sometimes I feel like Andy Rooney, who considers himself a newspaper man. I still consider him a TV man because he sure can talk a lot without saying anything. But his observations of the world come to mind when I or he points out things we see around us. With this climate of politics and economy everyone has an opinion. And we should. As the saying goes, "If your not outraged, you're not paying attention." Or as I heard on the paintball field receintly, "If you're not gettin hit, you're not playin." People often like to have their issue out there in the form of a protest, march, picket. And even better if it makes the paper. It is hard to keep track of all the people who do not want their budget cut or need more money, especially in California with this economy. So today I photographed some Union workers yelling at the San Bernardino County Govt Center. I guess the basic point is when everyone is underpaid and Calif. Governments are making cuts which protests are going to be heard? At least with Prop 8, 20 million voters are passionate about one issue.


Members of the SEIU Local 6434, United Long-Term Care Workers Union, held a march and rally with about 40 participants at San Bernardino County Government Center in San Bernardino to spur negotiations between workers and officials.

What is Lost?

An Annual Event: Residents of the Grass Valley Lake area of Lake Arrowhead Cindy Chavez-Gastel and Michael Bainbridge look over the ashes as they return to their homes to survey the damage and sift through the ashes of the homes lost, October 30, 2007. Eric Reed

It's hard for many people to comprehend the loss that others endure when dealing with the aftermath of fire. The fires in Southern California have become a yearly event. With hundreds of homes lost each year from fire due to Santa Ana driven winds, drought starved vegetation and Global Warming enhanced destruction, we can expect to see more. That does nothing for those who loose everything. People take on the grief of loss in many different ways, just like the grave yard vandalizing post, loss is relative. Some are thankful for the truly important things in life like their lives and those of their loved ones. Some are in grief over the loss of things. Those things that mean the most to us are usually connecting us to the past and people who have passed on. I have learned a lot about attachment to the things around us from my many years of talking personally with those who have gone through these experiences. Probably more than most. They almost invariable impart this wisdom: they truly are grateful for what they do have and will continue on, living. That's good advice, even if we never have to experience this first hand.
Resident of the Grass Valley Lake area in Lake Arrowhead, Sid Lewis stands in the ashes of his Medera Lane home as many return to their homes to survey the damage and sift through the ashes of the homes lost, October 30, 2007.