Mount Hood

‌Give a big green thumbs up for gardening

These five YouTube channels make gardening easy-peasy 

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌ ‌

The saying that “April showers bring May flowers” is especially true in Oregon, with the sunny spring weather being pretty touch and go. In between the rainy days, gardening at home can be an explorative and rewarding hobby; anyone can cultivate their own garden, even if they have no green thumb or outdoor space. There are YouTube channels dedicated to all things indoor horticulture, and ones that teach the very basics of planting, harvesting and tending to a garden. Poking around on YouTube can help anyone feel prepared for the upcoming planting season, and these channels are some great go-to’s: 

  • AnOregonCottage

Brian and Jami share their experience running a country cottage in Oregon, with their videos focusing on enjoying a homemade life. They started the channel over ten years ago, and their videos include recipes, garden tours, plant maintenance and the transformation of their 100-year-old farmhouse. 

  • EpicGardening

Kevin Espiritu has a goal of teaching over 10 million people how to grow their green thumb and reconnect with nature, no matter where they live. He has specific plant guides for urban and organic gardening, tips for prepping plants, DIY projects on a budget and countless other tutorials on his channel. 

  • GardenAnswer

Laura has everything that an urban gardener could need, with her videos covering proper care for succulents, which fertilizer to use for specific plants, lighting options and how to get the most out of one’s garden. Along with tutorials, she shows the process of growing from seed, and how she made a fairy house out of homegrown materials. 

  • LearnToGrow

Misilla demonstrates the perfect tricks for indoor and outdoor gardening, sowing seeds, propagating and pruning ⏤ all while being beginner friendly. Many folks can gain inspiration from her outdoor space and setup, and since she’s located in the Pacific Northwest, her videos are great for learning about which plants work best for the area. 

  • TheRustedGarden

Gary Pilarchik provides an in-depth look at all the nuanced parts of growing a garden, such as which bugs can harm the plants, planning an outdoor space, preventing damage, repurposing supplies and advice for saving money on supplies.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Sweet recipes that will put a spring in your spoon

Try these two recipes featuring in season spring produce

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Spring brings new, fresh produce, including tangy rhubarb and refreshing citrus fruits. Head to a local farmers market or grocery store and pick up some in season produce for these scrumptious spring recipes. 

RHUBARB CUSTARD BARS

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

Yields: 3 dozen bars

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

FILLING

2 cups sugar

7 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten

5 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained

TOPPING

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar, and cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 ºF for 10 minutes.

For filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in cream and eggs, then stir in rhubarb. Pour over the crust, and bake at 350 ºF until custard is set — about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool.

For the topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Spread over top, then cover and chill. 

Cut into bars, and keep stored in the refrigerator.

Recipe from tasteofhome.com

CITRUS SALAD

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Yields: 4 servings

2 cara cara oranges

2 navel oranges

2 blood oranges

2 ounces baby arugula

2 tablespoons fresh mint

CITRUS DRESSING

¼ cup citrus juices, set aside

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt

Remove the skin from the citrus fruits, then slice them into supremes by cutting along each membrane. Combine citrus supremes, arugula and mint in a large salad bowl. 

Squeeze the juice from the citrus membranes into a large measuring cup or jar. Add the extra virgin olive oil, honey, vanilla extract and salt, then whisk to combine. Drizzle half the dressing over the citrus salad, then toss to combine. Enjoy immediately. 

Recipe from oursaltykitchen.com

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Spring cleaning with The Howl

How The Howl staff gets motivated to clean

The Western Howl Collective

We get it — with classes, work and numerous other obligations, the thought of fitting in time to clean can be simply exhausting. Find some motivation from The Western Howl as we share what drives us to get up and clean up. 

Sydney Carpenter

I take care of myself mentally. Oftentimes my living space is reflective of how I feel about myself and during the term my mental health nosedives off a cliff. So, during a break in the term I take time to take care of mental health and show myself I’m worth the time it takes to clean my space.

Rylie Horrall

Honestly, I just get random urges to clean and then do it. Sometimes leading up to it, I get unmotivated but once I start cleaning I can’t be bothered until I’m done. To kind of keep me in ‘the zone,’ I always put on upbeat, hip hop music because that’s what my mom always does when she cleans.

Kyle Morden

The thought of living in a messy room bothers me. Part of my daily routine is to clean my bedroom and make sure everything is neat and tidy — that’s just my lifestyle. I don’t even think I’d be able to sleep if I saw a mess in my bedroom. 

Allison Vanderzanden

I try to keep in mind that the longer I put off cleaning, the more I will have to do later all at once. Doing a little something every day makes it easier in the long run. I like to put a sticky note to-do list on my bathroom mirror as well so that I can’t avoid being reminded.

Kiara Wehrenberg

I have a hard time cleaning during the day. I tend to get random spurts of motivation to clean at night with music in my ears. It’s helpful for me to remember how good it feels to exist in a clean space.

Natalie Dean 

I’ll pick and choose which messes to clean up first, it helps me not get so overwhelmed. Lists are useful for me, and I’ll create an incentive for myself for when I’m done cleaning. Throwing on music or a movie helps kill the time, and it’s nice to take a break and chill in between cleaning sessions.

This week in completely made up horoscopes

The Western Howl Staff

Theme: The signs debate which season is the best

Aries 3/21-4/19  

Of course it’s fall.

Taurus 4/20-5/20

Summer because seasonal depression is real.

Gemini 5/21-6/20 

Not Spring, since nature decides I can’t breathe during this time.

Cancer 6/21-7/22

Summer babyyyyy (and not just because that’s when my b-day is)

Leo 7/23-8/22

Fall in Salem, Massachusetts is a vibe

Virgo 8/23-9/22

Spring so that I can take aesthetic cherry blossom pics

Libra 9/23-10/22

Fall, because the crunchy leaves bring some sense of happiness

Scorpio 10/23-11/21 

Idc as long as the temp is below 69°

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21

Winter duh.

Capricorn 12/22-1/19

Winter, that’s when I’m at the top of my game

Aquarius 1/20 – 2/18

Winter, because my crying is up 2.5% due to seasonal depression.

Pisces 2/19 – 3/20

Spring, because I can blame my tears on pollen allergies.

Independence Cinema showings begin April 9

Independence Cinema reopening after COVID closures

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

In February, movie theaters in Oregon were permitted to reopen under the official Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. However, some movie theaters such as the Independence Cinema delayed their reopening, citing concerns for the new strains of COVID-19 and wanting more viable movies to showcase in the theaters.

“The hardest thing on a small business so devastated by these closures would be to reopen only to have to close down again,” said Independence Cinema in a Feb. 23 Facebook post. “We did it this fall, and we could not repeat that scenario and survive.”

However, on March 10 the local theater announced that it would be reopening its doors on April 9. 

“This was a very careful decision,” said a March 10 Facebook post, “with lots of planning, waiting and watching. We feel confident that everyone is ready to safely enjoy family entertainment again.”

The current plans for reopening entail operating daily with limited showtimes and adhering to industry-wide safety standards called CinemaSafe. Under these guidelines, all theaters are expected to require staff and patrons to wear masks, social distance audience members, increase ventilation where possible, provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content, disinfect the auditorium between showings, train staff on COVID-19 symptoms, make online tickets available for patrons and minimize cash transactions. In each state, theater capacity size varies depending on state governments mandates; in Oregon, it is contingent on a county’s COVID risk level. 

As of March 26, Polk County Health officials reported the county qualified for the moderate risk level by having a 2% positivity rate and 72.3 cases per 100,000 people over the course of 14 days. As a result, Independence Cinema will have a maximum capacity of 50%.

At this time, the theater does not have an official schedule for their showings, but according to their Instagram page, they plan to open with “Voyagers,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Nobody,” “Chaos Walking,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Tom & Jerry.” 

To ensure patron safety, the theater is implementing an RSVP system that can be done either online at www.independencecinema8.com or in person at the ticket counter located outside the theater.

If patrons are not comfortable with watching movies in person, the theater is still offering to-go concessions.

For further information or questions, visit their Facebook page @independencecinema8 or their Instagram @indycinema.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

Northwest Housing Alternatives finishes College Manor renovations and mural

Northwest Housing Alternatives hosts big reveal of Monmouth project

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

During Spring Break, Northwest Housing Alternatives ⏤ a not-for-profit developer of affordable housing in Oregon ⏤ completed the renovations on College Manor apartment complex.

Starting back in Aug. of 2020, the organization began revamping the interior design, mainly with the replacement of existing, domestic and wastewater systems and updating the bathrooms. External renovations included siding and window replacements on North and South elevations, exterior stairs and enclosure replacements, adding accessible ramps and walkways, mow strips, sealcoat and restriping the parking lot. 

“Affordable housing that is well cared for is an increasingly rare resource all across Oregon, especially in smaller/rural communities,” said Northwest Housing Alternatives housing developer Clayton Crowhurst. “Ensuring that this property continues to be … affordable for many years to come and isn’t sold to a market rate developer that will raise rents and let housing vouchers expire is critical.”

Over the course of the build, the update encountered setbacks, including a four-week delay due to COVID-19 and the Sept. Oregon wildfires, replacing moldy refrigerators and collecting funding.

“The most challenging part of any project like this is obtaining the funding to do it and then getting the many different funders and attorneys involved to all sign off on the project,” said Crowhurst. “The closing process occurred right at the start of COVID and came in right under the wire as several other projects had major funders pull out at the last minute due to fear about what the economy was going to do.”

However, the project was able to be fully funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Housing Partnership Fund and a perm loan with Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit. During COVID and the wildfires, Crowhurst stated the cost of materials rose significantly, causing a challenge to remain within budget. According to Crowhurst, the construction team of 80 to 100 people remained within budget, totaling $4,553,747 for labor and cost of materials. 

In addition to the construction, Northwest Housing Alternatives implemented a mural ⏤ painted by Portland artist Heidi Schultz ⏤ to showcase during their small presentation to the public. 

“The two of us just kicked back and forth a few different design ideas,” said Crowhurst, “and we really settled on the oak tree … It encompasses the themes of growing but also being sturdy and providing shelter during changing times. It captured a bunch of those things that embody our organization.”

Crowhurst explained that the organization is not out to make a quick dollar, and genuinely cares for its people. Being able to provide 3,000 Oregonians with a place to call home every single night ⏤ because housing is a human right and no one should have to choose between food, housing or healthcare ⏤ makes him proud to be affiliated with Northwest Housing Alternatives. 

Although there were renovations done to College Manor, current rents will not be increased. For more information about the organization, visit their website at https://nwhousing.org/#.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

Here are a few simple pranks to pull come April 1st

These practical jokes are entertaining for everyone

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌ ‌

It’s no hoax — April Fool’s Day is nearly here. Traditionally, people pull lighthearted pranks and jokes on unsuspecting family or friends, most of which range in the surprise factor. There are many tried and true tricks, like using fake spilled nail polish on the carpet or the classic caramel dipped onion on a stick. If folks need some inspiration, consider attempting these silly April Fool’s Day antics:

  • Taping googly eyes to household objects is a simple way to provide some laughs through the day. Throw them on the lamp, the TV, on the outside of a coffee mug ⏤ anywhere is possible. 
  • Covering sensors on electronics, or removing the batteries, can be a harmless way to prank the household for part of the day.
  • Take dark colored paper and cut out an insect, then tape it to the inside of the lampshade to make it look like there’s a large bug lurking. Plastic toy insects work just fine in a pinch and are normally pretty cheap.
  • Scrape the filling from a few Oreo cookies, and replace it with white toothpaste. Leaving some of these cookies ready on a plate can help entice the prankee to fall for it.  
  • If there’s a near empty or fully finished jar of mayonnaise, rinse out the container very well and replace it with whipped cream, and then pretend to eat the “mayonnaise” right from the jar to see people’s reactions.
  • Replace photos in the house with random celebrity pictures or popular TV characters. Some examples people have used in the past are pictures of Danny Devito, Steve Buscemi and Shrek.  

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

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