If you use Twitter and have been following my recent “tweets” you will notice a few late night pesto batches being made. We all know that the more basil you pick, the more basil your plants produce and the less likely they are to flower and go to seed. About every other week, or every week this time of year, I have been clipping off
Farewell Steve
I am looking forward to a Sunday evening when I am not butchering livestock in my backyard. For the past week I have been trying to find Steve a new home. And to no avail. Sadly, you only need one male for every 20 something females in multiple species, and chickens are included in that formula. This evening we returned from a vacation to Bend,
July Harvest
There is a produce bonanza in the backyard, which I happily discovered upon return from vacation. I did a fair job last year of incorporating the harvest into our meals, but I knew I could do better and this summer is off to a great start. I have been picking the greens (lettuces, arugula, collards, spinach) often and either eating, giving away to friends, or
Home Away From Home
As I mentioned in my hasty post this morning, I just returned from a lovely week in Oklahoma visiting family. My in-laws live there and that has been a wonderful opportunity to explore a part of the country I never knew much about. My fourth of July could not have been more picturesque or more “classic American”. There we all were – about 12 of
Garden Tour
The Fo-Po Garden Tour was a lot of fun, and it was some serious motivation for us to get things wrapped up and the yard looking good! We met some really nice people and I am always happy to talk about plants with anyone who will listen. There is so much to recap… where to begin? First off, the patio is now complete! The final
Friday Farm Trip
Sauvie Island is a small farming community about 15 minutes outside Portland. It’s on a small island with one small bridge connecting the area to the outside world. Come Springtime, there is an ever revolving U-pick produce bonanza. And this is probably my favorite way to spend a Friday evening. Although I love supporting the local farmer’s markets, it’s even better to carpool out straight
Patio Progress
I am officially tired of working on the patio. The project was a good idea, and I am sure there are lots of benefits of working on it ourselves. But I’m sick of it. We spent all day Saturday working away outside. We filled the dug out area with fine gravel from Mt Scott Fuel. Then we rented a compactor thing, which Jay was nice
Goodbye Ed
We did the deed, and I can now say I am no longer just a city girl, not yet a country woman. After much thought, we decided to put an end to Ed’s life. It’s possible I could have found a farm somewhere looking for a lone rooster, but I guess I wanted to save that rooster opening for another urban family that didn’t feel
Eugene Calling
Eugene, Oregon, will always have a special place in my heart. I spent my college years there attending the University of Oregon and a few monumental things occurred during that time which have left me with fond memories of this little town. My work sent me down there Friday and a work connection hooked Jay and I up with an overnight stay at a lovely