Success!

Lady Bird laid her first egg!

Almost Instant Gratification

I spent this weekend finishing up the rows for the garden and getting everything in and planted. It was quite a process…I started before Easter. It feels good to get that huge task taken care of, and just as the hot weather is settling in, too. It's already doing better than last year. I'm really using what I learned last year to improve things and I can already see the changes. We’ve already been enjoying our first garden lettuce.



Planted Easter weekend and ready for the past week, we've been picking as needed, and it sure is lovely. Everything else has a long way to go, but it's nice to get something from the garden so soon. It makes all of the work worth it.

Lettuce is really easy...everyone could have lettuce growing, even in apartments. A window box of this or a pot on your porch would be such a nice summer treat. It's so soft and delicate. A bowl of this sprinkled with oil and vinegar and a glass of Riesling. Yes.

I have to say that the garden is pretty much solely my project this year. We've reached a silent agreement that Aaron would do most of the yard work and I would tend the garden. Which I think we're both okay with. Aaron hates weeding. I hate the noise of the mower. Last year, we had a reel mower. We really tried with that thing. But our lawn is just to big for that much work. Dang. We were killing ourselves. So now we're guiltily using a regular push mower we found on Craigslist and composting the clippings or using them as mulch. Oh well. We can't do everything. But for now, we'll eat our lettuce and be happy that our energy is now going into growing, rather than cutting the lawn.

Homesteading Progress

Start a garden? Check. Bake our own bread? Check. Make our own yogurt? Check. Get chickens?

Henny-Penny and Lady Bird

CHECK!

On Sunday, we picked up these two lovely ladies and added them to the family. They are Red Star pullets and we got them from a farmer who raises free-range/organic eggs. They should be ready to start laying eggs in about four weeks.

Aaron's been busy for the last few weeks building their new home.

It took a long time. We were still working on it they day we got them.

It's called a chicken tractor, and the idea is to provide a semi-free-range, yet enclosed area with the coop on top. You move it around the lawn every couple of days so that they can have fresh ground/bugs/etc.

It looks kind of weird because it's on a slope

This is where we'll steal their eggs

Aaron designed it himself after looking at several different ways of making one. He's so cute. More chicken love to come! Stay tuned.

Newly Wed No Longer

I can't believe it's been a year since the wedding! Man, this year has just zipped by. Right about now, I was probably nervously going over my lines in my head, peeking through the window to watch as people arrived, and trying to remember to breathe.

It was a labor of love and it turned out to be a beautiful day. I am so happy that we did most of the details ourselves...that gave us so many more memories. And I still can't think of a better place to have a wedding. It was perfect.

My favorite memories: The gardens, the pies, the relaxed atmosphere, seeing Aaron in seersucker, seeing Cody, my beautiful snapdragons, the way the rain stopped just in time! (I've been owing the weather gods on that big time, by the way. Every major day for the last year has been rainy...but it was sooo worth it.)

So after a year, have I learned anything about married life? Choose your battles, never put up wall paper with the one you love, a small gesture (like waking someone up with coffee in bed or putting a special surprise treat in their lunch bag, or really listening to what they're saying) goes a really long way. Patience is invaluable. Friendship is the most important thing in a marriage. I am ready for year #2!

Dogwood in Bloom

From the deck.



Finally got a chance to play around with my new camera. If you haven't noticed, I like to take a little walk around the yard when the light is good to see what's going on. This week: the dogwood trees are just starting the burst. The blushy cream ones are in full bloom, while the more vibrant pink ones aren't quite there yet.

First Cookout. Check.

Goodbye, Sweet Thursday

For the most part, I have had the luxury of having my Thursdays off (usually with the sacrifice of nights and/or weekends at work). But, that's coming to an end, as I enter new relms of professional employment. Weekends are usually time to catch up on house work, groceries, cooking, gardening, etc. Thursdays were just for me.

It's exciting, but I'll miss my me time.

Signs of Spring

I took some time to wander around the yard a little to see how spring was coming along.

Tons of crocuses are out. I feel like I didn't even notice them last year.

This one is growing where he shouldn't (in the herb garden bed). I wonder how he got there.

We have several forsythia bushes in our yard. Some are in full bloom, others are waiting.

Teach by Example

This comes at a very important time. I was just talking to Aaron about this a couple of weeks ago, asking "why aren't they telling us how to survive? Why aren't they telling us to grow gardens?" They are.

Fan Questions

Meghan Writes:

have you considered an herb garden? I would love to do that. I have a sick stomach and my nose is a little raw from the cold i had (is well now!) and was like, I would love some mint. It is a creeping plant though but who the hell cares, you know?


Meghan,

Hey. Yeah, we have some herbs. We have wild mint growing in our front yard. We transplanted some to the back and it seems to be growing out there, too. It's nice because it keeps coming all summer...so much so that Aaron weed whacked it twice, and in a couple of weeks it was back again. I usually put it in ice water with some lemon slices.
We also have wild dill growing in the back yard. It's awesome.
And we planted some basil, but unfortunately, we only used a little of it and then it went to seed. We still tried making pesto from it, but it didn't turn out that great.
Anyway, we have this special little garden box about 3 feet squared built up with large stones in the middle of the back yard that is perfect for herbs. That is where we housed the basil last year. I'd like to try lavender. I have killed every attempt at rosemary, though.
When we were in Somerville, Aaron constructed an elaborate window box holder, and we used to grow so many herbs in that on the third floor. We probably could have grown cherry tomatoes, too, because the window box we had was pretty deep.

My seedlings are coming up nicely. The pea tendrils are already about 3 inches long...growing almost an inch a day in the past two days! I know you're supposed to plant peas early, but I'm scared to because we're still having cold nights. My chard, lettuce and tomatoes are up, too.

I'm really excited about my garden this year. Last year was a test, and this year I think I know how to improve it. Now I just need to figure out a way to keep people out of it. We're going to have to build the fence higher and keep a lock on the door. People stole over 100 of our tomatoes last year. We got to eat about 7 of them. :(

photo recap

Here is what's been going on:

I've been making these things. I call them "Bookworms." They hold your place open.

I gave this one to Meghan. I saw her a couple of weeks ago. I miss her.

We've been making a lot of soup. This one was a generic "Asian" mushroom soup. However, I think that soup season is coming to an end.

My husband is growing an afro.

My kitty is still cute.

Day Off

Yes, Aaron, count them: Two kinds of hot sauce. I have faith that he used both.

Happy President's Day. As this often tries (and usually fails) to be a kind-of food blog, I was going to post a bunch of pictures of our 44th president eating, but then I thought that might be weird.

I think I might need some tacos in the near future.