It's been a long, tedious process, but we're finally allowed to construct! There are an awful lot of permits that one needs to rebuild a house. First, there was the debris removal permit. Then, the permit for the temporary power pole. Then the septic inspection, the fire safety inspection, and the geological inspection as well… Continue reading We Have Permission!
Buried Treasure
You know how if a story takes place in someplace that's been continuously occupied by people for hundreds or thousands of years, there's a decent chance that one of the characters is going to dig up some forgotten treasure? Yeah, so that happened. The meadow where Lise used to practice archery and where nothing has… Continue reading Buried Treasure
Sweet Pickles!
Our cucumber vines are bearing many fruit. So many that, despite eating the cucumbers in salads every day, we still have a lot. It must be pickle time! Today, I picked 8 pounds of cucumbers and processed them into 8 quarts of sweet pickles. Recipe and procedure below the fold… Brine 4 cups sugar 8… Continue reading Sweet Pickles!
The Rain Falls
It's been a long, dry winter. The alstromeria have given up and decided it's spring again, sprouting up fresh leaves in just the past couple of days. And now, we have finally received some rain! I spent some time last week getting a second cistern, Seena, hooked up. I got up on the roof and… Continue reading The Rain Falls
Fresh Salsa
It's fresh produce season again, which is wonderful. That plus a little encouragement from Thug Kitchen has got me making fresh salsa and guacamole pretty frequently. Hooray for our house! In case anyone was wondering, here's the OCD salsa I just made (OCD because I did all that tiny chopping by hand, sort of a… Continue reading Fresh Salsa
Continuing Our Dogs’ Education
When we first got our rat terriers, we got them to attack the rats that were gobbling up our chickens' feed (and eggs). It took them a couple of years to figure out that they were supposed to chase the rats and that if they weren't fast enough, the rats would get away. Eventually, they figured it… Continue reading Continuing Our Dogs’ Education
Angry Birds
I love birds. I don't keep any in the house, because I also like cleanliness, quiet and the ability to travel. The more pets you have, the harder all those things become. But birds are also carriers of pests, they're filthy and they die easily. So, the best solution to the problem of how to… Continue reading Angry Birds
Let Sleeping Creatures Lie
I'm here getting ready for the trip up to San Francisco, and the little doggies are bored, so I took them for a little perambulation down the driveway. It's a fabulous day out, the sun dappling the driveway through the beautiful trees, the creek burbling a few yards away, and as the doggies walked up… Continue reading Let Sleeping Creatures Lie
I Hate Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
When I first moved in with Junglemonkey I was surprised at how frequently I had to change lightbulbs. It seemed as though at least once a month and frequently more often than that there'd be a burned-out lamp that needed replacing. Living on my own, I'd go for maybe a year before having to replace… Continue reading I Hate Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Spring in the Boat
This is what Luff looked like this morning, with happy little blue flowers among the larger plants whose blooms are yet to open. It's a good thing that the bottom leaks; it means the plants won't drown should we be so lucky as to get any rain.
The Quintana-Beitzel Coprosperity Sphere 