30 January 2012: Planning the garden

On Sunday we plotted out our 2012 veggie garden and started three varieties of tomatoes, two types of hot peppers, and several butter lettuces. It's been warm for January, so we'll direct-sow peas and radishes next week.

We set up our final addition a lá GME--a gorgeous Oriental rug.

27 January 2012: Sunshine at last

Of course the moment Mom and Dad left the sun came out.

Sabine appears to have missed her calling as a furniture model.

The nursery rocking chair is so cute and comfy!

The guest bedroom is starting to come together now, too.

26 January 2012: Furniture galore!

We waited until Mom and Dad visited to take down our tree.

Perfect timing; the movers arrived this morning with a new living room.

Anyone who's been to our house knows it suffers from a bit of a furniture deficit. Thanks to some "hand-me-downs" from GME, it suffers no longer!

Sabine has done lots of sniffing but fortunately no scratching.

These two reading chairs are divine. And they recline! Which rhymes.

Arabella made herself right at home on our new dining room chairs.

11 December 2011: Anniversary time!

For our 14-year anniversary (7 years married), we did our first ever staycation. Here, Austin plays with his new Bucky Balls magnets. Justin and Shoshonna's beautiful flowers for us are in the foreground.

We also bought our first ever Squiggly supplies: an owl onesie for newborns, a bike onesie for three-month-olds, and a little owl toy. It was a very fun little shopping trip.

01 December 2011

Um, are we in Portland? This is spectacular. SUNSHINE!!!!

23 November 2011: Tomatoes galore

It's been dark and rainy of late, so when the sun came out last Sunday I took advantage and cleaned out both veggie beds, sowing lettuce and radish seeds and gathering our final batch of tomatoes. I slow-roasted the ripe, red ones, and have spread the greenies out to ripen. I've never tried this before so it's certainly an experiment. Happy Thanksgiving!

19 November 2011: Solar array

With the sun setting around 5:30 p.m., the days are far shorter and our panels are buzzing far less. But we still get use, and have enough credit kwhs from the summer to = net zero electricity usage since May.

10 November 2011: Yellows

I love autumn, especially in Portland, and especially this year.

So do Sabine and Arabella, who hunt down sun patches daily.

Even the tomatoes are still going strong, and today it hit 63 F.

We found "Miracle Sun" yellow paint with zero VOCs. It's serious.

See? Serious. But we think we like it. Seems perfect for Little Squiggly.

04 November 2011: Murmuration

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

This short video simply astounds me.

26 October 2011: Late harvest

In late October I harvested several pounds of red and green tomatoes.

I poached the green ones in butter and sauteed with shallots first.

It took more than an hour just to chop and mash the harvest.

Two hours in and I'm still having to add scoops of tomato in batches.

After freezing two pints I added the rest and reduced another hour.

Next it was time to add cream and spices and keep reducing.

Four hours in: our best pasta sauce yet. Definitely an ordeal!

26 September 2011: Autumn

September and October are my favorite months in Portland. Occasional rain and lots of shine = fast growth for all the greens.

Tomatoes are still doing their thing. More gigantic heirlooms.

And we have a fig!

10 September 2011: Birthday terrarium

On my 32nd birthday, I made a terrarium. Also note the mini 'timber.'

Succulents love sand, and this little guy, at two inches, has lots of room to grow. I added two shells and hung our dried garlic flowers (called scapes) from a deep brown twig. I wanted to focus on three unlikely colors: purple, white, and green.

I burnt our jade with fertilizer, but it's trying to stage a comeback.

Matthew and Lindsay got me these for my birthday last year, which I added (with shells + dried berries) to our Russian crystal vodka glasses.

A week and a day after sowing seeds, they've all germinated.

The pak choi (top) and radish (bottom) look almost identical.

Somehow a zucchini seed got in the mix. I love those surprises.

Our black pearl tomatoes are cascading over the tomato cage.

We harvested 6 cups (3 pounds) of tomatoes and made vodka sauce.

07 September 2011: New things

Last night's salad was decadent. I harvested a couple dozen of our Black Pearl tomatoes and mixed them with mozarella, salami, avocado, peas, and a garlic olive oil dressing. Not a nightly undertaking if we want maximum heart health, but damn tasty.

I just cut the tomato plants way back. Hadn't pruned in weeks.

Holy seedlings! These guys are popping up in less than a week.

Peas (at left) and pok choi (at right) are so far the busiest.

It appears that tomatoes, too, can produce conjoined twins.

Go, basil, go! Good thing it's our hottest week of the year. 96 today.

After saving from my cash allowance for a couple months for a cruiser bike, I decided to redirect my funds to a more immediate need: good running gear. Sally re-inspired me with our four-mile run in Seattle this weekend. The best new things: my shoes (feel like air) and my sports bra (perfectly snug), but I also love those shorts, the light but cushy socks, and the water bottle hand holder dealybob. The pedometer was just $10 and is very basic (steps, miles, calories) but better than nothing. Kudos to Portland Running Company. The guy spent 30 minutes finding the perfect shoe for me, and I think he got it just right.

Mapmyrun.com is a great way to track runs and stay motivated.

06 September 2011: Labor Day harvest

We return from Seattle, touch the giant twin tomato to see if it's getting soft, and it promptly falls off the vine. Pasta night!

The harvest included all six varieties: Big Rainbow (the giant), Beefsteak (largest red in the bowl), Red Lightning (stripes), Black Pearl (darkest small ones), Yellow Pear, and Cherry Red. We did a blind tasting and liked the Red Lightning and Black Pearl the best. That's handy, given they're by far the most prolific.

Time to sauteé with our own garden shallots and garlic.

Time to add good red wine and reduce for a half hour.

Still reducing, now with salt, pepper, and our own thyme and rosemary.

Add parmesan é voilá! Absolutely excellent.