Garden bed project - update

The garden beds are now done and Mom (with Quentin's help!) is working on putting up a deer-proof fence and gate. She transplanted the raspberries and they seem to have taken very well. So, we'll probably get a good crop, because now the deer won't be munching on them! Yum! It has been really dry this spring, so I got our automated soaker hose system up and running today, after using two rolls of teflon tape to leak-proof all the connections. Daffodils and tulips are blooming and we've had several warblers in our yard - spring is definitely here.

Garden bed project

Mom has been busy earning her title as SBM (small, but mighty!). She is tackling a pretty major overhaul of our vegetable garden space. It all started out because the deer have been getting into the garden and eating a lot of our hard work.

So, she was looking into deer fencing and then it grew (as projects do!) into transforming the garden into a raised bed system. So, now we can live here til a ripe old age, and sit on the edge of our garden and grow organic food without even having to bend over!

Anyway, it is looking good. We joined a local organic community supported agriculture group this year, so we're thinking the garden will be different - some asparagus, rhubarb, shallots, flowers, raspberries, strawberries. Then we'll see what else we might want to add after our first year with the CSA.

Also, we taught Te Beagh to bow to us when we say "Who's your boss?" and she has it pretty well down. (This idea came from N&K and Bruno, just to give credit!).

Happy Spring! Go Avs!

Bold prediction, Avs beat wild tonight, 3-2 in OT!

In response to a comment on my last post (not naming names, but the commenter's name begins with D), no I am not out looking for the perfect beer to pay off a bet! So, I will go out on a limb, and predict that the Avs will even the series tonight with yet another 3-2 score in an OT game. Then, to go one further, I predict this will go to 7 games, and at that point - it's a coin flip! Fun! Go Avs!

Game 1 in the bag!

This headline says it all -

"Who else? Sakic tips in OT winner for Avs in 3-2 victory vs. Wild".

Sorry, Don. Another good game though!

Sierra & Don's Colorado adventure

Sierra and Don left this morning after a super weekend in Colorado. We picked them up at 7:30 a.m. Friday, so got an extra day of visiting and doing stuff. We started off going up to Estes Park for breakfast, and then took a 5-6 mile hike in Rocky Mountain national park. We were hoping the elevation wouldn't be a problem for Don, since he'd never been to Colorado before, and he did great. Plus, it was a good warm-up for Sierra and Don's hiking in Peru.


Friday night we all (Q too) went to Cafe Vino in Fort Collins. Sierra had told Don that her Mom wanted to take us out to this great "tapas" bar, but as often happens, he heard it as "topless bar" and was wondering for a second about Marianne! Anyway, the tapas were great as was the beer and the wine flights.

Saturday we had a brunch with Grandma and Grandpa, so Sierra could see them and they could meet Don. It was fun, and Grandma behaved pretty well, only indirectly talking about marriage! Saturday night we went to see Cody in the Caveman in Denver, which we all enjoyed thoroughly. After, he and his parents joined us for a drink at a great British style brewpub in Denver called Pints Pub. They had great beer, including cask conditioned ales, and the largest selection of Scotch outside of the UK! Q was drooling over the Scotch list and on the recommendation of the waitress, ordered a dram of Bunnahabhain, which was excellent. This description from an online site describes it well:

"Bunnahabhain's water is piped from streams in the surrounding hills and is therefore less peaty than might be expected. It is described as being sweeter than the other Islays, with a smooth initial palate and long full finish. Lighter than the Islay style, with a full round flavour. A popular after-dinner dram." Yum!

Sunday was a sleep in late day, and then we met some of Sierra's friends at the Trailhead to watch the Colorado Avs play the Minnesota Wild (hockey). The Avs won in a shootout, and now the two teams will meet in the playoffs starting Wednesday night. Rick and Don have a 12 pack bet on the series - Surly's or Odell's! Then Roberto came back with us for a scrumptious squash, spinach, nut lasagna, and some home made Barolo wine (which we made on his recommendation). Then it was time for some crazy Crokinole action. Don had never heard of it, but caught on quick and is now hooked! Granted he wasn't as good as this guy, but he made some good shots.

This morning we went to Lucille's for breakfast and then made a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa's place, and then took sierra and Don to the airport. Yeah for family!

Family, spurtles, and work!

Mom and I just got back from a great visit out east. I was teaching a class last week, while Mom visited family and then we spent the weekend with family together. It was wonderful to see everyone.

First, though, I got a great gift from my friend, John Schomaker, who teaches the class with me. He will be retiring soon and has taken up wood turning as a hobby. He made us this amazing Spurtle! It is hand turned from tulip poplar wood. You can read about spurtles here.

Marianne got to visit with Tanya and the kids, and also got to see Kirstan and Hailey. Then on Friday night we had dinner with Diane and Dick, Chuck and Marge, and Dina and her boyfriend Mike. On Saturday we drove down to southern Virginia to see Diane and Dick's property and had a picnic lunch right where they will build their new home! It was fun to walk around their land and down to the lake. Now, when they fill us in on news and progress, we'll be better able to picture it. We ended our visit with some hard fought battles of Crokinole, but unfortunately for Marianne and I, "Dead Eye" Dick and his able partner Diane, were too accurate for us!