Garden Beds...

Five beds for our vegetable garden...

Travels...

I've been working some extra shifts the past week or so. The other day I got up at 4:30 am and drove across California to work. Although I was on a tight schedule, I just had to stop and admire this herd of elk. I didn't try to get too close to them. I didn't want to spook them into traffic.

I will be doing more paid labor for the next week, as I'm covering for a couple of departments that are on vacation. Got to refill those empty coffers! It is nice to have a job that is flexible, and offers me the opportunity to pick up some extra shifts now and then---without committing to full time work.

Back to Work...

It is finally warm enough to get some work done. So I tackled the last bit of Stem Wall. First I prepped the site and set up my forms:

The last bit of Stem Wall is about fifteen feet--with room for what will be the back door:

The last corner of the Stem Wall. The big rock I called the Cornerstone:

The back door will go where the mortar is smoothed out in the photo below:

The half completed wall. I will have to build this wall about another foot taller:

Happy Birthday Angel! Age 1...

The things these humans make me do!

At least Angel got a cake. Ground beef covered with ricotta cheese...

I don't particularly care for this party hat!

Harley Davidson meets Michael Pollan

Another sure sign of spring: our local cafe (and biker hangout) has re-opened. They close for the winter when traffic on Highway 70 is limited. Scooters is a great diner! Run by a sixty something biker couple, they create decent home food with a California twist. They feature fresh food from local suppliers. Harley Davidson meets Michael Pollan.

And the walls have interesting items on them. Here a timber rattler (no need to kill those, they tend to be very docile) graces the wall.

And the signs:

Mental Health advice:

Kylie Climbs a Tree....

Jazmine, Angel and the Tire Swing...

What is a friendly game with your guardian dog on a tire swing worth? Priceless?

Crinkle, Crinkle, Little Car (I mean Van)....

Joni had an accident that could have been much worse. She tried to make a left turn, when a speeding car came around the corner (people drive much too fast on these rural roads). The other car was totaled. Ours is in the shop...

We are thankful no one was hurt...

Composting in a Pit...

We bury our compost with straw. Away from the house. Critters are reappearing after the fires of last summer.

The explosion of chickens on the Ridge has ended. The new young couple who moved in down the road told me the other day that "somethings been eating them". I couldn't help but feel glad. Too much domestication on the Ridge is not a good thing.

Against The Wind..

If I had to do this all over again, the one thing I would have done differently is that I wouldn't have ordered the strawbales so soon. Wait until you are ready for them. Keeping strawbales dry for month after month has been a challenge.

Like today. A storm blew in last night. Joni and I thought we would wrap the house in plastic to protect all the work we've done. "Just work behind the plastic! ", we said. I spent most of the day reattaching plastic to the house. Changing things. Keeping bales dry. Muttering and swearing and muttering and swearing, ad nauseum.

Order the bales when you need them. Wait.