HOME - Here's what's happening in the backyard

Butternut invaders! We planted 4 butternut squash plants as an afterthought - they decided to take over the garden and surprise us with an overwhelming number of squash!

Here is one of the plants that went through the garden gate. We can no longer close it! There is one squash hanging from the fence inside the Russian Sage (purple flowers to the right). 

Some dogs love carrots. Rob asked why I was feeding our bounty of carrots to the dogs. I said, because they appreciate them more than any human ever could - and I really enjoy watching them munch on veggies. They are very serious about the importance of night vision. 

Hippity-hip-HOP! Our first hop. Granted it is really 1 of maybe 4 hops from our plant - but at least we got a handful. Maybe next year we'll water more and add a little nutrients to the soil. 

One of our wedding trees. Yes, this is a 4-year-old tree - bonsai wedding tree! It is finally living in the soil after being dragged around Idaho and Utah in a pot. I hope it enjoys it's outdoor location and grows tall and healthy in the great outdoors.  

Spring is trying to spring

The brewing is going well. We just brewed batch number 7. We tried a soba ale (kit from Rogue Brewery) - it's made with buckwheat rather than traditional wheat. Sounds like it will be protein-rich and a little cloudier than usual. Our newest adventure is growing hops! I finally talked Rob into it - he is very sure that they will take over our yard since they are supposedly quite invasive. To quiet his concern, I planted them in a plastic pot with the bottom cut out - right in the ground. I planted 2 rhizomes of Cascade hops. I sure hope to get some this year.

We also installed a fence around the veggie garden area to keep the pests (Wiley and Penny) from laying all over my garlic! Garlic is the only green at this point but I am still crossing my fingers that the spring mix and spinach will come up soon - even with the 3 inches of snow earlier this week... I have become a little impatient with these sorts of things. We've got several plants started in the house already - kohlrabi, basil, peppers, tomatoes, and rosemary.

It has been a difficult transition back into reality. We spent a lovely week in Sayulita, Mexico - swimming, surfing, fishing, and relaxing. If you need a great place to stay down there I have a great recommendation!

Here is a taste of our first breakfast in Sayulita - best breakfast tacos ever!