Jan~ We've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather by putting in a kitchen garden outside the front door (me) and John has been working on the veggie garden. We both finished up distributing the manure/soil and it's ready to plant. We're excited to get a crop of kale, spinach, lettuces, mustards, and chinese cabbage. I also got some strawberries, garlic, herbs, and a few flowers. John seeded out some basil and I've got cilantro going already. Lovage is next on the seeding list.

We're also making our list of fruit trees/bushes and vines,while we wait for all the solar components to arrive so we can get the power of the sun up and running...With all the sunny days we've had it'll be great to get off the generator.

Jan 7th~ Had a wonderful time with our neighbors Chris & Kelly last night. Jill is also back from Nebraska so we fired up the outdoor cob and made pizzas, which was a real treat. We finally got the temperature regulated, but I need to work on my pizza crust. The Boboli crust they brought worked out perfect, but I'm challenged to make my own, so I hope to make it a weekly event so I can perfect it. Chris & Kelly will be leaving for Thailand in a few weeks to attend a permaculture workshop so we're excited for them and look forward to sharing their adventure when they return. We're so fortunate to have such a vibrant couple to share ideas, books and experiences with. Finding folks that have the same interests is a rare enough feat, but having them right down the road is superb!

Jan 9th~ ran around today together looking for a few more leafy greens to plant, and a few bare root apple trees-our favorite 'Pink Lady'. When those are planted we'll return for some asian pears, grapes, and other berries. The ground is so doggone hard for lack of rain, so we'll need to get the pick ax out!

Also got some pressure treated lumber and rebar pieces to make some stairs, and begin a terracing our hillside for fruit trees and edibles. Living on a hill has it's challenges, but the view and location is worth the efforts.