95% awesome and climbing

The cabinet installer guy did this much in one day. I'm very, very glad I didn't try to install the cabinets myself.

#15: What is the plural of trellis?

Today, I lugged branches home from work on my bike to use for building some trellises. I made three today, large-medium-small, for peas. Tomorrow, I lug more back for holding back the peonies which will droop if I don't. Also done last weekend: spinach, lettuce, cilantro.

Minus one kitchen

Key Lime Test

Here is the test pie for Hillary's wedding. There will be 5 each of 5 kinds: apple, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, pecan and key lime. This is my first key lime pie and it was relatively easy. I checked out a number of recipes that were mostly the same, though the NYTimes adds cream of tartar to theirs. America's Test Kitchen doesn't and neither does pie expert Julia, so I figured that must be good enough. (I need to stop taking pictures in the kitchen and move where the light is better.)

ATK calls for regular limes rather than key limes- they say the taste difference is minimal. I read somewhere else that a little lemon juice can be added if it's not tart enough and so I did that. I'm not the biggest fan of graham cracker crust it turns out, but all in all it worked out ok. I probably could have whipped the cream for a touch longer but I was afraid I'd turn it into butter.

#15: Day One at the P-patch

Today I stopped by the Cascade Ppatch for my introduction to my new plot. Our next door neighbor is giving up her plot and we'll coshare it this year and I'll take over later in the season. Today I went by to get the weeds out before they go to seed and give me and my plot neighbors trouble for the rest of the season.

Kennet stopped by on his way home from work and we got rid of all those pretty little purple flowers. It looks worse now without them, but it will help in the long run and pretty soon it wil be warm enough to start planting.

So far there are a couple of rose bushes, some beautiful peonies that need to be caged so they don't fall over under their own weight, a sad looking rosemary, chives, mint that needs to be potted so it doesn't take over, and lots of random tulips. It's a pretty big plot, a plot and a half maybe. I'm very excited, especially if we keep having seventy degree days like today.

I'm hoping to plant some nasturtiums (so easy to grow huge), patty pan squash, cherry tomatoes, chard, and maybe some peas.

Cousins

30 at 30

30 things to do while I am 30:

1. Learn how to use my camera
2. Go to grad school. Again.
3. Figure out how to really use multimedia- photos, powerpoint, etc
4. Scan and organize all the old photos that matter to me
5. Finish a quilt I started in 2005
6. Co-author a published article
7. Learn to take apart and reupholster a chair, from start to finish
8. Train appropriately for and ride the STP
9. Do a tour of Portland places I never get to go when I’m there.
10. Print fabric
11. Take a cooking class
12. Take an art class
13. Learn how to use the stats package SPSS without looking at the directions
14. Embark on some kind of everyday/week list.
15. Grow things at a p-patch

16. Create a fully stocked pantry so I can make things on demand
17. Bring my recipe compilation up to date
18. Make 3 Kiva loans
19. Sleep outside
20. Learn how to make something yummy in the small bundt pan
21. Keep my things nicer- wipe my bike down, handwash handwashables
22. Use the ipod bird calls and the workbook to relearn the local birds.
23. Maintain a bird feeder.
24. Bike to three new Seattle neighborhoods.
25. Climb a 5.8
26. Go on a photo walk
27. Get a dog
28. Fix the kitchen29. Go to NYC with Kennet
30. Climb 69 flights of stairs in 2 hours