Propagation and Beer

Most drunken propagation happens in bedrooms (or at least I think it does--I don't have any life experience to verify this…maybe it happens in the woods. Or in cars. Or the kitchen?). 

At around four this afternoon Daphne brought some of Shawn's delicious hard cider into the propagation house. I was very thirsty and Blossomwood Cider goes down easy. A little too easy. Within 20 minutes my cuttings weren't looking quite so straight, my voice sounded loud and opinionated, and I said shit that I had no business saying. And since it was ladies day in the prop house it was down right hilarious. The thing is….I can't remember now what was so funny. Maybe it was just getting drunk--proof that alcohol does not improve my intelligence. Anyways, today's drunken propagation took place in the green house. And no babies were produced in the process, just many happy albeit somewhat crooked plants.

Working in the prop house with the girls is the farming equivalent to a quilting bee. We swap poultry and pruning tips--Em recommends raising 50 cornish hen hybrids all at once for tasty meat birds, giggle about living in a small town--sometimes it takes newcomers awhile to realize that being an asshole isn't an option, and catch up on each other's lives. Days like these provide another dose of soul food, which is easy to come by in these parts and yet never under-appreciated.

This is sweet Em and with the inconspicuous brown bottle. This one tasted like it had berry and ginger in it. Similar to kombucha but hits a whole lot harder.  (I love kombucha, but for those of you that don't I swear they make a tasty cider). Well worth a trip over to Shawn and Genese's. 

Just a short angle on the propagation house. The number of plants grown here is astounding.

I mentioned that I've been challenging myself with projects. This is a dresser I picked up off the street. 

This is the final outcome. Autumn helped me with the colors and I found the hardware at Hobby Lobby for super cheap (that place is dangerous!! though I'm lined out for my next few projects). I used this tutorial as a guide, though I left out the antiquing process because it looked pretty awful when I tried it. 

The peonies blossomed and no doubt I am taking pictures of every petals unfolding, but I am just loving these sweet little blue flowers Claire grew. 

We made doughnuts in class this week at the Trading Post, our town's  natural food co-op. For all the healthy food that comes out of that kitchen we managed to produce some deep-fried delicious white flour goodness. We experimented with four different recipes- my favorite involved an over-night rising process.

One of Em's goats whose name I don't know. 

Emily got two little studs this year. Boy oh boy are they rambunctious, Very cute because they are small and manageable but we are all hoping they mellow out as they grow.

This is my garden journal. My friends Scott and Sharon make them to supplement their farming and landscaping incomes. Their work is beautiful and it seems fitting to catalog each season it.

Luke and I made a quick curry together this week. It's so nice to have fresh colors and herbs to add to dishes these days.  Luke walked me home along the irrigation ditch-- the silloutted mountains, stars overhead, warm breeze, and our linked hands reminded me just how charmed life in our valley can be. 

My girl.