Long Time

So, it's been a while. I got busy, and I thought I'd use Facebook for this blog instead, but I wasn't doing it. I sorta like this format, so I'm going back to it. Since we last talked, Tink has come and gone, with her investment property rented out. Farming continues. The year started with protests. Catherine looks so cute in her pink pussy hat. I made a bunch of these and met a lot of neat women by giving them out.

We had a cold wet spring, and then a suddenly very hot summer. We literally went from wool hats and coats one week to 105 temps the next. Rough time for farming. Here we are still bundled up in April, when Linda and Dwight visited.

We are playing ukes at the farm now; we needed something to do since the chickens do all the work... This has been a huge ton of fun. Catherine started it all, but I quickly joined in.

Pretty soon we had other fun folks joining us.

This is actually my second uke. It's just so pretty!

Spring was tough on the fruit trees because it was rainy and windy during bloom time. Plums didn't produce much, but the cherries did better than usual.

Despite the wet spring, we got our summer crops in.

By midsummer, everything is looking good. Notice the shadecloth: that turned out to be real lifesaver later in the season. We also mulched heavily. I planted pole beans between the tomato rows for more shade, but the beans didn't do well. Next time I'll just rely on shadecloth.

The plants got nice and big. We had a very productive tomato year.

This is an early July harvest. 

This summer was stupidly hot. We had 40 days over 100 degrees, many of them consecutive. And for the most part, it didn't cool down at all at night. Tomatoes won't set fruit in those conditions, but due to the shade cloth (I got real and put it 6 feet high) and heavy mulching, we still got a crop.

We had a couple good performing varieties this year. The Black Brandywines were super delicious. Rick says they are the best BLT tomato.

 And the Atomic Grapes performed like a champ in the heat, putting out lots of saladette size multicolored tomatoes.

But by far the best crop was the peaches. They got a few days of no rain during bloom, and they went nuts. I didn't even go to the University Farm this year because I got enough.

And in case this sounds like all we did was farm... We took a road trip to Woodland to surprise Ob (before his surgery, which was successful, yay!) and stopped off at Sutter Buttes.

 We also checked out the new Chico Taproom.

We like the patio.

Tink Is Here

Yes, the big news is that Katinka bought the house and has moved to Chico, at least for now. It's a very cute cottage, but it's gonna need a bit of work.

It's official!

But lets back up a little... This spring we finished the new chicken tractor. It's bigger and sturdier, it rolls easier, and it has a little chicken-sized door in front.

We got the tomatoes in by early May. It was a cool wet spring, but we could have had them in sooner; it was time more than weather that was stopping us.

We had a great crop of lettuce.

And some lovely onions, although we had trouble with them putting out scapes. It's so great to have Tink in these sorts of farm pics!

A wet spring means lots of rainbows. Notice how this one ends in the taproom! There IS a pot of gold there... golden delicious beer!

We've been playing music at the farm. Catherine is learning ukulele, I'm working on the melodica, and we have Tink on bells (tambourine and zils).

Tink has adapted to farm living. Here she helps Buddy put the chickens up for the night.

She also helped us get the rest of the wood mess up from the patio area in front of the soon-to-be citrus orchard.

We've had lots of visitors: David and Dean

And Masa, up from the Bay Area

We even found a new bar with Karen and Glen: #42, The Lost Dutchman. It's on the north side of town.

Back at Tink's house, we got M&S Wesley to take out all the privets and other weed trees. It's more open now, but it will be safer and better in the long run.

This tree still provides lots of shade, but isn't menacing the white shed anymore.

Titus has been helping patch the walls (after Tink ripped out the wood stove and hearth), and Craig is helping with the contracting. The benches in the back were rotten, so those had to go also, and we have some better ideas for plumbing the laundry room. Now she just needs wiring, plumbing, heating/cooling, and a new roof...

I made a tatted hanky for Laura.

And a viking boat to hold all the spices

Spring into Summer

It's still spring, but it's starting to feel like summer already. We've already had 90 degree temps, although it's still in the 50s at night. We think we can plant tomatoes and peppers this weekend. Two months ago, it was still fire season.

The plum trees were really beautiful lit up at night.

Isn't Catherine's hat cute with the little flowers on it?

We had hyacinths and forsythia blooming in mid Feb.

I got the lettuce row transplanted in mid March.

And by then the tomatoes were getting huge.

Also, March 15th we got this year's chicks. These are Golden Star (or sex-link). They were in the tap room in a big box for three weeks, but I moved them to the hen house today.

The new tractor is almost done.

I got the basil started a bit late, 3-26, but I had to wait for room in the plant area.

Rick dons his spectacles. He's feeling gnomish...

Meanwhile, off the farm, we went to a couple shows at Sierra Nevada, and celebrated the release of Summerfest. I just loved the light on these tanks. Golden tanks filled with delicious golden beer. This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

We went the to Rivenoak Fools Tourney.

Keith was the King of Misrule.

We also saw Old Spice play the Women's Club, as a tribute to Doc.

And I'm very happy with my 30th anniversary present! It's so big and shiny!