8 miles

Today we ran... and ran, and ran. It took 1 hour and 44 minutes and we ran 8 miles. Our hips hurt, knees hurt, and even our brains hurt... but we did it. We hit our goal for this week (next week's too actually). It feels good to be on schedule. 13.1ersomething is the goal.

Last week we both officially registered for the Missoula half marathon on July 10th. I am really excited, a little nervous, and overall optimistic about the run. The Good Food Store paid my entrance fee ($50) because they are one of the sponsors, and because I work there, and because I won the raffle. heh... tired...

first salad from our garden

This is one of my favorite meals zed makes, now improved by using lettuce from our own garden. Flattened then grilled chicken breast with pasta covered in olives, sliced and sauteed garlic, capers and olive oil, oh, and parmesan.

the best.

I love this man so much! I worked two graveyard shifts monday and tuesday 12am-8am (my first ever) and I was really nervous about it. So, the first night he made me a milkshake and a thermos of coffee to take with me! haha I really appreciate how thoughtful he is. And the second night he sent me text messages every half hour until about 3am.

Yesterday I slept and lounged all day, trying to make up for only getting about 6 hours of sleep between monday-wednesday. He made me dinner and we played tetris. I went to bed at a normal time, and I still slept until 1pm today. Crazy! and kind of embarrassing, but no more overnight shifts for another month. YAY!! 

the basement pooper

so cute! His personality is starting to show. He is quiet, but becoming more assertive about what he likes and dislikes. Basically, don't tell him when to potty, go to bed, or play... but he is so gentle and loves to snuggle!!

He is also... a basement pooper! We take him outside several times a day (with no prompting from him I might add) and he still goes downstairs. sneaky!

weeding

well... it's not so much weeding as it is de-lawning, hehe. the grass is just growing like crazy, even in our garden. I love it though. I love being outside, finally! It smells good, and feels good. Notice the apple blossoms? Plus, the lilacs are blooming. mmm

The radishes are definitely ready, and I've tried (twice) but ick! I do NOT like them, but they were fun to grow, and maybe I can barter for something else with another gardener. However, I do really like the lettuce and mesclun.

a walk in the park

oh Boo... he's the cutest! We went for an hour long walk yesterday and he was so good! I can't wait for him to meet Nina and Chumby! We're practicing playing with ee-oos (squeaky toys) and he's finally starting to get it! Ee-oo count is up to 5.

Cat in a box

I think anyone who has, had, or spent time with a cat knows that, if you put an empty box on the ground, it will get inside.

I was going through last year's photos reminiscing, and I found some I took of our epic move (I consider it epic because we had 3 different dwellings to pack things up from, and it took half of a summer). The POINT is, it made me think of jared and galen, my brother and sister in law, who have an epic move of their own this summer. They're moving from Portland, OR to Flagstaff, AZ so Jared can earn his Ph.D. It's going to be an exciting new adventure, and I can't wait to visit! 

Best of luck you guys. I hope you find ways to enjoy it and have fun!

this is how we do

This is Boo's favorite thing to do. In addition to sleeping, here's a list of 10 things Boo did this week:

1. Made his first vet appointment

2. Snuck down to the basement to "hurry"

3. Went for his first walk around the neighborhood

4. Had 3 spa treatments at Jenelle's Salon, he smells so good! 

5. Finished taking all his medicine from the shelter

6. Ripped up one puppy pad while mom and dad were gone

7. Ran out the the front door and bolted into the street. that was a scary 90 seconds, but everyone is fine.

8. Tried to sniff cassidy's butt... a brave, and not completely unsuccessful venture

9. Showed off to family that he can run really fast (in the backyard) and likes to do so before potty time

10. Made a small (but noble) gesture towards protecting his turf. It was the smallest, cutest gruff/growl made at the noisy neighbors.

We love him!!!

Go mesclun, grow!

Very soon it be eatin' time!

our little boo

he is really, really tiny. a bony little guy, but he loves to cuddle and sleep. he doesn't really care to pose for  pictures yet, but I've tried. He is very quiet, and isn't too into his toys, and I haven't heard one bark from him yet! ...but i kind of want to.

Cassidy is curious, mildly upset, but not freaked out. she is keeping a safe distance, she's only 1.5 times his size.

aquarium in the garden

To protect our peas from birds and squirrels, I decided to hang this mobile. Maybe the movement of bright colors will deter foragers. Actually, I was mostly looking for an excuse to display this cute trinket. So far the peas are safe!

Our garden is looking awesome with much thanks to several 70 degree days. BUT, all I can think about is our little boy bobby! He gets here today!! I'm so excited, but I'm also scared. I hope he likes the food I got him, and that his crate is big enough, and I REALLY hope he likes me.

a chair

Light green with pink stripes. Not the most obvious choice at the store but, at 75% off the original price, I was willing to give it a go. I think it looks great in my office! Notice the back leg is wonky? Zed assures me it's fixable.

Zed is working really hard, and late into the night these days. Wednesday is the coup de grâce for this school year, maybe even the last 2 years. At noon tomorrow he will propose his masters thesis. I'm not sure, but I think then he can proceed with analyzing the transcripts (the research part).... and then defend in the fall? I will admit, I intentionally only have a vague sense of what he has to do, otherwise I would worry way too much.

I prefer my projects. This week I'm working on making a doggie sweater.

has the time arrived?

There are some who may posit that from the time I met one I wanted one.

My first word, dog.

My first next door friend, Ollie.

I am cautiously excited to announce that in the next several days zed and I will very likely be welcoming a new 4 legged, lovely creature into our home.

Bobby, who we speculate will most likely be nicknamed Boo, is a white Havanese male with 3 years of age. He was rescued a few weeks ago in Portland, OR by the national Havanese Rescue organization. He is a little underweight (8 lbs), but other than that he is healthy. It has been reported that he is shy, shows no aggression, but is scared. I already feel a strong desire, even need, to love and protect him.

hello again

MINT CHIP is back!! went for the first ride of the YEAR yesterday. it was short, more of a commuting trip. i'm so excited about the sun! it might be close to 70 today and I can just feel summer around the corner.

In addition to recommitting to the commuter lifestyle, I'm hoping the warming days will make it easier to get out and run. A couple months ago, I decided to set a really difficult and weird goal for myself. I want to run a half marathon this july. difficult? obviously, 13 miles. weird? because i kind of hate running.

the truth is, the running is more about having a goal. finishing school, then moving somewhere new, i ran out of projects. I'm a baby tomato plant (martha will like this analogy) with thousands of hairs desperate for just a few of them to turn into roots. 

Here's the really cool thing through... I'm recruiting people along the way! Zed is going to do it, my friend Catherine wants to, and anayansi might join us as well.

wish my knees and mental stamina much luck!

a dining room table

We received our last wedding present Saturday, and we love it!

My parents wanted to buy us a dinner table, but zed and I had a really hard time finding one we liked. After waiting a long time, and with some gentle nudging from my mom, I contacted Brian from Wood Fusion, a carpenter in Missoula, who let us design our ideal table.

We went with a simple farm table, which I think fits in nicely with the modern+natural styles zed and I both like. It's approximately 90"L x 40"W x 29"H, and topped with 5 planks of hard maple.  I think it is gorgeous, and it smells good. It is coated with natural oil and wax, and will slowly darken over time.

Thank you mom and dad!!! It is a forever piece that we will cherish and have many loving meals at.

Sprouts!

These are 3 week old mesclun sprouts, our first to be be brave and pop up. The beets, radishes, red leaf lettuce, and fancy green lettuce are up too.

We had some other fun additions for the inside of our house. Saturday, our last wedding present was delivered- a gorgeous dining room table (tomorrow's post)! AND I finally chose a lovely chair for my office; it will also make an appearance here this week.

Rattlesnake adventure

These pictures are from a couple months ago, but it has ben snowing again and I'm just so sick of it! I NEED summer to get here fast.

Working evenings and weekends puts me on an opposite schedule as Zed, so weekdays have the tendency to be too quiet and a little empty. Being alone a lot, combined with a dark, very cold, and long winter, is a recipe for a depressed little bird. So when we had our first melt in March, I forced myself outside and went for a photo walk in the Rattlesnake. Watching the ground and creek defrost was fascinating, but a little eerie too. It was still so silent and sleepy.

This girl must have been lonely (or hungry) because she came right over to the fence to say hello as I walked by. I wanted to pet her, but she looked really dirty so i didn't.

breakfasts lately...

Yes. That is a 5lb bag of blueberries.

Blueberry smoothies are my new thing. I have been buying lots of them at my grocery store, but at $4 each the money starts adding up quickly. So I decided to try making them at home, and I think I've figured out how to make them even more delicious (and a little healthier too). Here's the approximate recipe:

1 cup of FROZEN blueberries 

1/2 cup of milk

1/4 cup of plain yogurt

1-2 tsp of honey

I think that the frozen berries make the smoothie taste more like a milkshake treat, AND blueberries (particularly wild bb) are SO good for you. Last tip, use a small blender like the magic bullet, and WASH IT RIGHT AWAY!

Graupel

Oh how fast everything can change... It's not snow or hail. this is graupel, a softer version of hail and it came down fast... in about 30 seconds! It is squishy and soft like styrofoam, but it was coming down so fast that I was afraid it was going to displace or bruise our seedlings/sprouts. So when Zed got back from school he bent a few bamboo sticks over the veggies to drape row covers over. I think it works, and it looks like we know what we're doing.

Peas

Peas are planted! Along with radishes, beets, carrots, green onions, swiss chard, red leaf lettuce, green lettuce, mesclun, spinach, and garlic. In the coming weeks we will plant our beans, squash, and tomatoes. I am watering our wild flower seeds, which we hope will attract bees and butterflies to our garden.

We are watering every day, sometimes twice a day. I feel so impatient. It is becoming less and less exciting to water dirt, I want vegetables! I don't think I even like radishes, but I can't wait to have them, and I want lots of them!

Easter

Sunday was GORGEOUS! 65 degrees and sunny all day! For Easter, we were invited to our friend's house for brunch and as we approached the door we found a chalk written love note from Sarah to her wife, Catherine. It was a beautiful day.

breaking ground

We need lots of ground space for all the vegetables we want, so we decided to tear up the lawn! I was nervous at first because we found a sprinkler head, and then we found an underground cable, but my savvy husband rerouted them and used the motor tiller to create a lovely plot.

First Post!

This is the beginning of our garden. Soon it will have peas, root vegetables, and lettuces.