I'm an idiot

OKAY, so I just posted (and this is a repeat offense) my blog on the mushoe website- I really need to change the admin settings so I can't do that anymore.

It's almost as bad as this sign in a dentists office.....

Read more

Bloging 101

Bloging 101

Summer of Alana isn't what it used to be, I know.  Well I don't have quite the dramatic nomadic lifestyle I used to have- flying across country for parties, whisky tours in Scotland, drooling over celebs in L.A- oh Hugh....

That doesn't mean it isn't still exciting..... well, it is Seattle after all- not to be down on my pseudo home town (the real one is more like the Carmel of the north- that's my new branding for Edmonds- thanks Janie Bunch), but well it's still wet here.  Wet and cold- and when it is wet and cold the adventures tend to take place indoors instead of out- and that is usually where I find the hilarity happening.

I'll come up with some new material soon- I may start another blog that is more topical- like my friend Kyle has with his love of the UW huskies... The Dawg Dude - His breakdown to the West Virginia Mountaineers is hilare.

i have some funny ass stories- just have to find an appropriate place or outlet- or I could just let this become awesome and debaucherous... we will see.

Read more

Blue Heron

For the past two days on my drive to work, right as I get above the marshes that are next to the UW on I-520 heading eastbound, a blue heron has flown over my car. I mean right over my car. My guess it is the same bird. I was thinking the other day as I went up and over and flat across the lake on the highway that if I was Hindu, and though it may be a spiritual evolutionary step backwards, I would like to be reincarnated as a blue heron.

All I would really need to worry about is food, moderate shelter (I assume feathers keep herons warm), and procreation--not a bad life. Little stress, and in suburban Seattle there aren't too many natural predators- random coyote, neighborhood dog, I'd be bigger than any cat I could imagine. Avoid fisherman, hang out in the marshes, Seattle has a pretty temperate climate.

I wouldn't have to deal with daily commutes, politics, taxes, health care and the like. Sounds kind of nice.

We used to see them when I was a kid at my parents house in Edmonds by the pond, but only on foggy mornings when an anabatic would blow inwards off the sea, and you could taste the salt in the air.

They are very graceful creatures, as I find most birds, but I like how big they appear- tall and sinuous, but they can't weigh more than 10lbs tops.


And on that note, here is a heron, because I like pictures- the one I was was quite a bit fatter- which makes me think he/she has the easy life here:

Read more

Beer Friend Edamame!

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday after work that it was still light by the time I got home, and actually kind of warm- for March in Seattle.

I have not done much container gardening in the past- pots were for flowers in my opinion, of which I have little use for- but veggies in containers?!  There is a great blog I follow by Willie Galloway who is the West Coast editor for Gardening magazine (I'll have to double check on the publication) and appears on KUOW gardening panel every Tuesday at 10am- which conveniently is when I am headed to work- so I get to hear most of it in the car.  Her blog is www.digginfood.com, her twitter is also digginfood- she has wonderful ideas on how to grow edibles in an urban landscape and maximize space.  She also has some awesome recipes.

So Willie inspired me to try to start container gardening- also because the ground at our place in Greenlake sucks, and if we are renting I don't feel like spending the time or $ on raised beds.  I plan on planting a lot of veggies at my parents house in Edmonds because they built me about 4 or 5 raised beds years ago, and we grew lots of stuff last year.

Anyway, we planted some early lettuces, garlic is up from last fall, radishes, spinach- stuff that can tolerate our cool springs.

What I am most excited about is the Beer Friend Edamame I planted in one of our long containers.  I planted some last year around a trellis in Edmonds, and I got a few to come up and give me a few morsels of deliciousness- but it was not in a particularly good patch of soil- so I won't be making that mistake again.

In Washington State trials this particular variety was really prolific in our environment.  I know Pullman is not Seattle, but they made reference to Pacific northwest climate- so I am assuming they ran some trials on this side of the mountains.

Beer friend, aptly named because it is much loved with beer in Japan, I am hoping will do well- i am really excited by it- I'll keep you posted on progress in the garden

On a sadder note- my mushrooms seem to have stopped sprouting- which is irritating, I should have at least 3 more crops out of them....

Read more

Not Quite Summer but I'm Back

So it may not feel like summer is outside, but I am trying to revive my half-yearly blog.  We'll see how committed I am on a daily basis, on whether I have anything interesting to post or not.

Today I am looking for an awesome template to use for a website my so kind brother is helping me build.  I have been looking through Text garden for something clean, but whimsical, so if you have any suggestions, let me- free is always better, as I would rather spend my money at present on other things.

On a side note, just planted some of my edamame yesterday evening.  they deserve their own post.

Side side note- www.textsfromlastnight.com is hilarious this week b/c it is spring break

Read more