Space is somewhat of an issue for us on our lot and this hoop house works perfectly since it can be dismantled during the summer months. For about $102.00 at Home Depot you can have one too! Our supplies (plus a little work and a tiny bit of thinking) bought us an 18′ long by 8′ wide hoop house with extra’s to build another small hoop house  over an existing raised bed. (or we will just keep it for repair.) Oh, and we haven’t put the doors on it yet…actually we haven’t even made them yet but the tomatoes that are currently inside would roast if we had them there so we will keep you posted on the doors (more on that after the mountain bike race, family birthdays, and out-of-town visitors.)

Our materials included…

- 2 X 4′s for a rectangular frame to fasten the  hoops to.
- 10′ sticks of 1/2″ PVC plus fittings (couplers, T-couplers and 4-way couplers)
- Gorilla Tape (This stuff is great!)
- 6 mil plastic
- staples
- 1/2″ pipe clamps
- 1-1/4″ wood screws
- 48″ wood lath / slat board (for securing the stapled plastic from wind / tearing).

We’re well on our way to a fruitful winter garden inside our hoop house and our cold frames. We haven’t even closed the ends and the tomato plants that were in the garden space we covered are loving the warmth and showing us this by ripening faster than our outdoor tomatoes.

Building the hoop house is pretty simple. If you have any specific questions or need ideas on integrating your own available materials into a hoop house let us know and we will see if we can help you out.  Here are some photos we took along the way and we’re sure you can figure most of  it out from there.

Back in the spring we came across a couple of nice vinyl windows for $5 each. One blew over during a wind storm and busted (so sad) but we used a few older windows to replace it and completed our cold frames for forcing seeds and essentially maintaining a mini greenhouse. Our cold frame is simply a wooden box with a hinged window top. We framed in the window with 2 x 4′s and connected it to the box with hinges. The frame that uses the older windows used three to make up the lid but it was easy to screw them together….just work with what you have.

Our next project is to build a hoop house over one of the garden beds in the back yard. We’ll share more on that soon, hopefully!

The weather is still mild here in Eugene but the summer crop is past its peak and on a steady decline. We started basil, radishes, Romaine and a second type of lettuce in the cold frames.  We also added some 4″ pots to one of them and planted cauliflower, and two varieties of brocolli. These will go into the future hoop house once they have rooted. It’s all an experiment…we are having fun just doing things and figuring it out along the way. Learning when to plant successive crops (and exactly what to plant and when) would be awesome but I don’t know if I will ever be that organized. I guess it will just have to fall into place because the balance found itself. In the meantime….we are eating enough food to make it worthwhile and it’s fun. What else would we be doing?? Watching TV?? blech!

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The last of the blackberry roots have been dug out although I’m sure we will have to attack a few spirited sprouts every now and again. The nasturtium seeds that the kids and all their neighbor friends sowed are now sprouting, in large, thick clumps. I considered splitting them while young and spreading them around a bit more but that is low on the priority list right now, at least until I get the rest of the veggie starts planted which is just some tomatoes, a couple hot peppers and some mystery plants. All of the leaves that we had delivered in the fall have become a good composting mulch and it all has a home in the yard now. This fall I will double our drop because I could surely use some more!

The cinderblocks that were around the original garden bed are now gone, mostly. A few remain because we don’t have any material to fill in the gap that will be left behind and cause erosion. I am so excited about this though because I always thought they were the biggest eyesore and they honestly did not serve a very good purpose in the form they were being used. It was difficult to get grassy weeds out and weeds and blackberries would even grow up inside of the little cutouts that are in cinderblocks.  Here is what the bed used to look  like (this was our only gardening space) and what we have now. Removing the cinderblocks and adding leaf mulch will increase our gardening space, soften the edges of garden making it more visually appealing and as I mentioned above, weeding will be so much more efficient with them gone. Notice the blackberries in the back of the yard in the photo on the left. That was just a few months worth of growth since they had been hacked back the previous fall so the area was a bit larger when we tackled it. It is difficult to see in the current photo what has been done in the area that was once a blackberry patch but I will get a better picture soon. For now I can tell you that we have a plum tree planted back there along with some summer veggies and perennials that I divided or being grown from seed.

The cinderblocks have been repurposed into a wall that disguises our compost/clutter area and I planted a marionberry in front of it which will likely outgrow it’s place there but it’s close to one of the raspberry patches so it seemed like a good spot. Marionberries aren’t super vigorous though so it won’t be too hard to keep cut back. Speaking of berries, I added another 8 plants for a total of 48 raspberry plants! We won’t see a very big crop this year since half of those were planted this year and we have yet to see if some of the plants make it but I am hopeful and so excited that the kids will be able to forage in the yard.

With inspiration from some friends we brought in some straw bales to give straw bale gardening a try. I let them sit out in the rain for a week and then I dug a small hole out of the straw and spread some compost on the top then planted some of my veggie starts. then I put the straw that I pulled out back around the plant. I fit 3 pepper plants into one bale and put 2 summer squash plants into one bale. The biggest reason we opted for straw bales this year is because the garden bed that we sheet mulched last fall just doesn’t seem ready; the ground is full of clay and the soil is very compact.  Often times a garden bed takes years to really be prime for gardening so we aren’t rushing it and I figure that having the composted straw bales with compost getting mulched into the bed will only help the soil composition. I am still planting some tomatoes directly into the bed because they seem to be doing well. We also have some mystery sprouts growing from the compost that was put into the bed. I think they are a summer squash that we grew last year, Ronde Nice, although I hope they are pumpkins otherwise our neighbors will be full of squash too!

Once I get these veggies in I don’t think I will be doing much more planting and I don’t have any major projects planned and I prefer to sip ice tea in the shade when it gets hot out. My goal is to keep the weeds from creeping back into the space that we have mulched and I will also be learning how to increase the soil composition of our garden area and we’ve got cold frames that need to be ready for the fall. Plus I would like to figure out a way to build the kids a cool fort on the cheap. Any ideas?? Oh, and we needed to get the clothesline put back up last week! Work, work, work!

I really cannot come up with another example other than the one that triggered this very thought so I will share this true story example. Recently I shared a note on facebook regarding my thoughts on the use of infant and children’s Tylenol or acetaminophen products. The note spawned from the many posts that I have read over time on community boards regarding the use of Tylenol and acetaminophen for teething relief. Then there was a recent recall and some people were quite disgruntled about it. Before this recall ever came along there were many before it so first let me express that the surprise and disgust by so many people that this type of thing would occur comes across to me as naive. Considering the women that I would think would be on these boards with me, I am saddened that there are so many who insist on pretending that drug companies are here to help and that the side effects of their drugs can be tossed to the wayside so easily.  Secondly, I am annoyed that whenever people expect to be caudled no matter their decision so that they are not made to feel guilty. This must be another symptom of the Pleasure Principle. When did speaking of things that make us guilty become an offense? Usually these things that make us feel parental guilt are the things that need some changing…that guilt is coming from the gut while we try to ward off the outside marketing that has told us that we should remove any pain from our lives.  I understand that pain may appear worse for a baby since their method of communication is dramatic crying but I can only assume that a parent who dispenses instant gratification through a medicine dropper to an infant and toddler will do this at the same rate with older children until the parent learns something different. How can we develop what is seemingly a natural instinct for humans when parents are constantly reaching for pain relievers because if the baby keeps crying they won’t get enough sleep or they won’t be able to achieve their own instant gratification or pleasure perception.

There is no argument that we live in a generation of instant gratification. And to dismiss this situation as one that can be skimmed over is missing the point because I’m not making a case to never use pain relief. My case is that pain relief is widely overused, just like antibiotics are. And as we can easily see the side effects of  overusing antibiotics (tooth decay, disrupted digestive system, resistant bacteria, widespread sickness, increased medical costs, etc.) there are also going to be side effects of overusing Tylenol and acetaminophen. Some of those are liver damage (do you know that your 24 month old child does not have liver damage after drinking several bottle of acetaminophin over what is really a short period of time?) Plus, liver damage  can lead to liver failure later in life and of course there is the lack of deferred gratification, the very thing that leads to more will power and self control, things that grow strong, thoughtful people who can win out a pleasure-seeking individual in any race.

I am in no way suggesting that a baby be left in miserable pain so that an adult can gain life success through their own delayed gratification; there are other ways to treat ailments, including herbal and homeopathic remedies but they typically don’t act as fast as Tylenol and a little more thought is usually required with the use of homeopathy and herbs. I know that a lot of people like to say that herbs and homeopathy don’t work but what I really think they mean is that it didn’t work fast enough and they don’t have the patience to find something better.

I won’t disagree that teething tablets and other combination remedies often do not work. Similar to modern medicine, homeopathy can require professional help. But unlike modern medicine, homeopathy approaches the body as a whole and considers how the individual is handling the problem. This means a remedy given to one child for teething may not work for the next so finding a remedy means we have to pay attention to the symptoms for some period of time and with this means the person may have to suffer for a short time (although some pain relief could be given in the meantime until a remedy appears to be helping). Another reason that homeopathic remedies sometimes don’t seem to help is because a higher dose may be needed. Are you seeing how this picture here looks different than giving a fast-acting pain reliever? Are we really sure that just for the sake of time we want to give our children a product that is known to cause liver damage and failure as well as other unknown side effects rather than a remedy that has absolutely no side effects, is completely safe but requires a bit more of a challenge to get it right? Where is our own will power?

There are other topics I could go onto as well that illustrate the degree of instant gratification people are seeking… women are wallowing in epidurals during labor, people don’t like exercise because they sweat and it’s uncomfortable, people don’t like to cook… I hope you can understand that although I do believe that the use of acetaminophen is abused, this is not entirely about Tylenol. It’s about people realizing the depth of  instant gratification we are standing in and how it inhibits personal growth and the resurgence of good character.

Maybe you don’t care about overusing acetaminophen because your gut tells you its okay. And that is fine! By all means, sometimes decisions like these do require parenting from the gut when we just don’t know what to do. But please keep in mind the imbalance of character that instant gratification brings with it.

The package arrived 2nd day air, way sooner than I thought it would! Not great on the carbon footprint but I’m sure I could call the company and request a different shipping method but the 2nd day air would sure be handy if I was in a hurry. This might seem funny but I love the bottle. It’s got a flip-top lid with a little rubber gasket at the opening so when you tip the bottle you have to squeeze it to get it out. It just give a good, controlled pour since the recommended amount is only a teaspoon there just isn’t much surface space to be pouring onto and good fish oil is worth its weight in gold so spilling it is not an option.

I was impressed with the taste…nothing fishy at. all. I did get a little bit of indigestion shortly after taking the oil the first time but I have taken the Barlean’s fish oil a few more times without incident so I think it was unrelated. No burping afterwards either but I generally don’t have a problem with that. I like this product but because I don’t  like to pay shipping I would want to find a local retailer of Barlean’s Fish oil.

Silly me thought I could make a thick fluffy pancake but honestly the coconut flour batter doesn’t cook well when layed out thick, hence the recipes name, Coconut Flour Crepes. The ones I made were still great, I did add more milk as I got into the groove of what a thin crepe should look like (the batter should kind of spread out in the pan by itself with just a tilt of the pan.) The thinner they are the better the texture and they don’t break as easily. But the awesome thing is that I was full for a long time after eating them…not a I-ate-way-too-many-pancakes-full but just a long-lasting satisfaction. I will make these again.

My thoughts are constantly stirring with new ideas and garden plans of how the next section of yard might look. Yes, we are fortunate to have a flat city lot where we can do just about anything when compared to a sloping lot but sloping lots are gems of another category but we aren’t covering that right now. Having a few small areas and sights like these keep me motivated to continue building our own paradise.

To take three kids ages 5, 3, and 18 months out on an adventure using public transportation can be quite different than a trip in the car. There isn’t all that extra storage space to bring and store snacks, cups, and diapers. I’m generally a minimalist anyway but I did find a new trick with water for the kids. I use a timbuk2 bag as my ‘diaper’ bag or even more fitting ‘family bag.’ Toting 3 klean kanteens plus a water bottle for me can take up a lot of space and it’s quite heavy and sort of sloshy to carry so recently I started carrying two larger reusable water bottles and 3 small plastic cups. this actually frees up a lot of space, getting the water into a more compact space. Our snacks were the usual for this time of year, mandarins, nuts, berries, seeds and jerky; all in one container and we share. I took three diapers with me but only ended up using one. You know if I had only taken one I would have needed more.

Once we got to the main station we had to switch buses then we did some walking and thrift store shopping. Annie was in the ergo and pulling on everything in reach including my hair….we had to get out of there.  I returned an item that I had been meaning to take back for awhile (some Aveda exfoliant that made my face breakout) then we went to a local toy store where we could get a dragon that Nathanael had been asking for but he ended up choosing a cowboy on a horse instead (you know, those cool Schleich figurines). Jaden acquired a playmobil mermaid set. My children don’t have many toys and rarely get a new toy when it isn’t their birthday or Christmas and even then we are conservative so this was quite the treat. Lunch at the local Noli Cafe by choice of Jaden where we played the spelling game (Jaden asks me how to spell a word and I spell it…now Nathanael is into asking too). Annie slept on my back while I ate my lunch and finally woke up just in time to eat her own lunch before we headed out for a long stroll back to the main station to return home.

Nathanael dozed off before we got on the bus home and I had to take him out of the stroller and fold the stroller up as well, safety regulations. He actually stayed asleep sitting up for a bit but eventually woke up. Annie wanted to be a big girl and sit in her own seat on the way home. Jaden loves to look out the window and name all the places she recognizes. Using the bus sort makes for a long day, we were gone for 3.5 hours but with proper planning it gives a nice slot of time of outdoor activity that kids love without having to spend a lot. The next time we go we won’t even be stopping at any stores…I’m thinking about just picking a random bus and getting on it at the station. They all come back to the same place and I’ve never seen my kids be happier sitting down yet there is so much to take in with all the people who come through and things to see out the window.

The children and I both agree that we really want to ride the big, long green bus that has one of those slinky connectors in the middle. I think we may just take that bus out of the station next time as we prepare for our trip to Portland using the Amtrak and public transportation as our only method of travel.

Now, I did already know that my kids liked these foods before I ditched all the boxes (and our boxed food prejudice is not to every box. We do still have some cereal and tortilla chips). My five year old loves to peel her mandarins. It’s another thing she gets to do all by herself. And picking through the mixed berry, nut, seed assortment is quite the time for a toddler to exercise her decision-making and fine motor skills. My three-year old at 3 mandarins today and was still asking for more.

Making up a little snack mix with some nuts, berries and seeds (jerky optional) is super easy especially if you have a Trader Joe’s around. Ours has turkey jerky, dried cherries, dried cranberries, pecans, almonds, sunflowers seeds, pepitas and some dried apricots. It’s not rocket science unless you want it to be. Just throw some in there. If you want grab-n-go packs that you don’t have to make there are caveman snacks and paleo kits available for purchase online although that really wouldn’t be the wisest choice all things considered. Honestly I wonder if these fairly new items called caveman snacks and paleo kits will really be successful.