1916 Craftsman Bungalow House featuring Craftsman Fonts

Our House Blog is 8 Years Old!

2014-07-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

We did it! Our house blog is 8 years old! I dont know how we did it really. There have definitely been some bumps in the road :) Thank you all for visiting us through out the years :)

Bitcoins & Stuff for Sale

2014-03-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have a pile of doctors bills still to work out, but the world doesnt end. If you want to buy something cool for yourself or someone you love, we still have these great items...

Gustav Stickley Font set...
http://stickleycraftsmanfont.blogspot.com/

Christmas Cookie Cookbook...
http://christmascookiecookbook.blogspot.com/

I'm only accepting "bitcoin" as its very easy to set up for payment and I dont need to go through a shopping cart system that charges $30 a month. During checkout you can buy some bitcoin to finish the order.

Go ahead!
Learn something new!
Give it a try!

Bitcoin is a digital currency. It uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; it is fast, reliable, anonymous, and without fees. Managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part.

You can learn more here... https://bitcoin.org/en/

I Cut My Finger Off

2014-03-16T21:36:00.001-07:00

So now you know why we havent blogged for quite some time :) I did cut my finger off and somehow, by some miracle, the doctor saved it because I begged him to try. The doc said normally on adults they dont make the effort. Anyways, my finger is still here and I can grip again and am pretty much back to normal. New projects, new things, some bad news, its all coming up in new blog posts so stick around :) I dont think we have a Facebook page anymore, but we'll keep our Twitter updated and you can always message us there if you would like.

One last thing. If you are ever shopping for or considering that "perfect" door for your home, please give Charlie at Ginkgo Doors a try. His doors are beyond superb. They are extraordinary and downright beautiful....

http://www.ginkgodoors.com/

I will definitely be posting stuff every couple of days from now own so lets have some fun!

What, you want a photo of the finger? NO WAY!

Proper Rose Pruning

2013-04-10T11:16:00.001-07:00

Our roses are taking off like crazy and I can say its definitely due to #1 pruning and #2 proper feeding with rose food.

I now prune the rose bushes in late winter (january) and early fall (september). This works well here in California. Your weather may vary. Cooler areas and you might be pruning in early spring instead (april/may). My basic pruning is as follows:

- remove dead or broken branches
- remove any twig branches thinner then a pencil
- prune to open up the center for light and air circulation
- select 6-8 strongest canes for new season of growth
- cut branches at least half the branch height
- cut branches at 1/4 inch above outside facing buds at a 45 degree angle

Throughout the summer, I do basic maintenance like removing spent blooms and then clipping that branch just above a leaf set of 5-7 leaves, which promotes regrowth. You wont get new buds if you clip above a 3 leaf set.

While pruning is important, make sure to buy some rose food and feed your roses regularly!

Spring Has Sprung!

2013-02-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

Back in December I carefully trimmed & pruned our fruit trees. Its easy to do and you can do it yourself. I learned all I need to know from a book called "The Backyard Orchardist". An excellent book! Our fruit trees are really taking off now!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Backyard-Orchardist-Complete-Growing/dp/0963452037/

Saw Stop Safety System

2012-09-13T21:21:00.002-07:00

For a few years now there has been technology available to prevent table saw injuries which add up to hundreds per day here in America and approx 11 amputations daily. This type of technology is awesome. Check out this demonstration here (using a hot dog, not a finger)...

Very cool! You can learn more and buy a table saw with this technology here...

http://www.sawstop.com/

These table saws are pricey though starting at $1500 on up. The technology was invented by Stephen Gass and he deserves credit for such an awesome invention.

There is a lot more to this whole story though. Stephen Gass is a patent attorney. He has over 90 patents related to this new saw technology so it probably wont be copied soon by other competitors (think Riyobi, Makita, Skill, Dewalt, etc).

There is a new bill being presented here in California. The link to the article is below. The new bill would require this new table saw technology to be used on new saws sold in California. Great idea until you read into these finer details like how the inventor s a patent attorney and that he hired lobbyists to lobby for this bill here! I say its dirty pool. Great idea, great technology, it will save people from injuries, pain, suffering, and medical costs, but the way it was gone about is pretty dirty.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/sep/06/business/la-fi-saw-safety-20120906

Will I buy one of these saws in the future? Probably! Maybe after the "dust" has settled though.

Some Pics From Renovation

2012-08-24T08:25:00.002-07:00

Im in the middle right now of renovating a couple rooms in the house. Ive spent a lot of time thinking about how I could maximize space in the house and now Im finally doing something about it. In the photo above I open the wall up first to find wires and remove or relocate them.

In the second photo, I'm removing all the plaster from the walls (yes, thats grass growing up in the wall). This eastern facing room gets really hot, so Im insulating all the walls and putting everything back together. If this was a newer home, pulling off or cutting drywall would be much less mess!

Here I am securing a late night load from the 24 hour big box hardware store. For the ceiling of my eastern room with a sloping ceiling, I'm using a 1.5" thick foam board with foil on one side to keep the suns heat out. I have it installed already and really notice an improvement!

Coincidentally, I bought this 1992 Jeep from my mom about 10 years ago. Its been a non op vehicle the last five years and for this renovation Ive cleaned it up, added a 5 inch lift with some new tires and rims and its able to tackle on anything now! Love it!

Starting New House Projects

2012-08-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

Wifey has left for two weeks to visit family. This is the time I do some serious renovation work on the house as the dirt and dust can become quite intense.

Starting new projects, especially big ones begins months or even years in advance. This is when my mind puts together all the living spaces in the house and how to maximize the usage. Should the door go here or there? How can I remove doors to maximize wall space? If I plan for one thing, what other things need to be worked on as well? What about electrical switches and outlets?

So this is sort of my thought process long in advance of starting something. As the time frame of working on the house gets close, I dont spend hours sketching everything out in full detail. When you open up a wall, things change and sometimes plans change on a moments notice. I go with the flow. I have a basic floorplan and then I go from there.

This time around Im opening the space between the kitchen and living room so people in the kitchen can share with whats going on in the living room also. The kitchen is so small and the living room is small too... opening them up to each other will make both feel larger.

Im working late at night every night for the next couple weeks, so dont know when I will get around to posting, but stay tuned! More to come!

Interesting Effect of Smart Meter

2012-08-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share this story with you since I am always talking about smart meters. My dad too has a smart meter on his house which he didnt care for. The last few years Ive been telling him and others about the potential health dangers of smart meters as well as being on a "grid" that the government can monitor. With smart meters it is now possible to control sections of the house. For the past few days my dad has not been able to watch TV, turn lights in his bedrooms, but has been able to run a ceiling fan, run his air conditioning and run his dishwasher. The lights are out. He has called Southern California Edison and they offer a blanket statement that they are working on the situation. Other neighbors are experiencing the same problems.

This is new. The old meters didnt have these problems. The new meters can be selectively controlled from afar. Protesting the president? No air conditioning for you! Writing letters to your senator about a dog tax? No oven to bake dog biscuits! Made a comment on a social site like Facebook about your stupid governor? No TV for you! While these ideas seem far fetched, it was just a couple years ago I was telling people that the smart meters could be controlled by someone else. In fact, since Im in IT, I could probably hack my smart meter somehow and control it myself.

I hope everyone wakes up to the control grid slowly being forced upon us. We are losing our freedoms and rights. What was so bad about an analog meter and employing hundreds of thousands of meter readers across the country? It was a real job people were proud to have. Those jobs are disappearing fast and all being replaced by electronics that other people will yield power of. I used to know my meter reader! I used to know my mailman too! It used to be a community that everyone shared part of. Now, we are being forced into our homes to watch television "programming" and not associate with anyone. Go out! Get to know your neighbors! Rebuild that community and take your cities back! If there is a problem you can all go together to city hall and be a force. Dont like the smart meters? TELL THEM you dont like them before its too late.

Me and the TSA

2012-08-17T22:25:00.000-07:00

I flew out of a California airport recently and wanted to share my TSA experience with the world.

TSA had one line to get into... the gas chamber, eerrrrrr, I mean the cancer body scanner. Before it was my turn I asked wheres the pat down line? And they looked at me like I was a nut. What do you mean sir?? "Yah... Im not going in that machine. I want the pat down instead. Thanks."

CODE RED!! CODE RED!!

They called for backup re-enforcements. They pulled me to the side. This was all done in front of everyone in line. A big show of #1 authority and #2 a psychological ploy on everyone else in line. If you ask for the pat down, this is whats in store! You get singled out like you are a bad person in front of everyone. Then, after they got their man to pat me down I was interrogated... So why would you like the pat down sir? "Well Ive heard things" ... you've heard things? like what? "Yah, a new report issued last month says TSA operators of the body canners have increased cancer levels." Ohh is that so? Well thats probably from the x-ray machines, not from the new scanners. You dont have to worry about these now. I asked him if he really believed the hogwash he was forced to tell me. He was cool about it and chuckled. I could tell it was a nervous chuckle. He then asked if I was ready. Ready? For what??? I was told I could go into a private screening if this might offend me. What the heck?! If its going to offend me it should not be done at all idiot!!!!

So right there I stand on the two footprints and told to spread my legs wide, spread my arms out wide all in front of the entire line of people waiting for the body scanner. This way everyone can see. A public humiliation of sorts in front of everyone. The TSA agent pulled my pants open and putt his hands in all around my waist brushing my pubic hair. He squeezed my genitals. Squeezed my buttocks, then took off my socks and inspected them. THIS IS ALL WAY TOO FAR. Come to think of it, my wife has never even taken my socks off! Just myself and a TSA agent.

I filed a complaint and was on my way shaking my head as to why this continues day in and day out all around America.

What really gets me is that NOT ONE PERSON opted for the pat down. Not one. Its like Nazi Germany all over again. If we were told to go into the gas chamber to take a shower before our flight 99% of the people would definitely do it. Why? Peer pressure.

The psychological pressure was felt afterwards too. While I walked around the airport lobby waiting for my flight... buying some water, buying a magazine for the flight, going to the bathroom... I was eyeballed by others who saw me while they were waiting in line for TSA. When on the plane I was also eyeballed by everyone. Like I was a bad guy doing bad things. Im just someone who said NO.

If we all say NO to the body scanners and TSA they would go away. But we continue to let it happen. At least 99% of us anyways. Yesterday, I was ashamed of my fellow Americans.

Update On Electric Meter

2012-08-08T06:11:00.001-07:00

Over the past two years Ive mentioned the health dangers of the new electronic "smart meters". Its been over six months now since I told you I covered my meter with a simple $6 aluminum wire mesh to block potential electromagnetic radiation signals.

Id like to happily report all is fine, I get less headaches (actually none!) and the electric company doesnt seem to have a problem with what Ive done either. No letters in the mail from them, no problems reading the meter, etc. Its a simple effective easy solution that doesnt disrupt the meter thats already there.

In these past six months Ive read about people buying the old style electric meters online for about $50 and having an electrician swap out the new smart meter for the old one. I may go this route in the future when I have more time. We'll see. Until then the aluminum wire mesh on the smart meter does the job of protecting my family.

Solar Winged Creatures

2012-08-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor was nice enough to drop these off at the house recently. A package of three on sale for a great price at a local hardware store. They are solar powered and the colors rotate all night long between green, yellow, red and blue. I love them! These garden ornaments really spice of a night time garden. Check out the other colors...

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

2012-08-02T18:16:00.002-07:00

From one of my very first trips to Europe I became interested in different foods I had not seen here in the states. I grew up a picky eater and by euro standards I still am picky, but the past few years I've tried a lot and liked a lot of foods. One of my all time favorites is cottage cheese pancakes. Its packed with plenty of protein and has just the right sweetness without going overboard like American recipes like to do.

Heat up a nonstick pan or oiled cast iron pan to medium heat. Mix together...

2 to 3 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 cup flour
1-1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
dash of vanilla
some oil

You want your pan nice and hot. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil to the pan. You dont need a lot, just enough to keep these from sticking. Put large spoonful sized balls onto pan. Its sloppy enough to go from bowl to pan, no need to make balls out of this. They spread out a bit when cooking. I can usually fit four on a large skillet. Cook each side until golden brown. I like mine burnt, hence the black areas on the pancake in the photo above :) I can make 6 medium sized pancakes with the recipe above or about 3 per person. Double this recipe for a bigger family.

Some tips on making these. Vanilla is not normally added, but its a nice touch. Adding raisins to the batter is popular. Cottage cheese pancakes are usually served with sour cream and some fresh jam. Lately Ive been using our homemade peach jam from our own peaches. DELICIOUS!

Im not sure where this recipe originated, but they are a favorite in Russia and Ukraine. In fact some sidewalk carts will even make these and are a popular treat. I personally love these compared to a regular pancake which is mostly all carbs. Try it out for yourself and let us know what you think!

* For healthier cooking, skip the oil and instead I recommend using Katherine Albrechts pan grease recipe on cast iron, instead of using nonstick pans which release harmful chemicals into your food...

http://1916home.blogspot.com/2011/05/katherine-albrechts-pan-grease-recipe.html

Learn Some Basic Knots

2012-07-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

As I do more and more work on the house, I'm always running to the lumber yard to pick up something. While its fun to load up the roof rack with lumber, its always a pain to tie it down. I used to do the knot bundle... basically 10 granny knots in a row and cross my fingers all was fine, but I got smart and bought some of those bright orange cinch downs with the big hooks at the end. While they do work great, Ive found the hooks too big to use on my roof rack and the handles for cinching down the load have lost their rubber and those handles are hard to undo once I get home. I always need to use a screwdriver or some other tool to release the tension.

In looking for a better (and cheaper) alternative, I decided to pick up my trusty old Boy Scout handbook and learn some knots again. There are some great knots in there for sure and it helped get me motivated to learn my knots. I have two favorite knots now for cinching lumber and other gear to the roof rack.

Im using the Mooring Hitch knot to start my rope on the roof rack and finishing and cinching down the load using a Truckers Hitch knot. Both of those are knot, errrr not in my old Boy Scout handbook, but I found them over at...

http://www.netknots.com

They have an awesome website with tons of knots there with descriptions of what they are used for as well as photos and animating images on how to tie off the knots. They also have some laminated knot cards available for a low price (like $5 dollars) with free shipping. Its a great gift idea and just all around great to have around the house.

RIPE Communities

2012-07-16T09:55:00.001-07:00

A number of fruit & vegetable trading communities are popping up around Southern California. Generally speaking, people get together once a month someplace like in a park as seen below...

This is a great idea that I can see catching on all over. I'm shocked to see avocados sold in SoCal here for $1 each, or $3 for "organic" ones (and to think hispanic markets sell the same avocados @ 5 pounds for $1). Not only will you save money by trading your goods with someone else, you will be using up and not wasting what you have on hand. On my drive to work I see sooo many orange trees covered in oranges and the front yard covered in rotting oranges. Dont people eat them? Dont they trade them or give them away?

/side rant/ Every time I go on a walk we pick fruits from overhanging trees. Ive been yelled at a few times for picking oranges from a tree by the curb. If only those home owners would pick up all of the rotted oranges on the sidewalk to begin with. OK where was I :)

Government officials always like to butt into peoples affairs and it makes it interesting to read about the view of how trading at RIPE goes. Bartering, trading, swapping, selling, etc could be construed by government as a "business", so check out the basis of how RIPE operates...

"We agreed that it was a "gift economy" and not actually a swap per se, and not bartering at all. It was never intended as an actual straight-across swap or trade (I trade you my 12 apples for your 16 oranges), but rather as sharing freely. There was no intent to get into weights, measures, or equivalencies or reciprocity. If you shared your excess apples, you may or may not get something in return from that person whether now or later but if you did it was a bonus. The swap was seen as an event where everyone brings what they have at the moment and that sometimes you will have more, sometimes less, and occasionally nothing when between seasons. I think that Gail has struggled at times to keep the "gift economy" philosophy vibrant, resisting the temptation to trade/barter. Membership in RIPE is dependent on your having something to bring to the swap table sometime during the year. We also hope to encourage gardening novices who have their first head of lettuce ever (so exciting) and one eggplant (just as exciting), but have a limited amount to share as they start out. - Marsha / RIPE Altadena"

Los Angeles has three RIPE communities so far:

RIPE Altadena
http://www.ripealtadena.com/

Swap dates are typically the fourth or last Sunday of the month, and in summer we have an extra swap close to the middle of the month.

Farnsworth Park
Altadena, CA 91001

-----

RIPE Arcadia - Temple City
http://www.ripearcadia-templecity.com/

Join for dates & location

-----

RIPE West Covina
http://west-covina.ripecommunities.com/

When: 1st Sunday of each month, time depends on season:
Summer: 5:30pm
Winter: 4:30pm
Location: Cortez Park, West Covina

Continue to monitor those sites and ours at 1916home.net for more RIPE communities! RIPE Carlsbad and RIPE Atwater Village are in the works too.

Delicious Homemade Peach Pie

2012-07-03T12:31:00.001-07:00

This is what a d@mn good peach pie looks like. I used our own Eva's Pride peaches from the garden as we literally have bucket fulls of peaches now. I'll be making jam out of the rest I think. It took some time to make this pie from scratch but it was well worth it! Come on back here tomorrow and I will update this post with the ingredients and instructions!

Lets make this pie, its absolutely wonderful!

Pie Dough

- 3 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt

mix those together briefly until combined. now add in...

- 7 tablespoons chilled shortening
- 10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

i had cut up the butter & shortening into 1/2 inch cubes to make mixing easier. as its mixing, add in...

- 10 tablespoons of ice water

i must say, a kitchenaid mixer makes this so simple!

now cut the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge for an hour. one will be for the crust, the other for the lattice top.

roll dough in between a parchment paper and plastic wrap. this makes rolling the pie doughs much easier as nothing sticks to the roller. roll the dough to about 1/8 inch thick. do this for both halves.

put one rolled out dough in the pie pan (i used a pyrex glass pie pan coated in a think layer of shortening) and store this in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

cut the other rolled out dough into 1.5" inch strips and put into the freezer for 30 minutes. check it. dont let it harden completely. you want it to be pliable. if the pie filling process takes you longer than 30 minutes to do, move the dough strips to the fridge.

Peach Pie Filling

The recipe calls for 7 cups of peaches after peeling and cutting them. Make sure you have enough.

- 7 cups peaches
- 1 cup sugar
- a little bit cinnamon
- a little bit nutmeg
- 1 tablepsoon lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons corn starch

ok, so put an X mark with a knife on the bottom of all your peaches. this will make them easy to peel. put them into boiling water for about 2 minutes each. you dont want to cook these, so after two minutes put them into an ice bath of water and let them cool down a couple minutes. the skin should peel right off.

cut the peaches up until you have 7 cups. add in sugar and mix with a spatula. add about 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and one tablespoon of nutmeg. you could probably add more spices if you'd like but i kept mine simple so it didnt overpower the peach flavor. add in the lemon juice and also the corn starch which thickens the juices up.

* i had to drain off some of my juices as it was just too juicy. it would have been a swamp if i had baked it as is, so feel free to drain off yours if it seems way to juicy. my peaches were small and from the garden, bigger store bought peaches might not produce so much liquid. you will have to gauge this on your own.

add the peach filling to the pie crust. now add the lattice on top. trip off excess dough overhanging the edge of the pan. crimp the pie edges.

sprinkle or brush the lattice with water and one tablespoon of sugar.

BAKING

bake at 425*F for 25 minutes, reduce temp to 375*F and continue baking another 25-30 minutes.

THATS IT!

This makes a delish peach pie and all the more better if you buy your peaches from a grower or pick them from your own backyard. The pie dough is so simple and versatile. This could be used for a great apple pie too.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!

Simple and Stackable 2x4 Sawhorse

2012-06-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for forgetting where I saw this originally. It may have been on another house blog or on the This Old House website. Im here to tell you how great this is and how easy it is to build.

These sawhorses have been my friend for a good year now. You'll find many designs online to build your own sawhorse, but I found this design to be the best. Some websites had different lengths for legs compared to the I-beam, but I made it simple by purchasing just enough eight foot 2x4 lumber to build these (actually one of them was made completely from scrap pieces).

To make two sawhorses made from 2x4s you will need 5 pieces that are 8ft long each. Cut these down to 32" pieces and you'll have one pc. extra.

The image above says it all, so click on it to see it full screen. Make your I-beam first with 3 pieces. drywall style screws that are 4" long work fine which I used for one and I used framing nails for the other sawhorse. Both have stood the weather and test of time and are still sturdy. Three nails or screws spread across the top bar, then flip over to finish the I-beam.

After creating the beam, nail or screw the legs as shown in the photo. I used 4 nails/screws per leg.

Since this is all stuff I had on hand I was done in a half hour. These stack well for storage (or apparently in the middle of the backyard!) and you can even re-enforce them by nailing some plywood to the legs on the outside. Still stackable. I ended up not do this as my backyard is not very even and and the slight 'give' of nails/screws make it easier to find a nice level spot. I use them as is or with a piece of plywood on top as a table.

A Cat Who Knows How to Beg

2012-06-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Our cat Bisou knows how to beg. If he wants attention, if he wants food, if he wants to go outside he has no qualms about getting in front of my face while Im working and just start begging. He does the sad eyes, the gimpy face, the serious boy, the needy look, you name it he knows it and does it.

The next photo is a classic photo of him getting his way. He wanted on the bed so we let him. Ohhh man he is stretching out and just relaxing! Pure bliss!!

Grilling Pizza

2012-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

My grilled pizza is turning out awesome each time I try. Fresh tomatoes and garlic from the garden turn into an amazing sauce, and fresh dough is always the best. This pizza does great on the grill with a slab of marble. The crust comes out crispy on the outside, yet soft on the inside. MMmm... MMmmmmm!

(I know, it came out a little burnt, but what the hell! Its all good!)

It's Not Coffee

2012-06-11T04:30:00.000-07:00

These last several years I've tried to eat healthier foods, sometimes I screw up and eat some delicious french fries or as many of you have read... some great pizza. The frozen pizza or Pizza Hut pizza is loaded with who knows what and thats one reason why Ive worked hard to make my own pizzas... I know exactly what goes in it. Home made pizza dough, home made sauce from the tomatoes in the garden, fresh basil, etc. I know what it is, unlike the store bought brands that have all sorts of stuff like anti freeze, hormones, and saw dust. No thanks.

About a month ago I made a push to really crack down on all foods I eat. I havent had a Coke or coffee (or espresso) for over a month now and I really feel great. I went through some serious caffeine withdrawals, but pulled through it all... Severe headaches for a couple of days. Not a good time!

Anyways, these days in place of caffeine Im drinking Teeccino with almond milk. Teeccino is brewed just like coffee and made from natural things like carob, barley, chicory, dates, almonds and figs. Its caffeine free, non acidic, high in potassium and its a nice little energy boost from the nutrients, not from stimulants like caffeine.

When I get a moment I will be posting some of the different health conscious changes I am making. Hope to hear what you have to share about positive healthy foods too!

Fruits In the Garden

2012-06-10T10:56:00.002-07:00

Here are a few photos from our garden. I took the liberty and had some fun editing them.

Our Anna Apples are coming in strong. Its producing apples a bit smaller than fist sized and they are juicy and delicious. Not bad for California. So many things to do.. eat them straight, juice them, or maybe make an apple pie! What would you do?

We have two peach trees. An early one thats producing several peaches a day for us now, and a later one that doesnt have fruit yet. We love eating these straight... the best peaches Ive ever had!

We have a nice patch of raspberries growing that gives us plenty. Probably a small handful every day. They are juicy and sweet and great to pop in the mouth early in the morning or after a long day of work. if you click the photo and look at it bigger, you'll notice other raspberries hiding in the background of all the leaves.

I never had luck with our strawberries in the ground. Critters always ate them, they would wilt quickly if the watering wasnt just right, etc. Now in half barrels we get a few bright red ripe stawberries every single day. I saved the last several days batches to put on my cottage cheese pancakes this morning! Delicious! I will post the recipe soon. Its popular in eastern europe. High in protein, low in fat and much better for you then regular pancakes.

OK, OK... one more apple shot....

We also have blackberries, grapes, blueberries, pomegranates, oranges, mandarins and lemons doing very well! The goal for us is to have a low work, high output garden :) Its turning out pretty good so far.

Build Redwood Raised Garden

2012-05-19T09:41:00.002-07:00

We have been slowly dismantling the huge 4 foot wide by 10 ft long ground level garden beds I built a couple of years ago. I always had a problem with grass creeping in and the thin pine 1x8" boards eventually eroding from the weather and moisture. Sometimes, saving money on product isnt always the way to go.

Our excellent soil has been moved into half barrels which now house all sorts of things like blueberries, strawberries, garlic, and more. Everything growing in the barrels now are thriving. We decided to get more veggies going again this year and wanted to build some simple redwood raised garden boxes that we could put alongside the fences.

The box was easy to make and only took about 30 minutes. I ended up making two of these. I built them as 6 feet long by 2 feet wide. I had planned to buy some 12 ft pieces and cut them in half, but the lumber store had 6 ft pieces precut. Here is the item list:

8pc - 6' long 2x6 redwood
1pc - 8' long 4x4 redwood

Two of the 6' pieces were cut into thirds for the ends, while the 4x4 was cut into quarters. I left the posts sticking up in case we want to expand upward.

Enjoying the Cherries

2012-05-08T07:07:00.002-07:00

We have worked hard the past few years in the garden, deciding and picking the fruit trees that will last us a lifetime. We have two cherry trees in the backyard. We have both the Mini Royal Cherry and Royal Lee Cherry which work together so we get these luscious berries.

We dont mind the birds picking a few but this year Mr Bird introduced Mrs Bird to our trees and the invited their friends who invited their children. We had a bunch of birds in our trees picking at the cherries. The birds are smart too... they only eat the ripe ones! We ended up buying a net and have covered the tree now to keep the birds at bay and it works.

We have been eating bowls of cherries every day now for the past week and we are almost at a point where we have to give them to neighbors the trees are so full. The best cherries Ive ever had. So much juicier then the ones in the stores.

I love it. This is why we planted them! Care for a bowl?

Building the Arbor

2012-05-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

Now that I have all of my pieces measured, cut, and painted... and the arbor foundation poured and ready, I was ready for a sunny day to get to work.

First was the header with the notches in them. It went just above the window frame...

Next went the two cross pieces going from the house to the 4x4 post. A short piece and then a long piece. These were secured with a few screws at first. It was already stable. I then ran the other short and long pieces to the 4x4 post. This was going up pretty quick.

I drilled a hole all of the way through each of the two pieces and 4x4 post and put a bolt through and tightened it all up. Wow! Solid as a rock. Next went the rest of the short pieces held together by 90 degree steel angle brackets on either side of each board on the top of the long beams. The upright short beams are very stable and you cant see the brackets from down below...

And that is basically it...

I have a few basic things to finish up yet. I want to do whats called box trim boots down at the bottom of the 4x4 post to cover up the metal bracket in the concrete. I also am still considering the gusset beam or trim work on the upper part of the4x4 post. The gusset seems like it would detract too much from the entire arbor. What would you do?

Some final notes here:

- By doing 95% of my cuts beforehand it made this assembly of the arbor fast
- I built this arbor so we can plant a beautiful wisteria to grow on
- In time we hope it will also provide some shade to the front window
- When looking out of the window the arbor provides a nice security blanket type of feeling, something we did not expect

Im very thankful for the help of one key individual. Without that person it would have been difficult to raise beams and get feedback as I did this project. A few beers are in order!

Pouring the Arbor Foundation

2012-05-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Before I get going this morning I just want to say... Im not a construction expert, but this is how I did this project. Buyer beware :) If you learn anything from my posts it will probably be my errors :)

Ive poured concrete for post holes before on our side fence I did a couple years ago. I just dug a hole, put in the post and poured the concrete. The finished product looked messy so I wanted to do something different this time around since this was going to be in the front garden. I decided to get a form tube.

I dug my hole with a post hole digger fairly quickly since our soil was most from the garden. This would be difficult if the soil was hard or really compacted. The tube slipped right in. I think I paid around $6 for a four foot cardboard tube. I decided to cut the tub down to three feet, which turned out to be a mistake. Why? Well, my hole was three feet deep and my tube was now three feet deep putting the top of my form slightly above ground level. If I did it over again I would have dug a bit deeper and had the form rise six inches above ground, keeping any potential water damage to a minimum.

So anyways... life goes on and I learned a big lesson. Mixing and pouring concrete is simple. Just add water. What... do you want photos of that? :p After I poured in the concrete, I leveled my post bracket with some pieces of wood until the concrete solidified slightly. The $5 level I purchased at Ace Hardware was worth every dime. It made it really easy to monitor the straightness of the bracket.

It rained and I allowed the concrete more time to set. I was not in a big hurry. It came out great and is really sturdy.

Next up... Building the arbor.