She's got legs... He's got new wheels...

We FINALLY bottled our 2011 Syrah.  The smell and flavor has seriously improved over the last several months. It was fun to put it into pretty bottles and use our little $8 corker to seal them.  We are hoping that the bottle conditioning period will work some more magic.  They will age in our wine cellar (aka: spare brew-ed-room). Hopefully it will be worthy of sharing this holiday season!

She's got legs... they are small, but you can see them if you look close enough!

And... in order to overcome the depression and boredom of having sold the Kawasaki, a new motorcycle has been purchased for riding pleasure and garage crowding.  There still is a 1978 Honda CB 750 in the garage and now there is a mate.  I (Connor) found another 1978 Honda CB 750 on good ole' Craigslist.  I checked it out last Monday and drove it home yesterday.  It runs like a Scalded Ape!  This bike is in great condition and needs nothing.....maybe just some miles.  I plan on reselling this when I get the title transferred in my name.  Until then I will be riding every chance I get.  I already put on 50 miles. 

That is Connor flying down the road! I couldn't keep up with him on the way home!

We bid farewell with the tale of two cats... who cost their owners a small fortune... and cried the whole way to the vet every time they had to go (well, the owners and the cats both cried). 

They HATE this box... won't go near it at the house...but won't come out of it once we arrive a the vet's.

We literally had to pry them out...they braced their fat little paws on every corner they could grab.

 Sadly, Lefty has managed to gain a pound over the last year, despite our efforts to help him lose weight.  And Eno, bless his expensive little heart, had an empty bladder so they couldn't check to see if he was still harboring bacteria.  Which means, (you guessed it!) he gets to go back to the vet yet again later this week. Oh the joys.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that your week will be great!

Pot pies, Pygmy Goats, and Hoop Gardening

Betcha didn't know I could do this!

The adventure continues.  We have had some interesting little moments over the last few days. Sometimes, it seems like we could blog about something everyday... but who has time for that?  So... we will cram it all into a quick story for you.
For one... Chef CT was in action last week and made a delicious chicken pot pie (using leftover smoked chicken from last weekend) based loosely on a recipe from his Cooking with Beer cookbook.  These little gems were so tasty!

We got to "babysit" our sweet neighbor, Beau, on Friday afternoon.  He is a super-active 9-year-old; he is also our cat sitter when we are away.  He used to be my semi-Bieber crush because he had long strawberry blonde hair until last week.  (I would say, "give me some Bieber-fever" and he would flick his head so his bangs flew over to the side... it was so cute!)  We went for a long walk and played football along the way, explored a clear-cut area, made friends with some goats, and took a skateboarding lesson.  Beau was surprised that "an old man" could skate. :)

 Here in the pacific northwest we can't really plant our garden until after May.  So, we decided to experiment with a hoop garden (DIY greenhouse) this year. We built the frame and ordered plastic film from ACE. Stay tuned.

And our final story for the evening...This massive earthworm (along with several others) from our rich garden soil... being fed to the chickens!

Snow White is jumping for her treat!  (Sweetheart, Root Beer, Creamsicle, Miranda Lambert, Puffy, Silver, and Beatrice are the other hens.)  We don't mind sharing our worms with the girls who give us eggs!
We wouldn't mind sharing our worms with you either... Come see us. We shall dine. <3

Hope for Happy Hearts

 Valentine's Day... My favorite holiday. I love hearts. I love pink and red and purple and all variations therein. I LOVE love. I have such hope that hearts around the world could be happy and full of love and kindness. Not just one day...but someday...all day....everyday...forever and always.

Gorgeous tulips...homemade chocolate covered strawberries!

So, while my inclination towards Valentine's Day is not romantic in its raw form, that doesn't mean that I don't like the romance of the day too.  I mean, how could I not? Let me tell you (for the millionth time!) that I am married to the most wonderful, fantastical, deliciously sweet man in the world. Sorry, Ladies (and gents!)... He's taken!

So hot.

 We agreed to not do anything...but Connor can't resist treating me like the most special girl in the world. I walked in the door to find so much beauty...

Yes... that is homemade pasta hanging on the back of the chair... and a cat eating on the table.

I don't even drink...but he got me some Pink Bubbly Moscato... how could I say no?

Homemade lobster ravioli in a tarragon cream sauce, avocado/pistachio salad, yeast rolls...

 We went for a little lover's stroll. It was a gorgeous night and it wasn't raining; miracles never cease!

We are finishing the night up with our Grey's Anatomy date and this enticing dessert...

Chocolate teardrop (filled with chocolate mousse)

 As long as he loves me... we could be starving; we could be homeless; we could be broke... and I would still have hope for happy hearts around the world.

A Little Smoke and Brew!

Kingsford, Lump Charcoal, and soaked Apple and Alder woodchips....let's go.

Today I got out of bed and hit the ground running!  I have had the best weekend just hanging at the house with Marie.  I didn't work yesterday (Saturday) and that is not typical for me.  This morning I lit the BBQ pit at 9am and fed the fire for 8 hours. 

A real Cowboy's breakfast!

Marie made biscuits and gravy to start the morning off right.  

I smoked a 4# brisket and a whole chicken. 

Dopplebock on left (last weeks brew) Pre-Prohibition on right.

While smoking I brewed a double decocted Pre-Prohibition Lager.  That's right.......malt and corn!

Looks like some dried weeds.

Picked clean.

Addicted!

  I even made the cats a catnip toy from last years vine dried catnip.  I woke Lefty up with the catnip sack and he got higher than a kite....so funny to see his marbled eyes and his toothless mouth get so big.

 Dinner was great!  Chopped bbq brisket, jalapeno jack mac & cheese, and a nice garden salad.  The chicken is for a smoked chicken pot pie that I will create later and the week.  Real comfort. 

Have a GR8 week!!!

She's Gone.....

"The Last Ride"

Well I hate to say it but my little Kawasaki 400 has been sold.  I know everyone is wondering why I would sell my little baby......we have been through so much in the last 7 months.  She sat in our little garage (which I have named the Tucker House Busted Knuckle Garage) dead...stripped down.....and then brought back to life.  Including dirt bikes I have owned 10 motorcycles....I love to tinker, fix up, learn, and move on.  Well, it's time to move on.  I brought back to life a 38 years young motorcycle and had the best time ever.  I actually loved that Kawa!  I had a wild thought about 2 weeks ago to post it on Craigslist and see what happens...you know me, I like to fish and this is what I was doing.  I am a business man at heart and love to turn a profit.  So......I put a top dollar price on her (and she was worth it.....at least in my mind) and someone took the bait.  A young Army man that just got back from being deployed called me last week and we talked about it.  He told me he would take it....he showed up today with $$$.  I at least put about 75 miles on her in the past week., I rode every chance I got when the weather permitted.  It may have been cold but I wore layers and layers just to feel the wind on my face. 

It runs better than it looks.

Some of you might know that there is still another bike in the garge, which is true the Honda 750.  But like the Kawa I made another Craigslist post early this past week.  I got an email about it last night and another Military man and I exchanged several emails.  He is deployed know till April, but supposedly  his roommate is going to come check it out and take it.  I will believe it when I see it!  So the Tucker House Busted Knuckle Garage could be totally empty next weekend.  I know someone who would enjoy that.........and it's not me.

Black soil.

Tomato factory

To cope with today's huge loss I decided to get the garden in shape for spring.  The soil needed turning as well as last year's compost.  We collected all of our kitchen waste for a year along with some grass clippings, spent grain from brewing, and bbq ash in our compost bin.  Every month I would turn over the  compost...in the warm months it was quite ripe smelling!  About 2 weeks ago I emptied the bin and put black plastic over to start cooking it.  Today I removed the plastic and turned it over.....there were more worms than any bait shop!

Cooking!

Back bending work

Food...hungry?