I Think Spring Is Here In The PacNW!

The Cascade hops....

I think Spring has arrived.....finally!  Today the rain and clouds broke just long enough to get some yard chores done.  With Marie away I get bored real quick and need to find something to do.  Since the motorcycle is a stand still because my parts aren't here I decided to trim the grass, turn over the garden and compost, weed some flower beds, re-pot some plants, and feed the chickens some delicious worms.  I keep plastic over my hop boxes for a little warmth in the winter months.  Today I decided to peel it back and take a peek.....I was happy to see some green growth.  I can't wait to watch these babies reach for the sky. 

Chinooks

Here is a look at our bare backyard.  Hopefully in a few short months it will be lush with flowers and vegetables.

I hope to add the plastic over the hoop garden when I get back from St. Louis.

I am making my own soil mixture from our kitchen compost.  Rich with worms.  It even has a hint of citrus from the fruit peels.

Marie makes carpet patterns with the vacuum and I make them with the lawnmower.

Eno has been sleeping here for 2 days!

When the cat's away...the mouse will play!!!

My love has been working out of town all week in northern Washington and now she is away helping her mom and dad move to North Carolina.  We love each other so much that the best part of each others day is when we meet up in the evenings after work.  We walk, cook, piddle, shop, play with the cats, and just veg out together.  She's my partner in crime.

Marie left Lefty in charge of guarding the house.  He sure is fit!

While Lady Marie is away I'm trying to keep occupied with my hobbies to pass the time.  I have been spending a lot of my evenings working on my motorcycle and today (Saturday) I brewed a Czech Pilsner.  Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Starting to tear down to remove the engine.

This is the oil pan....there are some crunchy bugs and metal shavings down there.

Doing some valve adjustments on the head.

Engine reinstalled.

Mise en place for a triple decoction Czech Pils.

1st decoction.

Second decoction.

Waiting for fermentation.

So far I have been keeping myself occupied, but I am running out of project with weather permitting.  I am waiting for some motorcycle parts before I can finish it up, I have brewed 2 beers in a week, the garden is still too cool to plant, the clothes are washed, dishes are done!  Oh, I can always scoop litter.....it's a never ending job.  Those cats!

March... Be filled with Joy

...from my favorite Seester.

 Our March came in like a lion!  On Friday, we finally closed on our refinance for our little house in Durham. After about a year of intensive effort, it feels really good to be done with that!  And spring was definitely in the air with a little sun every day this weekend.  We went on long walks each afternoon and just enjoyed life this weekend.
Sweet neighbor Beau-bug got some new chicks....

Special cats doing special-ed antics all weekend long...

We told Eno... "if it fits it ships... shape up or ship out!"

So, he got busy reading a motorcycle manual so he can help out in Busted Knuckle Garage. He usually has a busted nose...so that will fit in nicely.

 Certain birthday girl eating lots of birthday food...

"I think I will just get plain fat!"

After Connor witnessed that atrocious breakfast, he made me a delicious and healthy dinner. :)

 We received a lot of birthday love from all of our family and friends this weekend...

Flowers from Ceci-mom

Flowers from Sweet Daryl

...so in closing, we share it right back with all of you.
'Cause, Ho Hey, I belong to you...You belong to me... You're my sweetheart.
We have Stubborn Love for all of you!

Delicious ...from Aunt Pat. Oh my!

Twins!

Yesterday the Busted Knuckle Garage made another purchase.  Twin Twins.  Some people think I am crazy for adding two more cycles, but I know what I am doing....just bear with me.  Completely original 39 year old bikes with titles are selling great (collectors are always looking for this type of bike....I won't have any problem selling these).   I found a killer deal on Craigslist yesterday morning and went looking at 10am.  That's right, the early bird gets the worm!

Good Looking Birthday Girl

These are two 1974 Kawasaki KZ 400.  They are complete bikes and both have titles.  The blue one runs and I think I can get the orange bike running in a week or so.  These are some projects.....I'm not going to do a full restore, just a little tinkering to get them running good and road worthy.  Then they will go up on the auction block.

Update on the CB 750's (Yes plural...remember?  There are two/were two.)

I sold the first CB bought in October last night.  An Army boy is going to completely rebuild. Good luck to him.

The CB750 I purchased about a week and half ago is very ill.  I put close to 100 miles on it before it went down.  Not a crash, but engine problems.  I rode it to work on Tuesday and it was running great. 

Before it got ill.

I jumped on it around 4:00pm that afternoon and it made a horrible grinding noise when I pushed the starter button.  My initial thought was that the cam chain broke (similar to the timing belt on a car).  If this was the case the engine would need a total rebuild from the crankcase on up to the head.  I trailered the bike that evening to my mechanic so he could fit it into his schedule to give me a diagnosis.  He called my Thursday and gave me a little news.  Long story short was that it's not the cam chain!  Looks like on cylinder #4 the valve is bent and stays open.  When the piston drives up it bangs the valve shut (hints the noise).  I could have left it with him and it would cost $700-$900....I chose to take it home and fix myself.  I have a great neighbor willing to help.  The main cost in this repair would have been the labor (motorcycle shop time is $70/hr).  The complete engine needs to be removed.  That thing weighs in the neighborhood of 250lbs.  I'll keep you posted.

Yesterday morning I was in HOT water with the Boss having 4 motorcycles.  Today there are 3 and 2 of them are on their way out.  The water is still warm....but cooling.

Stay tuned for some repairs....

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.