This morning: the most symmetrical Dutch baby we’ve ever had.

top-down view of dutch baby in cast ironoblique view of symmetrical dutch baby in cast iron

I finished reading The child finder by Rene Denfeld ★★★★ 📚

The peppers and tomatoes are still alive and growing fast. The tomatoes might get root bound sooner than we’d prefer… 🌱

Today, at home, the spice drawer was cleaned out and organized.

The Fantasia nectarine (planted Jan 2020) is still in swollen bud stage. Has been for days. It’s sooo close to blooming. Here’s hoping it’ll produce fruit for the first time this year!

swollen lateral flower bud with a red tip

Look, I put a pressure gauge on the new hose bibb! I must be an erudite of irrigation systems. 🙃

water pressure gauge on new hose bibb.pressure gauge showing a reading of about 50 PSI.

Korean cheese buldak for dinner tonight. Chicken in a hot chili sauce covered with mozzarella 🌶🌶🌶🌶 😋

cheese buldak

Mount Lassen’s reflection upon Juniper Lake in summer of 2016.

an evening orange glow on mt lassen as it reflects off a tree lined lake

I pressure checked the new hose bibb this morning; it had a slow leak at the valve threads & PVC adapter. Tightening made it worse, so after redoing the pipe thread tape with more layers, the new hose bib seems to be fine at full water pressure.

Front yard update: the manzanitas are in full bloom! The poppies are trying to take over. Waiting on the Ceanothus (California lilac) to bloom… they’re the most showy.

I installed a new hose spigot on an old PVC waterline today. I’m trying to have the patience to give the PVC joints lots of time to cure before pressure testing 😬

Have compassion for your neighborhood birbs and borbs. They may help you relax a bit as you gaze at their theatrics.

Someday we’ll figure out how to make rice noodles right. Did a bunch of experiments today and almost got there. We just want perfect Drunken Noodles and Pad See Ew.

Hello, probably Spruce. Put on some good growth this year, yeah? You weren’t invited, you’re kind of a weed, but I like you anyway.

Got to make the rock rings around the citrus trees larger so drip emitters can be moved back for better root growth. Also may help with frost as the ground can now radiate heat up into the trees rather than be insulated by wood chips. Here’s before and after.

before expanding the rock ring around the mandarin.after expanding the rock ring around the mandarin tree.

Happy Lunar New Year 🧧

Sporg! A pipe to nowhere 😋

A cozy sleeping machine. Yeah she’s awake. She can sense when the camera comes out to give the stink eye.

Currently reading: The child finder by Rene Denfeld 📚

Energy makes growing peppers & tomatoes in the winter possible. Got lots of jalapeños, serranos, santa fe, and a variety of tomatoe. We’ll transplant outdoors in mid to late March 🌱