Water Drum to Composter

We're getting ready for spring around here and I thought I'd share an idea the hubby came up with a few years back for an easy, clean composter.

First, take an old water drum. This one is 55 gallons and has a screwtop lid.

Drill holes on the bottom (for draining the dirt), then two on the side to put a bar in the middle for rotating the dirt. Attach to a pallet to keep it off the ground and the lid keeps critters out. The drum can be spun to shake and mix the dirt and create some yummy, yummy compost!

Here's a peek inside to see how the spinning mechanics work. We ended up donating this one to our son's school garden because our dirt needs are ever growing, but this would be a great option for the backyard gardener in areas with critters or pets.

What kind of spring and garden prep are you getting ready for right now? Share in the comments!

Mount Saint Helens or Bust

After cruising along the Columbia River Gorge and heading into Washington state on our way to my aunt and uncle's house, a mysterious mountain loomed ahead.

Actually, we had to exit and drive a ways first, but then we saw it ... Mount Saint Helens, the stuff from geology class made of legends from the 80s.

It's been over 30 years, and the treeline is still barely starting to recover from the famous volcanic blast.

Here you can see the once snow-capped mountain that blew its top in a nine hour stew of gases and ash. Well, the build up to it lasted much longer, as you can imagine.

Eight foot diameter trees were snapped off their roots and the sound barrier was smothered for 30 miles around. My uncle remembers his apple farm getting covered in ash over 100 miles away, and a visitor from Ohio told me that ash snowed into her pool from that fateful day.

That's one mountain I think I'll skip climbing.

Dress Up an Old Hat

Believe it or not, this lonely old sunhat was sitting in a pile of free stuff, ready to be kicked to the curb.

Until I snatched it up.

I found a cheery ribbon, a little glue, and voila!

Thank goodness we still have a couple more months of summer to put this baby to work.

Have you "up-cycled" anything lately?

Mitch Visits!

If you haven't heard from me in a while, it's because I've been too busy having fun with my bestie who came for a visit from Minnesota last week. I'm dogsitting, but the pup, Zero, is so cool we let him join the gang and pretty much took him everywhere with us.

Our first stop was Golden Gate Park, where we conveniently parked in front of the Conservatory of Flowers for a brief walk around the Music Concourse.

Time was of the essence, so I got us out of the city to spare my poor friend from my San Francisco navigating instincts. We stopped at Sol Food in San Rafael en route to the beach. I went for a steak combo (though probably a rash decision for take out) and Mitch got the most scrumptious pork chop pressed sandwich that anyone could have ever dreamed up. Yum!

We took a short hike at Pinnacle Gulch in Bodega Bay. I love this place if you have a dog and are short on time, but look out! Parking is super pricey, though I like to think it's for a good cause.

Here I'm helping Mitch identify kelp from jellyfish.

We stopped to say hello to Hitchcock in my beloved Bodega, put on the map with the filming of The Birds.

Wine tasting! But not just yet ...

We couldn't come all this way without the perfect Northern California picture.

The next day we went for a tour and tasting at Korbel.

Then when we couldn't get enough champagne, we headed to Iron Horse for more. (With a little lunch break, of course.) This is a local's favorite I hadn't been to yet, and it has one of the most breathtaking views of vineyards framed by mountains.

Don't worry, I also gave Mitch a taste of Dry Creek (Unti) and Alexander Valley (Hawkes) wines, not just Russian River.

On our last day, we met up with the colony of harbor seals at Goat Rock.

Aren't they cute?

Look out, Mitch found a taffy shop! How is this the one candy I've yet to understand? Flavors like vanilla cake? Apple pie? Is taffy the new jelly bean?

All I cared about was that she send some home to her amazing taffy-loving husband, who cashed in some miles so she could have a spontaneous trip with her kooky bestie in California.

Birthday Weekend Picnic Baskets

What a weekend! One of my bestie's had a joint birthday/anniversary party, which turned into an impromptu weekend camping trip. Need inspiration for easy entertaining at your next big turnout?

The culinary highlight was individual picnic baskets, to cut down on dishes. (She thinks of everything!)

Also included were (French Laundry) lemon tarts, fresh fruit, asparagus flatbread, and smoked salmon tartar on cucumber.

Each basket contained: an abalone po'boy sandwich, personally foraged by Daisy's husband, Trout; a mason jar filled with potato salad (the classy Alice Waters one, not the mayonnaisy kind); a homemade chocolate chip cookie and wrapped caramel; and my special caesar salad (recipe to be revealed soon).

Now that it's summer, I recommend food that can be served cold. It's way easier to assemble and you have a little more leeway in serving time. Get an assembly line going for something like sandwiches, and the sides should be one-dish wonders like pasta salad, cous cous, or greens. Make it easier on yourself and invite friends to bring something, or at the very least, wine and apps.

What kind of parties will you be throwing this summer?

Signs of Spring

The daffodils are here, making it officially spring in Bodega! 

Here's to longer days and more sunshine.