Wood and Walls and Websites

I'll start in reverse order.  I've been working with a friend to develop her new website, Mindful Palate, which will have all sorts of yummy recipes, some thoughts about mindfulness, a little magic, and a hidden button to a secret place.   I designed the logo too, a bit of shameless bragging there, but it all turned out very well if I do say so myself.  And, the recipes are great - I made the butternut squash one last weekend and found it most delicious.

Dino has been working himself to a frazzle on getting firewood cut.  He likes to be at least a year ahead, and we've got some good stacks going now.  I helped last Saturday on this project:  Dino worked the chain saw (good choice) and I hoisted the cut pieces into the bed of the Ford.  Glad I've been doing all that weightlifting - it came in handy for this;  I needed help with only the last huge round. 

Lifting heavy things also comes into the stone wall that I decided to build near the road.  It was in the spot where a big oak came down one Christmas four or five years ago.  Dino had gotten the road cleared of the tree, and also pushed the logs and rocks out of the way.  I've been eyeing that spot all this time, mulling over the idea of making a little wall.  Now that I'm describing the thought process, I think really I just wanted to organize it, one of my favorite things.  If the project had involved bags, boxes or baskets it would have been truly primo, but being able to use the wheelbarrow made up for the lack of "useful pots to put things in."  I'm not entirely certain I'm done with the area - there is an untidy area on the other side of the road that may need some work as well.  This photo shows the wall after the first phase, it's more cleaned up now.

I'm taking another stab at getting some fall vegetables going, specifically snow peas.  I planted about 10 days ago, and noticed a couple of sprouts last weekend already.  Dino has been vigorously applying his best anti-ground squirrel techniques and I am hopeful the little devils *insert worse word here* will leave these infant peas alone.  We had a good crop last year and many excellent stir fries.

Excellent Snow Pea Stir Fry Recipe (four ingredient style)
Pick a pile of fresh snow peas, and clean the strings out.
Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to your favorite perfectly seasoned cast iron frying pan
Heat the oil, add the peas.
Let them cook a few minutes, until they get that amazingly gorgeous bright green color, then add the garlic.  Fry for 1 more minute, then add 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari and mix all of that for another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Enjoy.

I noticed this tree the other day, at the perfect time of the late afternoon.