It's called "fishing"--not "catching"--for a reason.

This morning Vin & I got up at the god-awful normal time of 6am to go fishing up in Morning Star. We were smart and got everything together the night before so we could just pile into the truck and get on the road. It was sprinkling pretty good, but we were expecting that. We welcome the rain!

We met Sleeping CB and two-thirds of his brood up there--at the closed gates of the lake. Closed! Yeah! Fancy that. Opening season is supposed to May 1st. Yesterday! But, lo and behold, they aren't opening until May 16th.

The day wasn't a TOTAL bust. We booked it down to Sugar Pine (a mere minutes away) and set our poles up there. It was so serene, partly because of the bad weather, I'm sure but few people were around. The lake was quiet with the soft pattering of rain. We didn't catch anything, but it's okay. The experience was fun!

Pure-a!

It is beautiful weather here in Elverta! The peas are booming, the cantaloupe and watermelon vines stretching out, our pickling cucumbers are growing (so cute!), the lettuce has already been harvested and we had our first fish-fry of the season.

Vin and our neighbor went small-mouth bass fishing over the weekend and they caught several pounds of fish. On Monday, we went over and had some of the yummiest, mildest fish I’ve ever had. I hadn’t had bass before, but it was certainly a treat! This weekend, Vin and I are going up to Morning Star with Sleeping CB for the opening of Trout season. You may remember our trip last year, where we were stumbled upon by a deer, saw goslings and I caught some of the biggest fish with my purple-sticky bait!

Next month, Vin and I have our hunt and safety course. There’s so much to know! But I’m confident we’ll pass it.

We had a water purifier installed and you wouldn’t believe the difference it makes. We’ve only had it a couple of days, but I can already tell a difference in the water visually, our ice cubes are CLEAR (except for air bubbles), and our coffee tastes smooth and vibrant. Even when the water falls on you in the shower it doesn’t feel heavy. Soap lathers like a dream and we’re told in a couple of weeks, when the water has time to cycle completely we’ll feel a difference in our skin.

I still can’t get over how clear the water is.

A review post will follow!

It's All About Home Projects

Yard work, yard work and more yard work.

Oh, and some body work to ol' Theo too.

It's a take-it-easy weekend for us here. It's also almost 90º this weekend. Yikes! Hopefully we can get some color on our pasty white legs!

The peas are booming, the pickling cucumbers growing, and today I ate the first salad from our buttercrunch lettuce.

Oh! And there's squash!

Happy Spring, Easter, April, and Tax Day!

Are you telling us that it's the middle of April and I have to post a blog this month? Holy crap, time flies. The question is, are we having fun? YES!

I don't even know where to begin other than we've been busy with growing vegetables, hunting for fishing holes, making ocean plans, doing yardwork, homework, side projects and all kinds of stuff.

We've been able to hang out with family, what with birthdays and holidays, which has been nice because sometimes we don't get to see each other for months!

We've been working on planting a plum tree, getting the vegetables to thrive, yardin' so the grass is green--and I'm curious as to where our ladybugs have gone. They were all here and I think the last bad storm we had blew them all away. It curious how many strange new bugs we've attracted to the yard since growing vegetables.

With our neighbors next door we're planning a few holidays to the coast for fishing and fun. Vin and I made a day camping trip up to China Wall and back where there were patches of glistening snow on the ground and a pristine glittering lake. It was beautiful. Also there was a hydro power plant. I'd never seen one up close before. And also? All you Spring-Breakers and Summer Partiers...CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF! If you're man enough to haul in your beer, then your man enough to haul the cans back out, pigs!

Additionally, we found a set of keys that look like they've weathered the winter. See the flickr account for the specifics. We left them there pegged to the board.

We hope everyone is healthy and happy and able to enjoy a beautiful spring!

Update as promised

Last weekend, Vin's dad and step-mom came up to visit. We ATE so MUCH. From Buca di Peppo, to Mimi's, to our friend's birthday cake -- it was a massacre of food. And then, when we were down at the railroad museum we became tourists in our town. There's a little nook in Old Town were you can get the best smoked fish I've ever tasted. It was heavenly! Salmon that was still moist, peppered and strangely, creamy. So yum.

Our vegetables are doing much better. What I thought wasn't going to sprout finally did like the green beans and carrots. They're a little pekid looking right now, but nothing a little compost tea can't help along. Also? That Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver has got to be the most helpful book. It's already helped us identify pests, soil defenciencies and what to do to correct it.

The plum tree is getting along just nicely. We're a little worried with all the wind that the cherry crop might be affected, however.

Vin & I went with Sleeping CB for a trip out to a "unique" restaurant in Rio Vista. The restaurant (that I can't remember the name to right now) is an average restaurant except for the exotic "trophies" on the wall. Apparantly this place has been around since the 20s and has quite a collection of creatures that have been preserved like some sort of museum. I don't know if this is the idea for a burger joint, but heh. It was was with good intentions, but alas, the hundreds of bikers lined up down the historical street to get into the Flamingo curtailed our plans. Instead, we ate at our favorite: Weiner Works.

On the way out to our Rio Vista adventure, we stopped in at Sleeping CB's shop where we met the cutest kitty! She had THUMBS. She was vocal, pretty and loving and she impressed us with her extra toe. It's the evolution of cats - no longer needing humans because they've now sprouted opposable thumbs.

My sister's birthday was this weekend and we got to hang out with the family. The boys are getting SO big! I can't believe how old they're getting. To me, they're still 2 & 4. But they're 4 and 6 this next month. Ack!

Spring is here!