My future garden shed

I came across this photo while browsing some gardening sites today and fell in LOVE!  I have been wanting a creative garden shed, potting shed, greenhouse structure for years and just couldn't decide on a design.  Now I know exactly what I want and it looks to be a super simple design. 

The one I'm planning to build will  have a tin roof, plexyglass windows just inside the lattice, a solid dutch door, and a solid back wall to hang our push mower and garden tools.  This will serve as my greenhouse and potting shed and will hold all of my yard stuff. 

Now... who wants to come help build it?  Dad's?  Anyone?? 

Look what bloomed this morning!

I woke up and took a stroll through the garden this morning and noticed how beautiful my peonies are.  They bloomed overnight!

It's an amazing dayhere in Oregon.  We have been enjoying some 85 degree days and lots of sunshine.  I got the raised garden bed tilled and have planted my peas and beans.  It's ready for some of my starts.

Everything around the garden is just looking great, don't you think?  We are definately enjoying this amazing Oregon Spring!

Meet Penny

I never thought it would happen to me... but we broke down and finally got a van.  With baby J on the way, we decided that the Jeep would become my primary automobile and that Ben would drive the other car, which up until recently happened to be a 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle.  That was until I gave Ben the green light to sell my beloved bug and get whatever he wanted.  Then fate intervened and we found a guy on Craigslist who was getting rid of his 1977 Volkswagen Westfalia Type 2 Transporter Camper Van!  We traded straight up, clean and easy.  He wanted a bug and we wanted a bus.  Done and done! 

Ben actually grew up riding around the country in the family Vanagon every summer, so it feels natural to him to start out his own family in a similar way.  Our van comes equipped with a fold down bed in the main cabin, a pop up tent with a full sized bed up top.  There are cupboards, a sink, and a cooler all built in.  We're doing a lot of work getting her in good shape so it's really a work in progress right now.  But this thing drives like a champ and the body is in fairly good shape for being in the wet northwest.  Some rust spots we'll eventually need to get cut out and welded, but that's to be expected from here on out. 

Last weekend we took her (Penny is her name) out for a quick little camping trip down by the Nestucca River.  It was a beautifully warm and sunny weekend and we enjoyed some fishing, some relaxing, camp fire cooking, and snuggling in the new van.  I think we'll be doing this a lot!

What are you cooking this week?

My Weekly Menu

Garden Update - April 2012

Things are finally starting to move along out in the garden this month.  We had a few warm days which makes all the difference.  I'm not really in full-blown planting mode just yet, but am working hard to get things preped and ready for my late May, early June planting.  Our last average frost in the Willamette Valley is May 15 so I never plant any heat lovers before then.  And just to be safe I usually wait until the beginning of June for most everything - except our brocolli, greens, carrots, onions, leeks and peas of course. 

Inside the house my starts are looking great.  These guys are going to love being outside where they can spread out and really GROW! 

Here are some video updates from the Community Garden and our Cottage Garden.  Enjoy.  (And sorry for the poor quality video -- I'm using an old camera that just barely works.)