Please come help us eat all of our peas! (And other things...)

Hot, sticky, and stormy.  Summer is here and both Claire and I welcome it with open arms (even though it makes hard work miserable).  Insects, spiders, ticks, snakes, deer, ground squirrels, song birds, pheasants, coyotes, and many more creatures roam freely through the tall grass and trees, occasionally gracing us with their presence.  We believe, however, that nothing enjoys the summer heat more than the variety of plants in our garden.  50 beans, 29 tomatoes, 20 potatoes, 8 cucumbers, 2 peppers,  and 1 nasturtium have flowered.  Claire and I eat from our garden every single day.  Some times it's simply a salad mix (chard, spinach, lettuce, peas, kale, cilantro, parsley, etc.) while other times we are treated with radishes, young potatoes, and even shallots.  Our peas have exploded with delicious green pods and it is not uncommon to have a basket full of them.  I once read that plants are holy.  They must be treated with the utmost respect and handled with love and care in order to thrive and give nourishment to our bodies.  We have found this to be true. We strive to give each individual our attention and praise, and we are rewarded with strong, healthy plants that have resisted insects and disease. Our garden is undoubtedly the largest and most time consuming task we undertook this summer.  It has halted work on the tiny home countless times but it has taught us to be patient and understanding. Whether it's in produce, beauty, or wildlife, our garden has found a way to give back to us and we are greatly appreciative. 

Claire with a hefty harvest for dinner!

Connor replacing spinach with winter onions.  Thank you Bob and Barb for the absurd amount of onions, we love them!

On July 5th, a storm from the Northwest blew down all of our sweet corn!  This was emotionally straining but we acted fast and built a support system for each row.

First nasturtium flower!

Cucumber flowers

On July 2nd, I drove Claire to the Sioux Falls airport so she could catch a flight to Los Angeles to spend the 4th with her family.  Beach time, board games, and relaxing is what she had to look forward to.  I had a different sort of weekend planned.  My dad spent the weekend with me and we worked diligently on the tiny home.  To begin, he taught me how to wire a house.  I applaud him for this because I am not an easy person to teach things too and wiring is not a simple task.  After endless drilling, stringing, cutting, and even some shocking, we finally finished!  Six lights and seven outlets now litter our little home and give us the ability to work through the night.  Insulating was the next step.  Sadly, this step began mid-day on a 90 degree afternoon.  Dressed in long sleeves, pants, and face masks, we stapled twenty rolls of R-15 insulation to the walls and ceiling.  A plastic vapor barrier was stapled on next, followed by Sheetrock.  We are currently in the middle of taping joints and holes but hope to be painting soon!

          

We decided to add a loft for storage over the middle of the house and bathroom.

Connor cutting out the bottom of the bathroom door frame.

Our kitchen with outlets and drywall

Here is our attempt at a composting toilet!  It was good practice considering we have decided to build all of our own cabinets and shelves. The toilet will sit on legs and hide a 5-gallon bucket.   

Lights in the bathroom and over the middle table

Kitchen lights

We are kept constantly busy during these summer months but we love the challenge.  Hopefully one day soon we will have time to write a long, detailed post with a video or two.  Until then, enjoy this Common Lilac seedling!  Peace and love.

"The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you, don't go back to sleep." ~ Rumi