I always thought doors had little roofs to keep people waiting at them out of the rain. Turns out, doors have little roofs to keep rain out, because it's really hard to make a door that doesn't leak at all.
Nice job, Chris!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Artisan door and Chris versus Seattle rains
In his never ending quest to declare victory over Seattle rains, Chris completed a shelter that we hope keeps water from leaking through our kitchen door this winter.
I always thought doors had little roofs to keep people waiting at them out of the rain. Turns out, doors have little roofs to keep rain out, because it's really hard to make a door that doesn't leak at all.
Nice job, Chris!
I always thought doors had little roofs to keep people waiting at them out of the rain. Turns out, doors have little roofs to keep rain out, because it's really hard to make a door that doesn't leak at all.
Nice job, Chris!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Worms eat our food scraps
We're so lucky in Seattle that nearly everything is either recyclable or compostable. All of our food scraps can go into our yard waste bin -- and it costs us nothing to have it carted away to the Cedar Grove composting facility.
The trouble is, we're gardeners. So inevitably we end up buying our own food waste back from Cedar Grove. I've noticed that, as the city composting program has flourished, the quality of compost from Cedar Grove has declined -- or at least, it seems drier and woodier than before. I hypothesize that the composting facility is getting a higher ratio of yard waste.
Meanwhile, our garden isn't half as productive as Shelly and John's. They separate yard waste from food scraps, maintain an above-ground bin for yard waste, and feed their food scraps to worms, using the worm castings to nourish their veggies. I decided to try their worm-bin technique to see if I can get the same results.
The kids and I took the wagon to Ace, purchased two 20-gallon bins, moved some plants, and dug two 20-gallon holes right outside our back door. Then Chris drilled holes in both the bins to let soil critters find our compost, sunk them into our holes (burying the bins makes them rat-proof), and mulched around them. We shredded newspaper for worm bedding and purchased our first batch of worms from neighbor Xander, whose family has been worm composting for years. We're now layering food scraps and shredded newspapers. When one bin is full, we'll start in on the next -- and let you know how it works!
The trouble is, we're gardeners. So inevitably we end up buying our own food waste back from Cedar Grove. I've noticed that, as the city composting program has flourished, the quality of compost from Cedar Grove has declined -- or at least, it seems drier and woodier than before. I hypothesize that the composting facility is getting a higher ratio of yard waste.
Meanwhile, our garden isn't half as productive as Shelly and John's. They separate yard waste from food scraps, maintain an above-ground bin for yard waste, and feed their food scraps to worms, using the worm castings to nourish their veggies. I decided to try their worm-bin technique to see if I can get the same results.
The kids and I took the wagon to Ace, purchased two 20-gallon bins, moved some plants, and dug two 20-gallon holes right outside our back door. Then Chris drilled holes in both the bins to let soil critters find our compost, sunk them into our holes (burying the bins makes them rat-proof), and mulched around them. We shredded newspaper for worm bedding and purchased our first batch of worms from neighbor Xander, whose family has been worm composting for years. We're now layering food scraps and shredded newspapers. When one bin is full, we'll start in on the next -- and let you know how it works!
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Third grade
I'm feeling extremely grateful today for these incredible, healthy children. Tristen is super excited to start third grade: loves his teacher, his school, and learning. I only cried a little this year. :)
P.S. Other first days.
P.S. Other first days.
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