We’re working away on the greenhouse. I got all the frames built for the grow beds, then we all worked together to get the dirt moved back into there. Got 12 yards of dirt delivered one day, and two days later we had it all moved in. I was pretty happy about that. Crystal has now gotten so much planted out there that I have no idea what the heck all is in there.
We also decided to work up an outdoor grow bed by the battery building. It’s about 15’ X 25’ and I’m working on getting a fence put up around it to keep the deer out. We’re playing with the idea of putting a cover over it that’ll do a better job so our hard work doesn’t get all et up. (That’s not a typo, it’s how I say it).
Part of that was laying out some of the ground out there for a little bit of grass for Angus the pup. It’s not too big, since we’ll have to water it to get it going. If it all works out we’ll make it a little bit bigger next year. That’s if we haven’t moved to San Carlos and taken off on the boat for good.
Don’t laugh, it sometimes sounds pretty appealing.
In general, things are going well. We’re all healthy and life is going well.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Sunday, April 19, 2020
A busy day of staying at home
Today, we managed to keep busy most of the day. We started the day with some internet, then Crystal and I went for a nice little bike ride. Then we got together on some seeds and what we might want to grow in the greenhouse.
BTW, the dirt for the greenhouse beds I built over the last week will be delivered on Wednesday. Then we get to move 13,000 pounds of dirt into the building :D.
Tonight we're making dinner and drinking.
Life is good.
BTW, the dirt for the greenhouse beds I built over the last week will be delivered on Wednesday. Then we get to move 13,000 pounds of dirt into the building :D.
Tonight we're making dinner and drinking.
Life is good.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Moving forward an inch at a time
Well, the Pliny the Elder beer and the Kentucky Oatmeal Bourbon Coffee Stout and happily in their secondaries and getting prepped. In the meantime I've made a car trip and picked up some beer "stuff" that will make our beer drinking a bit more fun. I lucked into a batch of beer equipment. Some of it is a little better than what I had, and it included kegs. So my buddy and I have purchased a kegerator (it's still on the way) along with a few other bits and pieces that we'll end up needing as we move forward.
So we'll have draft beer for 2 kegs at at time in the house.
pray for us
Also I've been working on the greenhouse like a crazy person. At this point the grow beds are all built and I've cleaned up the construction mess along with making the space useable. The topsoil/grow dirt is ordered and will be here in less than a week. I'll take pics when we get the dirt in there. It's been fun, a little hot, and a bit more work and figuring than I originally planned. But we're pretty close to planting stuff.
I've also ordered tires for my pickup, rewired the trailer lights on almost every thing, and continued cleaning up around here.
It feels good to get some stuff done.
We're still hoping to get to go to our sailboat docking class in May. We shall see.
In the meantime I'll keep brewing beer.
So we'll have draft beer for 2 kegs at at time in the house.
pray for us
Also I've been working on the greenhouse like a crazy person. At this point the grow beds are all built and I've cleaned up the construction mess along with making the space useable. The topsoil/grow dirt is ordered and will be here in less than a week. I'll take pics when we get the dirt in there. It's been fun, a little hot, and a bit more work and figuring than I originally planned. But we're pretty close to planting stuff.
I've also ordered tires for my pickup, rewired the trailer lights on almost every thing, and continued cleaning up around here.
It feels good to get some stuff done.
We're still hoping to get to go to our sailboat docking class in May. We shall see.
In the meantime I'll keep brewing beer.
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Working our way through the quarantine
We're still working away on projects and such to distract ourselves, and because they're fun.
Like today.... we started out, after tea/cacao, on re-racking a beer that we brewed about 10 days ago. It turned out pretty well, already at 7.2% alcohol. It'll be a little higher after bottle aging for a few weeks. It's a close of Pliny the Elder that Rich likes.
Yesterday Crystal and I brewed another beer, I Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast in Kentucky, from Boomchugalug.com. Man that was a crazy beer, started with lots of grains:
We've taken to brewing in the greenhouse, since it's super windy and there's nothing planted in there yet. That 6 gallons of liquid worked with all that grain, a fair amount of malt, coffee, a pound and a half of chocolate and a few hops. It came out dirty and oily and smelling like heaven. That beer is now happily bubbling away on the bar, as it will for a few days before we re-rack it and move it out to the battery building to sit in the secondary for a couple weeks. We're actively trying to collect enough bottles for bottling day.
The rest of today? Worked on a motorcycle that needed some fuel system work and fixed a bum turn signal. Then I completely rewired a trailer I use for hauling stuff. Also put new LED lights on it all around. Finished with a little ride on the motorcycle and a good dinner.
Like today.... we started out, after tea/cacao, on re-racking a beer that we brewed about 10 days ago. It turned out pretty well, already at 7.2% alcohol. It'll be a little higher after bottle aging for a few weeks. It's a close of Pliny the Elder that Rich likes.
Yesterday Crystal and I brewed another beer, I Eat Oatmeal for Breakfast in Kentucky, from Boomchugalug.com. Man that was a crazy beer, started with lots of grains:
We've taken to brewing in the greenhouse, since it's super windy and there's nothing planted in there yet. That 6 gallons of liquid worked with all that grain, a fair amount of malt, coffee, a pound and a half of chocolate and a few hops. It came out dirty and oily and smelling like heaven. That beer is now happily bubbling away on the bar, as it will for a few days before we re-rack it and move it out to the battery building to sit in the secondary for a couple weeks. We're actively trying to collect enough bottles for bottling day.
That's the beer bubbling away
Stirring in the malt
Adding in some hops
Cooling down the wort so we can put it in the brew bucket
More cooling
Racking the beer into the brew bucket, look at that dark stuff!
The coco butter will float on top, when we re-rack we have to leave it behind
There was LOTS of trub left behind when we re-racked the Rich beer. Crystal saved it and is now making a bread starter with it.
The rest of today? Worked on a motorcycle that needed some fuel system work and fixed a bum turn signal. Then I completely rewired a trailer I use for hauling stuff. Also put new LED lights on it all around. Finished with a little ride on the motorcycle and a good dinner.
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