Clean Fence

We're starting to work on our garden space for next year, and step one for us was to clean up this fence while there was still good access. We sprayed on a wood cleaner, then pressure washed it off. Aaron will go back and lightly sand to get off the fuzz and I'll stain it so it stays brighter longer. What a difference there is already. We had to stop when our neighbor got home and had people over, so just a little ways to go. 

The plan is for raised beds back in that corner.  The little fence will come out, along with some of the sidewalk.  I don't know how far we'll get this year, but either way it will be okay.
We got a bunch of siding put up yesterday, we're so close on the back!  We didn't have what we needed painted for those last few spots, so I'll work on that this week.

We had an action packed weekend, the best sushi we've ever had at Mame in Eugene.  I don't know how well you know my food preferences, but I'm not big on seafood.  I ate multiple raw sea creatures - and enjoyed it.  So fresh and good.  The chef does a special, you name your per person price and he makes up all sorts of different things to try.  Since there were 6 of us, we probably had 15 or more different things - having a friend that knew the owner well might have bumped that up a bit.  Stand outs were the raw scallops (tasted literally like butter) with sushi rice risotto (coconut milk and lemongrass), lots of things I can't remember the names of, seared ahi sashimi, and mango curry cheesecake.

Saturday we went to Corvallis with the intent of going to da Vinci Days, but never made it down there after some shopping and catching up with good friends.  I'm a little bummed about it, but we still had an awesome day.

Sunday we worked around the house.  We're gearing up for a long vacation, so I'm feeling the pressure of getting these summer projects wrapped up!

Siding

It's going up!

Zucchini Soup

Got too much zucchini yet?  I love this recipe for using up excess zukes.

Zucchini Soup

4-6 slices bacon, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 1/4 lb zucchini, sliced

2 cups beef broth (or consume, or turkey broth, or chicken broth)

2 1/2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 tsp dried basil (I left this out because I didn't have any, and can't tell the difference)

1/8 tsp black pepper

In frying pan cook bacon.  Remove bacon, leaving grease.  Sauté the onion and garlic in the grease.  Remove with a slotted spoon, and put all remaining ingredients (except bacon) into a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until zucchini is cooked, about 15 minutes.  I add the bacon toward the end so it doesn't get too soft.  Let cool slightly, then immersion blend.  Serve hot with grated parmesan.

I'll be the first to admit it's not the most beautiful soup, but it is delicious!

Last night this gorgeous BRIGHT neon yellow spider caught my eye.  I'm glad I saw it before the chickens, and moved it to safety.