A random collage

We're rapidly approaching winter.  *Sigh*  I love living near the mountains but oh dear, I go into winter kicking & screaming.

Since we're so behind on blog posts, here's a random collage of pictures:

 "Hi Mom.  Just waiting from someone to drop something on the kitchen floor for me to eat."

Sometimes you have to snuggle with your yogurt cup.  Or wear it as a top hat.

Someone stole a stick from the wood pile...

 This is a very typical picture...

Busy bees soaking up the last of the nectar from our Russian Sage.

Our potted clover showing off its floral beauty.

And the post wouldn't be complete without a few of our favorite little guy...

We will be the coolest aunt & uncle.  So we start them young learning to order craft beer.

 "This guy must not be a Ramirez because he's really tall."

 "This is my Blue Steel look"

Ready for nicer weather

I was looking through pictures & saw these from last summer.  Ahhhh, summer.  How I (mostly) miss you so (minus the 100 degree days that scorched everything in sight).

Well well well, check out these lovely flowers she grew just for me.  Yum yum yum.

Just gonna meander over here to check it out.  

 Dude, this yard is awesome.

 Oh, hey, it says "Beware of Dog."  I wonder if they care that we're eating their lawn?  Suckas.

 You bore me, dog.

 Heyyyy, is this a good shot?  There's no shadow across my face, right?  Does my butt look big?  Aren't I handsome?

Hoop houses

We decided to experiment with a new method of growing a few warm-weather crops before the "proper" time - we hate waiting until after Memorial Day to plant, especially living in an area with a limited growing season.  After a trip to the nursery, we stopped by Home Depot to pick up supplies for three small-scale hoop houses.

A few feet of PVC pipe, zip ties, & barrier plastic (we chose one commonly used as a drop cloth that will last one season but it's possible to find more sturdy plastic).

 The bottoms easily detach from the sides, allowing us to break them down for winter storage.

I look angry because
1) My beer is empty
2) It appears I have a mustache

I look happier because
1) Steve is bringing me a refill
2) My mustache was just a shadow

Our new 'mater & pepper plants have taken swimmingly well to the hoop houses.  By day they soak up fresh air & sunlight, by night they turn into a warm greenhouse with the heat of the day trapped in the hoop house.  We cover the plants if it appears temps will dip below 40, otherwise they stay uncovered.  We'll report back at the end of summer if the new experiment worked...

So long, summer

Old Man Winter is slowing showing his frozen face.  I'll be using this picture (one of our lovely & delicious homegrown maters) to pull myself out of the winter blues.  Where's my blanket, it's time to hibernate!

Wildlife friends

We've had bird feeders in our front yard for a few years, but it seems the birds are just now getting comfortable enough to visit & enjoy the constant stream of food.  With summer finally here, we've really noticed an abundance of birds visiting, including a few beautifully colorful cuties (sorry, probably not the preferred nomenclature):

This blue fella appears to be a Lazuli Bunting, although the blurry picture & lack of a rear view make it difficult  to be certain.  My dear ornithologist brother, what's your educated guess?

This fiery bird appears to be a Western Tanager.  I adore the fabulously bright red & yellow.

[Please excuse the poor zoom - they were, after all, taken from a living room window with small zoom camera]

We've also been privy to a visit from this fantastically lemon-yellow bird, but they're too quick for us to grab a pic.

Heaven in a bottle

*Drool*  One of my absolute favorite beers of all time.  *Drool*  It's summer in a bottle.  No, it's heaven in a bottle.  It's summery heaven.  Heavenly summer.  You catch my drift.

When Leinie's Summer Shandy hits the liquor store shelves, I'm like this guy (gal).  Total destruction to anyone standing in my way.  (Minus the 3 heads)


Steve was recently in Laramie & found Summer Shandy in a can.  Bottles always seem more official than cans, but Summer Shandy in a can was priceless.  I fainted from happiness.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my computer.  Good thing it didn't short out.