"In the central portion of the great North American Continent there lies an arid and repulsive desert, which for many a long year served as a barrier against the advance of civilization. From the Sierra Nevada to Nebraska, and from the Yellowstone River in the north to the Colorado upon the south, is a region of desolation and silence." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

Monday, October 15, 2018

Columbus Day Festivities: Garden Pumpkins and Burgers!

Ahead of our first snowstorm (for the 19th Day of Autumn), it was finally time to bring in the pumpkins:



And then, to commemorate Columbus Day, we couldn't decide on Italian, Spanish, Latin American, or North American food, so we Columbus Burgers (hamburger with mozzarella and Italian salsa fresca):




Tuesday, September 11, 2018

A Sampling of Garden Produce

Melon, basil, sugar snap peas, strawberries, chives, banana peppers, red onions, and Chioggia beets!



We have also started harvesting a good crop of tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, and eggplant with a number of ominously large pumpkins ripening beneath the leaves.


Tuesday, August 7, 2018

A Mudroom Knagglig

Our latest project: a shoe and boot cart for a tough corner of the mudroom.  It is based on two IKEA Knagglig boxes, plus some wood stain and spare casters:




Sunday, April 15, 2018

Not Quite Planting Season

According to Gardening in the Dakotas, April 15th is a possible planting date for onions, beets, carrots, kohlrabi, and peas.  That schedule didn't work out so well this year:




Luckily, our new trees haven't arrived, but some lilac buds were visible from above:


Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Easter Tuesday

Although we did not have a White Easter, we did have a White Easter Tuesday:


And The Mitchell Republic reminds us just how long Winter is:

With snow on the ground and a low pressure system over Canada, Mitchell reached a low of 5 early Wednesday morning.
Alexandria and Tyndall both hit 3 degrees Wednesday morning, breaking records set in 1920...
This winter season, since Oct. 1, Mitchell has received 39.3 inches of snow, which is about average.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Most "Most Livable Cities" Speak German

From Yahoo:
VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's capital Vienna once again defended its position as the city offering the best quality of life in the world...
Europe has eight of the world's top 10 most pleasant cities: Germany and Switzerland each have three cities in the top 10, while New Zealand, Canada and Australia each have one.
That's seven out of ten in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Now, for the obligatory Vienna travel photos:




Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The First Day of Spring

The first day of Spring, March 20, 2018:


A few from two weeks earlier illustrate our love of snow drifts:



Tuesday, February 13, 2018

January, Compare and Contrast

A garden in California, January 17th:


A garden in South Dakota, January 21st:


Out for a walk in California, January 17th:


Out for a walk in South Dakota, January 17th:

Linzer Cookies!

From January 2, 2018, the 9th Day of Christmas!