Previously in Stillwater.....

Friday nights in Stillwater can get a little out of control when it is just Nicole and I sitting on the couch watching AFV (that's America's Most Funniest Home Videos for those of you not cool enough to know). However, we were fortunate enough to have guests on a recent evening.

First up was a round of Whiskey Hers! This was the first time Kyle had the opportunity to try this nectar of the gods and it suited his distinguished palate. Rob brought the Her, I provided the Whiskey, Wade was the muscle, and Kyle....well....Kyle brought the Razington.

Rob and Wade soon found themselves over in the corner of our speakeasy where the house piano player allowed them some time to bang on the ivories. It was a delight for the cat seated by window and the dog on the floor. 
From the moment Kyle entered the house we all felt the tension between him and Nicole. They sized each other up long enough for Kyle to get a shot of liquor in him and for Wade and Rob to find a distraction and thankfully I had time to turn on the Wii before anyone got hurt. Nicole has been a renowned Dr. Mario player since elementary school and Kyle was a real Doctor, so it didn't take long before the sound of "Fever" engulfed the basement. 
Only from the top-level Dr. Mario players do you get the type of concentration that Nicole has to her game. Kyle's "book learning" doctoral experience was enough to nudge him over Nicole, but I think we can see who the real winner was that night. (hint: He's the one in the middle).

More fun was had later in the evening. 

1. We banged on the piano some more.

2. Kyle had his picture taken with our animals. 

3. We sang Amie to Amy over Google Video, but I don't think she heard us.

4. We went to karaoke at the Stillwater Bowling Alley and broke a microphone and a glass. 

5. We tried to go dancing at the Freight House, but it was closed. 

6. We all went to sleep with dreams of pwning n00bs. 

 

Bonus hot pics!

We're Not Buying Expensive Herbs This Year!

First day of spring?  Time for T-8 weeks for frost-free indoor seed planting!!  Assuming Stillwater has a last frost date of May 15 (ha!), that would put us at approximately now to start some indoor seeds.  I don't want to go overboard on this little experiment with crazy vegetable seeds and flowers, so we're starting - nice and slow - with some happy little herbs.  First, gather a few seed packets, a seedling tray, and some seed-starting medium.

I prefer (based on no particular experience) the seedling pellets, mostly because it is totally worth it to watch them expand from hard little pellets to heavy-duty soil in less than five minutes.  These are sterile components perfect for seedlings.  Don't be using last year's potting soil for your basil seeds...unless you want last year's diseases cropping up in this year's garden.  Anyway, add warm water, wait a few minutes, and watch the magic...

Hey, feel free to have fun with the pellets.  You need to rough them up a bit to get them to stand upright and fit into the square seedling sections.  Seriously, good times.  Don't believe me?  Ask TJ.  He was there.

Read your seed packets, folks.  Many seeds, like lavender and oregano, can be sprinkled on the surface and barely covered.  Others, like cilantro (above), will do better if you put one or two seeds in a small hole and cover with a quarter inch of soil.  Use a #2 pencil to make these holes.  Ballpoint will also work.  Permanent marker will not.

Label your sections.  Nobody wants to make spaghetti with spearmint when they actually meant oregano.  And, seriously, a mint julep with catnip?  Snap to it! 

Happy planting!  

First Signs of Spring

The first tulips are beginning to spring from the ground.  They emerged from the front yard space previously inhabited by the sumacs we removed last fall.  I'm not sure how long it's been since the bulbs were fully able to grow.  I don't recall seeing them in past years since the sumacs probably blocked out most of their light.  It will be fun to see what colors will appear in a few weeks!

Snow Dog Days

I guess it's supposed to warm up soon.  Good thing.  Enjoy the snow photos while you can because we're not shoveling the driveway again. 

TJ took the opportunity to run like a crazy dog at the dog park.  He won't be so happy when it's 70 degrees and sunny, but at least he's having a good time now.  

Spring days are coming!