There's a new girl in town...

i'd like to introduce everyone to Montefellow's newest resident: Eleanor. she was found as a stray in north minneapolis (represent), and taken to Animal Control. with her short time on earth rapidly ticking away, in swooped Pet Project Rescue to save her from being euthanized. and, after some manipulation by my friend katie, she came into our care.

she is absolutely the sweetest puppy i have ever met. her disposition is docile and friendly, much like my own (ahem). we were told that she's a german shepherd/lab mix, and have no reason to doubt that. i toyed with the idea of training her in german, to honor her heritage, but decided against for two reasons: even i am not that pretentious, and allison doesn't speak german. of course, only one of those is true, but that is neither here nor there. anyway, as allison would say: "ich liebe eleanor!"

A bird in the hand...

if you were wondering whether bird netting works to protect your berry bushes, let me assure you that it does. while out picking some raspberries the other day, allison noticed a little bird who fell prey to his own greed for berries. it must have been a tragic and shocking death. there he is, just flying around, and he sees a plentiful raspberry bush, ripe for the picking. he swoops in to take a bite, and, in a flash, he is trapped. he can't fly away, he can't move at all. the more he struggles, the more trapped he becomes. he chirps to his friends for help, but they are no where to be seen. slowly, he loses his strength and relents to the pull from the other side. rest in peace young bird. and let your death stand as a warning to berry poachers everywhere: stay away from Montefellow!

What have you done for me lately?

don't be fooled by the fact that i haven't posted anything for a while; allison and i have been as busy as ever over at Montefellow. since you last tuned in, our meager little garden has grown into a mini farm. we even painted the "garage" barn red! the vegetables may be small, but the yield is gonna be high! readers, if you like cucumbers, zucchini, celery, beans, peppers, and (lest we forget) tomatoes, then you should come by with a basket. and then there are our raspberry bushes...holy crap, those things are prolific! there is really nothing more delicious than popping a freshly picked berry, warmed by the summer sun, into your mouth. i made a raspberry vinaigrette from scratch the other day, and it was divine. we put in a little bench (tip my hat to donald) with some flagstones on the edge of the garden, and there we sit to enjoy the fresh fruits of our labor. seriously, hand picked green beans are a better snack than any chip.

to the west of the garden is a giant dirt pit. sounds awful, you say? oh no, my friend, not at all. it is the future site of our pergola and brick patio. the bricks are ready, the wood is on order, and the pit is dug. ok, not completely dug, but it is well on its way. plus, we have enough bricks to for a grilling station, and a nice walkway. it's going to be good.

inside, the bathroom walls have beautiful new oak wainscoting (allison is quickly becoming a master woodworker), and our Koehler sink is up and functional. we decided against tiling the entire bathroom, and went with the oak wainscot, in the interest of time. it's in keeping with the style of the house, and looks fabulous.

i am going to be more diligent about posting, so check back soon for more updates!