So it seems as though we are looking forward to some good weather coming this week. I got laid off just in time for gardening season it seems (always look on the bright side right?). We’ve got several trays of stuff planted already; mesclun mix, spinach, misc. herbs and of course some wheatgrass all poking up through the soild in our sliding door window. The herbs seem to be a bit slow to start but the salad greens are really taking off. I’m hoping to get a chance to head over to our friend Lucas’ place to get some work done in his greenhouse with him. Lucas is really into organic gardening and sustainability so I am hoping that Alli and I can both learn alot from him and his wife this year. It’s going to be a super fun season!

Alli brings home magazines from time to time as her parents own an independent bookstore (www.theinsidestory.ca) and that obviously has it’s privileges. She’s always scoring uber cool stuff like Mother Earth News, Urban Gardening and more. Anyways, the other day she brought home a copy of Starting from Seed magazine that I finally got around to picking up and checking out tonight and I must say it’s really cool. They have a neat info section where they review gardening products but give you an economical and a high-end product but also recommend a green or free alternative. Kind of like gardening projects for every budget which I thought was cool. Grab a copy at your independent book seller or have them order it for you!

  Had a super long day at school today trying to get ready for my big practical exam tomorrow and eating ridiculous food.  Although I consider myself a concientious eater, I do still enjoy my junk food (as I’m sure I’ve mentioned and for those of you that know me; you know) so my friend Mark and I from school had lunch at a small trailer restaurant; for lack of a better way to put it.  It’s not a fry truck per se, but it’s a trailer that serves fry truck type fair.  The place is called Neeko’s (sp?) on Victoria Ave. in Niagara Falls.  Mark got me turned on to the place and the owner (Nick; go figure) is a really nice guy who took the time to explain to me that his burgers, which are his specialty, are made fresh each morning with ground beef he buys, prepares and seasons himself.  If you’ve ever worked in the food industry you know is incredibly rare (those of you who have worked in high end kitchens are exempted from that statement obviously hehe…) this is.   I had the special which was like 8 bucks including a crappy tip which included a fresh, char-broiled 6 oz. burger. medium fries and a can of soda (I generally dislike soda at this point in my life, but I suppose I enjoy a few cans a week as a “treat”).  The best part was that it was literally one of the best burgers I’ve had in quite some time,  remarkebly reasonable price wise (what’s a decent combo at MacDonalds) and I was getting to support a local, independent entrepeneur at the same time: how can you beat that? 

  Then, later at work , a bunch of us split on a ridiculous pizza order from the local chain here and enjoyed it immensely, not nearly as much as I enjoyed lunch at Neeko’s but it was fresh, hot and we were supporting a local business (albeit a small chain).

  To my suprise upon arriving home, Alli was here and working on some of the best and most delicious smelling crock pot ribs with potatos I’ve come across.  Damn she spoils me a bunch!  I’m not sure what her recipe was, nor do I much care as she hasn’t made anything bad yet . I even liked the chicken gizzards a bit, although I’m not sure I would order them.    We also had left over sushi that she slaved over (four hours is slaving right?) last night to make dinner for when I finished school.  It was effing stellar; Miso soup, five different types of sushi rolls (she also told me about the difference between sushi and sashimi; extra note, Pops likes sashimi more that sushi, so get him to stop calling it sushi universally), tempura yams and shrimp.  My lord it was delicious and y’all should ask her to hook you up with the directions (recipe is so lame right?) on how to make it.

  So tonight I managed to find a documentary on WNED (our local PBS affiliate) called Black Coffee, I think, that chronicled the history of good ol’ java.  Those of you that know me personally probably know that I am not at all a coffee drinker.  I think I’ve had 2-3 cups throughout my entire life, but this show was uber interesting.  It outlined (and don’t quote me on it; it’s late) the entire history of the coffee bean from Ethiopia throught the Turkish Ottoman empire, through Arabia and out from there.  Super cool stuff so I encourage all you coffee and coffee derivitave drinkers to check it out.  The neatest point to me, that if is if I understood it right, was that espresso actually has less caffeine that coffee; it’s a more concentrated coffee with more concentrated flavor and a thicker brew but because it is brewed for a shorter duration, it actually has less caffeine.  Food for thought, if I’m correct, I thought.

  We’ve been noticing more hits through google lately and truly appreciate all of you spending a minute or two to catch up on what we are thinking or doing, sincerely.  Please share your thoughts with us and let us know what you would like to know more about or hear more about or see more of.  It’s you folks that we do this for and it’s really nice to know that there are others that are interested in what we are doing and what we are learning and thinking about; it is truly is the highest compliment you can give someone; to want to listen.  So yeah, pipe up; let us know what you’re interested in, let us know what you think; let us know what you’re doing;   if we all wanted one way communication we’d watch tv like zombies right? :)  Seriously, you guys make it worth doing, thanks!

 Oh, and thanks to Alli as always for kickin’ ass and making all this happen!

PS. note to self, proof read everything; you just spelled coffee as coffe three times dummy.