Massive Updates!

Well things have been jamming over here. The big news is that the foundation replacement is done, the disintegrating bricks are only for looks now! Our foundation replacement went very smooth, big thanks to Antonio and Symon @ Copper foundation, this was very worrisome for us seeing some of the other information on the net. Luckily for us Copper did a stellar job, I would recommend these guys easily.

In the DIY arena I have gotten back in the rhythm of getting work done around here now that work @ work has calmed down. So what has happened?

• Sprinkler style drip irrigation system. This involved digging a massive trench all the way from the middle of the side yard back to the fruit trees. I got a good workout and a tan, and most importantly we got some squid hookups that allow us to easily expand the drip irrigation without pressure losses. Water now goes in parallel instead of series. 
• Ran electrical (with ground wires) to the garage, and moved the work shop from the back porch into the garage.
• Downstairs bathroom has a working (awesome) shower and we have some rad design surprises. It will be finished soon!
• The fence in the front yard was super degraded (termites) so I replaced the weak beams with pressure treated outdoor wood and it is much sturdier now. Held up to klee kai pen testing. 
• Installed a skylight in the back porch and set it up as a proto-greenhouse for Belle. Found some cool L brackets from the old sink and built a potting shelf. Also lined the edges of the skylight with the cool aluminum metal we used for the custom egg carton.

Once again I am promising to update the blog more and add photos. I swear I will this time, but for now going to grab a homebrew and chill because my body is destroyed.

Buffalo Wild Wheat

It's been a couple months since I ate meat.  A general desire to cut grocery costs, eat more veggies and less adulterated food products, and reduce my footprint collided with some some unanticipatedly graphic slaughterhouse footage in the vegan documentary I'd surfed to on Amazon Prime.  On the whole, I haven't looked back.  If anything, it's nice to have my lunch choices whittled down a bit at the cafeteria.  It's rad not to have a pile of questionably aged meat biding its time in a corner of the fridge.  

That said, The two things I miss from my carniverous days were 1.  bacon (which I sneak by proxy of having MacGyver fry breakfast zucchini hash browns, rosemary sweet potato fries, etc. in his drippings) 2. Buffalo Wild Wings "buffalo" dry rub sauce.  

Fortunately, you can buy the dry rub as a seasoning.  I've taken to dusting grilled tempeh (soy) cubes with it as a neater but just as tasty alternative.  Tempeh has become my default dry rub vehicle because it is one of the few meat substitutes I can find at Trader Joe's which isn't already dolled up as a burger patty, sausage link, etc.  I tried these with Seitan (wheat product), which was expensive.  Seitan showed promise, texture-wise, but I over seasoned the first batch.  A lot of meat products pick up a more intense flavor than their animal peers.  Now if only they'd let me "carry in" for the next BarCraft...