OK, so it's been 5 months since my last post...I'll admit that that is sort of ridiculous. But, I'll catch you up. I've been working a lot on getting the farm at Uncommon Ground going. We've been working with the Waldorf School, planting, harvesting, winterizing, and planning and planning and planning for this next season to come about. It's been a long 5 months, but now that spring is on the horizon all that work will be worth it. Don't forget to link over to eatthisgrowthat.blogspot.com and follow along in the progress of the farm!

September: M and I travelled to Portland, OR to check out the scene there, but first stopped in San Francisco and visited my cousin and ate at Dottie's True Blue. Yum. They have the fast pancake flipper working for them, I was in awe. One day, I told myself, one day I can flip pancakes with the speed and agility that he can. Well, maybe not, but I sure will eat them. We toured around the Mission, ate breakfast at Tartine, saw a lot of incredible murals, ate fantastic burritos and then shopped our hearts out at Paxton Gate, where we aquirred a lovely beaver skull and some Japanese gardening scissors. After taking the streetcars everywhere we could we hopped a train to Portland. Everyone should take the chance to travel by train through the Pacific Northwest, it's stunning. Although, M will argue that I slept most of the way, I actually saw a lot and took some pictures. He worked on the table design for the Deceptive Design show that he was in in October.

Portland was fantastic, somewhere we both want to move to, just not quite yet. The music, the beer, the insane farmers market (complete with a biscuits and gravy stand!), all of it was perfect. We stayed at the Ace Hotel, which was amazing and we ate the Clyde Commons, which was also amazing. The food was perfectly seasoned and the wine paired nicely. We spent our days riding bikes and bookstore hopping and getting new haircuts in fancy barber chairs. What's not to love? One of the days we drove out to the coast and hung out on the misty beach watching the birds and the waves. We stopped at a roadside stand and bought salmon jerky and then fell in love with the place all over again. One day we will live there, I know it.

October brought a roadtrip to Austin with my dear friend Tim, he moved there, I drove the U-Haul. It was quick but fun and we had some fantastic cupcakes at an Airstream trailer, which is maybe the best idea ever. There is some nice architecture happening in Austin and the warm weather can't be beat. We also got a chance to see a fantastic burlesque-ish bluegrass-ish band called the White Ghost Shivers, which rocked our socks off.

November...hmmm...it was mellow comparitively, but lots of work....

December came with holidays spent in Wisconsin, skiing in Wisconsin (what a trip) and ENGAGEMENT!!! M proposed in the snow on a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere with a hand crafted procelain ring. What more could a girl ask for? It was dreamy and perfect and made me cry. He's a keeper for sure...

January, too, passed fairly quick and now we are at February. It is raining out (so strange) and I am loving it. I just switched positions at the restaurant and am now going to be the Farm Director. It's really nice to know I'll have my hands in dirt all summer and that I'm contributing to sustainable food systems in a really positive and real way. More on that at my other blog eatthisgrowthat.blogspot.com

Stay tuned...it won't be another 5 months before I post again, I promise.