Hello

I haven't posted all summer. Whoops. I have a lot of recapping to do because it has been a very exciting summer.

We moved out of our apartment and into our new house. I'll get some pictures of it up soon. It isn't one of Olympia's cute little houses but it certainly does the job and it is quite nice inside. Benji and I have our own bathroom attached to our room and a big walk in closet. I started a compost out back and turned over a bunch of yard to make a garden. My tomatoes, kale, broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, squash/zucchini, and lettuce were all successful. My spinach was not, my cabbage hasn't made any cabbages yet, it is too early to tell what's going on with the eggplant and tomatillos though they both have little fruit on the way, and all my first round of starting plants from seeds failed. Next year's garden will be even better. But I'd still call this year's a success.

Michelle got pregnant this summer. It's so hard to comprehend still. She just reached her second trimester. What.

Rosie and Dan visited in the middle of July. We had a very nice time living with Rosie for two weeks and a nice road trip to Oregon with Asia. Khadijah showed up here, which is great. We've been hanging out, walking to the co-op, picking blackberries all the way there.

There are so many inspiring backyard farms around here. One of the houses on our street has a big hoophouse and a house across the street has chickens. We walk around and look at all the super cute houses and super cool yards. It's a great activity.

Benji and I went vegan in the beginning of July. Great decision. They make vegan chilly goats, don't even worry.

I also have gotten really good at making sauerkraut, finally. I just had to learn Lauren's secrets. I've also pickled radishes and kohlrabi and pickling cucumbers which I grew in my own garden on my own cucumber trellis. I make my own soy milk but I'm not that good at soy yogurt yet. I can make good coconut yogurt but that still requires packaging for the coconut milk cans so I might as well buy soy yogurt (which is actually really good) since it has containers I can reuse. It would be great if I could master the homemade soy yogurt because that would seriously reduce my yogurt packaging since I have so many soy beans in a big tub. I wanted to get them in bulk at the co-op but they don't have bulk soy beans at the co-op. Weird, right? I've been trying to reduce my waste as much as possible, buying everything I can in bulk and reusing everything I can and making reusable tissues and toilet paper and homemade toothpaste and cleaning spray. I've been trying to reduce my water usage too but then my doctor went and prescribed daily baths with tons of borax and baking soda and cornstarch in the water. So that gets in the way of reducing water usage but what can you do.

Olympia in the summer is gorgeous. It's great. It's beautiful it's perfect. But I didn't get to go in any water at all this summer which is NOT okay. I need to get in water as soon as I get home.

Jesse got a ping pong table for the garage so there have been lots of ping pong parties. Pretty great. Also lots of cooking parties in the kitchen and reading parties in the living room. Benji has been growing a dandelion and yellow clover meadow in the front lawn and we've walked through it so much that there is a little path worn in the middle.

Bailey got a house two blocks away from ours so she will be so close by which will be great. Asia lives within easy walking distance, Michelle lives within easy walking distance, Megan lives within easy walking distance, all great. Lauren is wanting to move to the westside again so I hope she moves close enough. Khadijah and Jeannette are staying at our house right now so they are plenty close by. Parties parties parties all the time.