Recap and Goals

May!  Most of the time when I write this post, I feel so glad that the previous month is over.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy life.  But May could have lingered for a while longer.  In particular, my week in Ecuador could have lingered on for a while, and Memorial Weekend definitely could have lingered - I still feel like I could go for more camping!  Possibly my favorite part of May, however, was the change in weather: it is finally warm enough to enjoy a cold beer out on the porch.  And I did.  On several occasions. 

• Spanish lessons at lunchtime, which I totally did with ridiculous faithfulness (okay, maybe my resolve weakened on Fridays)
• I went to Ecuador for a week!  Blog forthcoming.  Sneak peak above.
• But I kept giving you blogs with a gardening theme...which was a real test of what I had learned as well.
• Soil Amendments for Beginners
• Double Digging
• Companion Planting
• Transplanting Seedlings
• Planting the Garden
• Moon Planting
• We also went on a mini hiking trip with friends!  Blog forthcoming.  You know the drill.
• Speaking of friends, one of mine just got a new job, so we had a celebration for him!  The fondue was a hit.
• Bottle wine.  Wow.  This did not even come close to happening.  Which means that next month is going to require both bottling AND starting a new batch of wine.

As always, onward and upward.  What will June (June?!  Already?!) be bringing?

• Well, wine.  Bottling, and starting a new batch.  Blueberry?  Depends on prices I guess.
• Keep you updated on my garden!  Fun things are happening, and they make me feel like a successful human being!  Maybe I'll do a "harvest month" segment this fall to briefly cover things like canning/drying/freezing and seed saving.
• I totally fell off the Paleo wagon with all this traveling, and I've been suffering the consequences.  So, first order of business, get back on track with chipotle meatballs with guacamole.
• But, in all fairness, I'm already planning on falling off the wagon with Swedish Cloudberry Parfait (and since cloudberries are somewhat scarce in these parts, it will probably be strawberry with a hint of watermelon).
• Summery things!  Memorial Day kicked off the great weather, so now it's time for camping and/or campfires!  Let's make it happen, friends!
• Reformat my laptop.  I already know this isn't going to happen, but it IS on the list.  A (nerdy) girl can dream, right?
• Kahlua!  Kyle's mom has a great recipe.  And if you're willing to make your own kahlua, you will undoubtedly be willing to make the chocolate syrup that goes into it.  Bob, if you read this, I believe we will join you for white russians sometime soon :)

 Such a great group to go hiking with!  And I just want to say that anything that involves new friends is definitely a worthwhile venture.  Oh, and let's not forget that one of the people in the above photo earned a fondue party for his new job!

So May...great month.  Great.  I really appreciate all the people in my life and all they do for me without even realizing it.  You guys are great!  And I also want to thank the people who have told me they like this blog...because sometimes I forget that people actually read it(!).  Anyway, it's nice to have a little validation every once in a while that I'm not just a crazy person cooking up kitchen disasters and garden foibles.  Speaking of which - I just found out today that I definitely planted radishes in some square footage dedicated to cucumbers.  Whoops!  Too late to do anything about it now :)