Nesting in 100+ degree weather

It's October, a month I usually associate with fall leaves and dipping temperatures. However, Ukiah's atmosphere doesn't share my sentiment since all three days in October have broken 100 degrees (and a few records, apparently). September was equally hot and they're saying it's the hottest fall on record (and by "they" I mean two men in front of me at the bank). The weather here really is pretty crazy. For instance, check out this snapshot of the weather on Monday. It didn't quite hit 106, but it did go from 54 to 100 in a matter of hours.

Luckily my new house stays nice and cool, except when I'm baking, which has happened for the last six consecutive nights. What can I say? It's good to have a kitchen again. Here's a pumpkin pie I made from a pumpkin I got at the farmer's market, which is just one block from my house every Saturday.

And, since I haven't really shared any details about my new digs, here are three one-minute videos of my house (small enough so I could text message them to my Mom, who was the inspiration for these clips).

I live with a cool dude named David who I met through the farm this summer. Here we are breaking in the backyard, with Whitney giving Janet some bright pink highlights.

One of the many great things about this house is that the backyard is bursting with food! Here is a fraction of the tomatoes I have harvested over the past two weeks. The best part is, the red ones are incredibly good - sometimes even home-grown tomatoes can be mushy or not flavorful, but these ones are mouth watering sliced with a bit of salt. I've also sauced a lot of them.

Over the course of my adult life I have furnished six homes, and then sold for a fraction of the cost (or just plain given away) nearly everything in that household only to start again within the next few months. It's a bad habit. So, although I had a trailer full of stuff to unpack in Ukiah (three cheers for finding and keeping good kitchen stuff) I had virtually no furniture. For the first four nights I slept in a little nest I made on the floor. I shopped every furniture store, thrift store, consignment store, and garage sale in the greater Ukiah/Willits area, and found absolutely nothing that I wanted in a price range I could afford. So, during one of Carson's off days, I talked him into driving to Santa Rosa so I could buy a bed and one other large piece of furniture; possibly a sofa. Instead I found a sick deal on a great futon, so I came home with two beds; one for me and one that serves as both couch and guest bed. Here's Carson tying it all down; I love that this picture manages to make him look short.

Here are Sara and Whitney breaking in the futon (earlier this night we had four of us comfortably snuggled up on it watching a movie - definitely a good investment).

We're still missing dining chairs and I need a desk chair and night stands, but otherwise we're in good shape!

Since arriving back in Ukiah I've wasted no time in getting busy, including volunteering with The Gardens Project. On Sunday I helped them with a 5k at a gorgeous winery down the highway in Hopland called Jaxon Keys. This is their expansive wrap-around porch:

                                     

Here is a view from one of the vineyards:

                                     

I imagine that after a few years of living here the grapes will lose their romance, but for now I'm still infatuated by these juicy orbs:

I also went to a pizza birthday party at the farm, where they made their own dough and cooked them in the beautiful outdoor cob oven. Here's Nick, one of the birthday celebratees, making his own pizza:

Yesterday Carson had some work to do on his hives, so I took a book and sat back while he worked. Here's a picture I snapped while he wasn't looking:

And hey, since this post is all over the place, here I am eating Mexican empanadas and a hibiscus-flavored snocone at my new favorite spot:

 Until next time!