Denver Squared

Does anyone else simultaneously love and dread harvest season? We were able to pick a bunch of peaches from a neighbor whose tree wasn't stripped to the bone by squirrels like ours was. So today I'm starting the process of putting up 8 lb of peaches for peach preserves. These photos don't include the additional 5-10lb of peaches my kiddos have eaten straight off the counter 🤣

The recipe from "Canning for a New Generation" calls for peeling every peach to make jam, but who has time for that!? I only peel the peaches that have spots on them that I can't easily cut away. A quick X with a paring knife, a minute in boiling water, and a couple minutes in an ice bath are all it takes to easily slip the skins off. It's kind of the same process as boiling eggs for deviled eggs.

I'm trying to slow down and appreciate the time I have for the process, and also remind myself of the gratitude I'll feel in February when we get to put a jam bursting with summer flavor on a biscuit.

When the grapes start hitting the patio and the bees start buzzing, we know it's time to harvest. The grapes are always such a pretty green, but they oxidize (brown) a bit when prepping for juice. This year I tossed the food mill and went with a food processor using a plastic blade, and a manual strainer.

This was just one of two five gallon buckets. Rather than can the juice or put up jam in this first batch, we're going to try our hand at fruit leather this year. 🤞

Today was a day for making art. I just forgot how much of a pain in the a** it would be to rehang. It required the multi ladder which weighs a ton. But at least the stairwell is starting to come back to life.

When we remodeled the kitchen four years ago, we installed an amazing shallow pantry near the stove for easy access. But unfortunately, it didn't have enough room for bulk buys from Costco.

As a partial solution, I removed plaster and installed shelving between the wall studs on the basement stairs. But that still left 25lb bags of rice, toilet paper, and extra packaged goods sitting on the basement stair landing, rendering the exterior door unusable.

In ADHD fashion my latest procrastination on real world work stuff enabled me to prioritize the installation of 2 shelves in the basement stairs. 🤣 I used reclaimed lumber that we found in the attic and some beefy brackets from the hardware store. Only one more shelf and some touch up paint to go.

Sometimes it's important to remember where you began...

And yes we used to have to walk though a late 1980s/early 1990s bathroom to get outside. It was quite the riot at parties 🤣 sadly I can't seem to find any 17 year old "action" shots in the old space.

It's amazing how the garden just keeps trucking along. That chocolate chip bugleweed sure is happy.

I always admire Bessie (my 1929 Kohler sink) but I especially love her during harvest season.

We've been traveling so I'm remiss in updating things in our world. But with all this rain I'm loving how our 75+ year old grape vine is finally filling in the trellis at the back of our Denver Square. Listening to jazz while watching the kids play is just the icing on the cake. ;)

Getting soaked for Viva! It's rainy but still pretty warm. Join me on Welton until 2p!

Yes it's pretty gross out here this morning, but we're getting ready to welcome Denverites to Viva Streets! Come visit me on safety patrol, manning the barricade at 28th and welton until 11a. And then I'll be biking with the kids this afternoon!

Someday I'll get better at the before and after shots. I never seem to remember to take photos before I start work 🤦‍♀️

It's a lovely, cool, moody day here -- perfect for gardening. I was tired of the grass growing into the garden area so I hacked a bunch up and moved where we had the landscape edging. Hopefully we'll get moss and some of the beautiful chocolate chip bugleweed to grow into the space.

I'm also overdue for splitting hostas. *Sigh* Next year...

At least some neighbors were able to reuse the grass for their own yards. And we were able to get some new drought tolerant plants in the ground against the house.

So funny to be caught in the wild. I don't have very many pictures of us actually riding our bike ;) I think this one is from a bike to work day a few years ago.

If you are in Denver, definitely check out . And come visit me on mother's day up on Welton. I'll be safety volunteering.

Remember that sustainability is more than just architectural salvage. Your small choices can really add up!