Finally, another point for California

Ever since the move, I've posted several times that I miss Alaska and want to return immediately. "Nothing compares to the awesomeness of Alaska, etc." Well, I've found a way that California is better : the food. The selection is amazing. Eureka has six grocery stores, two of which are organic or natural food stores. The aren't tiny natural food stores like I'm used to, with very limited stock. They have fabulous sales and I can find all that I'm looking for and more, often at prices cheaper than the other groceries. The only thing I dislike about the natural food stores is their promotion of herbs to treat illnesses. They don't suggest going to a doctor before trying herbs. They say, "It's all natural, it must be safe". That's not always the case. Herbs are just as dangerous to self prescribe as any pill.

All things considered, I enjoy the natural grocery. It has about ten different types of flour. Matt and I have always wanted to make our own bread, but because we lived in a series of very small apartments with even smaller kitchens, we didn't have the room to store three different types of flour. Now we do. And for about two months, we've been baking our own bread. Garlic herbal bread, whole wheat oat bread, and French baguettes. And we're getting pretty good at it. I also make some really delicious w.w. cinnamon rolls. With a little practice, it is almost as easy to make as going to the store and pulling a loaf of the shelf. And I love that my house smells like fresh bread for a day or two. Not to mention the obvious, it tastes 100 times better than the stale-by-comparison store bread. Someday I want to venture into Sourdough, but that takes a few days' advance notice since the starter has to sit for that long.

Every Sunday, we've taken to baking our own bread :

Growing the yeast

Growing the dough requires enough heat. Guess I'm going to have to bake cookies to warm the place up.

We're also very grateful to have sunny days, in which the entire family takes advantage:

My first shot at mowing the lawn. I did a terrible job.

Zoey explores her new turf.

The peas decide to make an appearance in the sunshine.

I'm very excited about having a garden. We had a patio garden while we rented apartments, but were never able to grow very much with our limited space. I have peas, radishes, and lettuce in the garden now. Our blueberries are blossoming. And I've got some starter broccoli plants inside by our south-facing window. Can't wait until I can eat them!! :) We're still toying with the idea of raising meat chickens, but we're not sure what the neighbors think. The county allows us to have them, but we don't want to make enemies with the neighbors yet....although just a couple more nights of their dog barking from 7pm to midnight and it might help us make up our minds. ;)

California has a long way to even up with Alaska, but so far, any progress is good.