Bananas

First things first. One of us is now an uncle, and it is not Mike. Olivia Grace Mitchell made her grand entrance almost a week ago and is already breaking hearts all over the midwest.

Vegetarian month kicked off officially today! Veggie scrambled eggs, toast, and salad for dinner, courtesy of yours truly. Some of us are just not ready to tangle with tofu this early in the game. True to form, there is already a full list of recipe ideas for the month. Laugh if you must, but it was just such a list that helped us to pull through The Month That Started It All, when we emptied the kitchen of all but the last crumbs (and a big ass bag of cranberry beans).

When this is all over, it will probably have been the cheese and peanut butter that will have pulled us through our darkest hours. And yet...
An official homestead weigh-in will occur on the recycling scale at work tomorrow and only time will tell how low we can go. It is not the red meat that will be missed but the curry chicken salad, baked salmon, and turkey meatloaf that will haunt our dreams until August 6.

Revelation! Biking home from work is an official Three's Company activity. We just need one more road bike, size small. AND. ALSO. PADDED SHORTS.

Ridesharing is going strong this month, with a three-way housewarming party trip on Saturday and this morning's carpool. Jacob found himself flying solo in Knoxville this week, which puts a damper on the driving situation for him. Naturally, the remaining roomies are working hard to pick up the slack and keeping up the nightly family dinners in his absence.

Toronado

May is out, consumerism is back in...after an additional three day penance resulting from the late-stage purchase of a summer dress, that is. June ushers in ride-saving strategies including morning carpools and bike rides home from work; eight individual trips have been saved so far. The girl on the red cruiser with white-wall tires will be out and about around the SJ/Campbell border!

Veg month is currently on hold until Julio due to Jake's upcoming two weeks' work-related travels. Tonight's chard/portabella/ onion/pepper saute with apricot and raisin cous-cous was just a warm-up to the herbivorous bounty that awaits next month. This means that MS had better get us to Jon-Jon's in the very near future. Very near. Because honestly, BBQ just tastes better served with a side of trailer park.

Notorious

The past two weekends have been quintessential NorCal: camping in the redwoods, rope swings into swimming holes, eating through the Mission, and baking at the beach. Highlights include:

1. banana slugs, not seen since our trip to Portola Redwoods last summer. We be sluggin'!
2. JDep throwing back vodka/gatorades like the former frat boy that he is
3. SK going balls to the wall on the rope and living to tell the tale
4. MStud getting back in time for his bike date
5. Medjool's rooftop patio and beverages on a hot afternoon
6. Belgian fries with Thai chili ketchup at Frjtz

No new non-edibles (other than the critical car battery, of course) have been introduced into the household, and we are realizing that this month's initiative is not so challenging after all. Today's Boulder Creek tri-tip run is going to be but a faint memory next month as we drop it like it's vegetarian. Yes, Three's Company will be a meat-free joint for thirty full days, so any recipe ideas are appreciated!

milk and cookies

Camping season is once again upon us, and Three's C could not be more prepared. Rolling coolers have been borrowed, tents have been packed, and homemade granola bars have been baked (thx, Mike). Car camping is just a warmup for what promises to be another awesome camping season. The agenda this year includes the old favorites, Henry Coe and Big Basin, and some new adventures, maybe Point Reyes and Castle Rock. Woo!

May has ushered in "buy nothing new" month, which was broken a mere two days in by a certain someone who shall remain nameless. In that person's defense, that J.Crew dress was half off. Sigh. Guilt. Everyone is back on the wagon now, and for the long haul. Don't be surprised, though, if the nationwide retail slump ends June 1. Mama needs a new bathing suit!

gold star

It is officially spring at the homestead. The various peppers and tomatoes have been planted in the front yard, including a cute little heirloom variety called hillbilly potato leaf. It was obviously quite impossible to pass that one up at the nursery, especially considering my company at the time (and also the company who planted it while I was napping later that afternoon). Hiking season has also begun, and how. A friend's Sunset put us on the road to Mt. Tamalpais early last Saturday morning. Wow. Between the green hills, coastal views, and rolling fog over the Golden Gate, it was

And it was also

And to top it all off, we lunched luxuriously on some curried chicken salad sandwiches (a la croissant!) at Stinson Beach, although, to be fair, the return hike was all uphill. On a side note, never play "Up, Down" with a feisty toddler who has no qualms over leaving you hanging, vertically, about the arms.

Another springtime revelation: we are on the hunt for a house of our very own. Well, more like a duplex, so we can pull in some rental income. Yes, Three's Company is living up to our house joke where we stereotypes walk into a bar. I think we all know how that one ends.

Your guess is as good as mine

Ciabatta success! Finally, after months of bread machine struggles and flatness frustration, there came to be a loaf of such holey-ness and crustiness that it could not be denied. The trick turned out to be ditching the bread machine and doing some flour research. We are getting back to basics, y'all!

This month is shaping up to be water conservation month. Even Mike acquiesced to using a bucket to collect warming shower water; the garden and peach tree are eternally grateful for our lukewarm liquid bounty. With all of the droughts predicted this summer, we are doing our Californian duty here at the homestead. Another fun/gross idea we have embraced is putting a water-filled quart jar in the old toilet tank--save a quarter of a gallon of water per flush! Just keep an eye out for the mighty dumps, those do not go down so well at reduced water levels.