Hops in the ground!

     
        Last week Erin planted all three of our hop rhizomes at our neighbor's garden here in Burlington.  We selected Cascade, Centennial, and Golden hops for our very first hop experience!  Our neighbor Randy has let us use his garden for our seasonal session, and we couldn't be more appreciative of the space.  Erin has gone to the ground in efforts of cultivating several different plants.  The list is long of what she and I planted, but I'll be sure to post pictures on Facebook and my blog so you can see the process.
       My beer has exactly 8 more days until it is ready.  I am now starting to see just how hard it is not to tap one  open!  Julie and I bottled it last Wednesday, and yesterday I got the labels in the mail, we're calling it Burlington Brown Ale.  I still see some sediment in the bottles, but it's starting to look like real beer as the yeast eats away at my last addition of sugar for carbonation.  I am excited to share my first batch with everyone in the area, and also am hopeful it doesn't taste flat!
       The house hunt is coming to an end, we've narrowed it down to a couple houses close by that are real finds. The first is a house with about a half acre that's fenced in.  Though the home doesn't have much character, it is definitely nice to have some space to garden, play with dogs, and unwind after a long day of work.  The second is actually a duplex a bit closer to Erin and her family.  The house is probably a hundred years old, and the upstairs apartment is what's for rent.  This rental has SO much style, with built in cabinets and a fire place, along with a walk out patio that's shaded by huge oak trees.  It feels very safe, and even though there isn't much of a yard, it is close to dog parks, and also closer to my work.  I put in an application this morning for the second, and am hopeful it will pass all tests.  I chuckled while filling out information on past landlords.  For the last six years, I have lived in a tent on a glacier or in the woods in the summer time, and lived in handler cabins in the woods of Alaska training sled dogs in exchange for rent!  It's tough to convey this in a one page document, but I'm sure it will all work out!
       Red Oak is coming along, I just got done with a week waiting period to mull it all over in my head.  I know that we'll be here in Burlington for a long time, but it's tough for an employer to look at my resume and see that to be true.  My wings are tired, I tell them, and I've found a good perch to start a life from.  Though my hours are inconsistent right now, I'm hoping that once they get the ball rolling on my job, I'll have more kegs to lift and beers to bottle.  I'm super excited to build relationships with the folks I'll be selling beer to, but I'm not quite sure if Red Oak knows what kind of employee they hired.  Basically I have been doing this job for the last two years, except I've been on the consumer side of things, as well as trying to sell an idea of a book about beer!  Once I get working, I'm sure they'll see me in clear light and realize how lucky they are to have someone as dedicated as me in their system.
       SO as I wait for the owner to call me, I'm training Tut to do a couple new tricks.  This weekend, I tough him the "bang" trick.  I point a "hand" gun at him and he barks, then lays on his back, then flips over and gets back up!  It's pretty awesome to see your pup do new tricks.  The second is more time consuming, but with lots of work and practice, Tut will hopefully learn the famous back flip.  Usually I see border collies and small dogs do this trick, so in my mind it's hard to visualize Tut's long legs making a full rotation.  I am using, as suggested by YouTube, a Frisbee to train him.  I create an imaginary box over his head, and try different approaches to see where his body wants to go.  Then I throw...and throw...and throw... to get Tut practice in twisting his body.  After playing tug of war to get him stoked on the Frisbee, he pays for attention to it as it flies through the air.  Maybe in two weeks he'll have it down, but for now I'm just appreciative of all the time I get to spend with my favorite pooch.  Ketza could care less about all of this, she's just content laying down in the clovers chewing on her stuffed pig hoof.  She humbles all of us at times, knowing what she's accomplished in her life.  Her transition from husky to "houseky" is complete.  She doesn't stress out about hardly anything, and because of that her appetite has improved greatly.
       This week and last I have talked with publishers, and have dedicated myself to one in particular.  Though it will cost ME money, I think having this guy as an agent along the way is worth it.  I can slowly take things step by step to ensure the finished product is exactly what I want.  So until next time; keep your beer fresh, your dogs tired, and your future Mother-in-law happy!