Bamboo

Yesterday we got to spend a day together as a family… it was so relaxing and we never felt hurried or rushed at all. So nice! We have been trying to figure out how to get more privacy in our backyard. There are condominiums back there and although we’ve gotten used to it over the years, we still long for some privacy back there. When we temporarily moved to Sumner last summer, we bought some potted trees and put them back there. Unfortunately, the trees don’t do well in shade and they sat under a very large umbrella-like maple tree. We eventually gave them Alex since he has a lot of open, direct-sun areas in his yard.

So we thought about putting some lattice-work above the fence and growing some ivy there. Eventually, Mike started talking about bamboo. So we looked into. Yesterday, we took a drive out to Enumclaw to Rockridge Orchards. I’ve actually wanted to go out there for over a year and check things out. They grow tons of bamboo and Asian pears. They also have a tasting room for their wares.

The woman out there gave us a really good education on bamboo and after talking to her, I think we are going to go for it! We need to build a bed for the bamboo plants so that they will remain contained. But I think we’ll only need about 4 or 5 plants total. They will start off sporadic but over a few years should provide a nice privacy curtain back there. They grow well in the shade and we will likely choose a variety that in full sun reaches about 40 feet tall. This is because in full summer shade, that variety will only reach about half that height.

We are excited about this!!

After our little bamboo “class”, we walked into the tasting room and got to sample apple cider, spiced apple cider, Asian pear cider, raspberry apple cider, and honey! We came home with some juice, a jar of honey, and a bottle of spiced apple cider syrup. I can’t wait to pour that over some good pancakes!

Then we had lunch at Frugals burger joint down in Auburn and then ran a few errands. We stopped by the new Del’s Farm and Feed store at the base of Peasley Canyon Hwy and then Home Depot. We stopped at the store for some yummy raw milk and soap and then came home. I made more homemade laundry soap and then we just enjoyed the evening. It was nice.

I get every other weekend off and it was so nice to just relax without any solid plans. Mike and I both have colds we are trying to keep at bay. I can’t believe it’s Sunday afternoon already! The time sure flies.