What amazing gardens Kat! Once upon a time, I had a very large backyard and it was filled with flowers. I was in my early 40s and knew nothing about vegetable gardening. Think of the vegetables I could have planted! Fast forward, my husband and I live in an apartment in my son and daugnter-in-law’s home. This spring, my son planted three standard raised beds with a small variety of vegetables. I was most excited about the lettuce! I felt like I was in heaven every time I walked out my door and picked lettuce for a salad or kale for a smoothie. We are going to La Paz for the first time in February for 3 months. I come to your videos for glimpses of life in La Paz but thoroughly enjoyed this video of Kat’s farm. Gardening must be very different in La Paz.
Thanks Joanne! I agree - growing lettuce is sooo satisfying. When you come to La Paz, come to one of Brighton's happy hours, they are a lot of fun. And yes, gardening in La Paz is the total opposite of Portland. I've killed more plants in La Paz than you'd believe. :)
I love your videos, love your vibe, and you can tell you are genuinely authentically kind people! Thank you for sharing your fantastic garden! I've reduced my gardening work to four smallish raised garden beds. Next time you're in California and want to visit Wine Country, bypass Napa, and come to Sonoma County. The wines are more affordable and better in my opinion due to all the microclimates in Sonoma County. Plus we have the Redwoods and we have the ocean and great organic farms. A much more laid-back experience. We live in an area that people don't usually have air conditioning but I'm noticing the difference in length of heat waves. Anyway, thanks for sharing your beautiful garden and your home and I'm so glad you rented to long-term tenants and didn't add to the rental shortage.
Thank you guys for your wonderful video. Most RUclips creators keep their private lives very secret. It is unique that you share as much as you do. It brings your audience closer and we enjoy getting to know you better. Keep up the great work and very nice to see Kat too!
@@katwest6505 I can see that for sure! Both places are beautiful. I was unaware of the gardening culture there. I think I was surprised because we grow a lot of the same vegetables in Louisiana of all places. But I am with Brighton on this one. I am wanting to be in Mexico!
This has been a great Summer for Tomatoes here in Oregon! I am glad I didn't plant the second row as usual because the one row of several varieties has been more than enough! Our Herbal Garden has doubled in size from last year. My lavender, Rosemary, and Lemon Balm is all going crazy .. Now we are gearing up to head back to Mexico this Fall. Love seeing your different places around Portland... Beautiful gardens and really obviously very bountiful veggies. Really, we both enjoy the best of the NW and Mexico!
Kat's tomatoes were a little delayed this year (probably because she got started a bit late when we returned from Mexico.) All the plants are really happy this year (except for those plants that got toasted by the late frost - including our huge rosemary.) Oh well... it's easy to replant!
@@katwest6505 Yes!! I love walking through the garden a picking the cherry tomatoes, grapes were also amazing.. we still have concord on the vine and a few White Champane grapes
Wow! No idea you had a home in Oregon, it’s the best place for awesome gardens, Kat’s hard work definitely shows! I live 30 minutes north of you towards Astoria. My husband and I love watching your news and insight on Mexico, thank you so much for your channel!
After watching this I'm thinking... if im a minimalist, my home can't be cozy. BUT I would live in the backyard of your Portland home! So beautiful. Love your garden, Kat! ❤ Thanks for giving us the tour.
Thanks so much! It's really wonderful following the best weather. But I should probably make a video about the downsides - having to prepare for the switch twice a year is definitely time consuming! Thanks for watching and commenting.
We are both retiring this year. We live in SoCal 10 minutes from Laguna Beach. In the next couple of years plan to move either to Medford Oregon or La Paz. I wanted to move to Loreto BC S, but the wife is afraid of the lack of large medical facilities. I have visited Cabo San Lucas ans San Jose del Cabo many times since the 80s. We got married in Nuevo Vallarta in December 2022 and right now is our favorite vacation place. In fact we are going back again this December on our anniversary. Love your Baja videos, lots of information. Thanks!
We have dear friends (Dave & Anthony) that live minutes from Laguna Beach - such a beautiful spot. Congratulations on your anniversary coming up soon!!
Wow!! Beautiful home and farm…so dreamy! What a beautiful life and family!! I love that garden…Kat you sound like a powerhouse. I love hearing from you both. What a neat life!
I agree with complicating things. I do understand future growth but remember it still ties you up. As I get older, it’s not about money as much as freedom.
Yeah - I totally believe that. But we tried to buy this house about 8 years ago and got outbid. So when the current owner approached us, we didn't want to miss out again. But it's one more thing to manage...
Hi Kat. Nice to meet you. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE you garden. I have no yard of my own where I live in AB and when I finally make it to Mexico I will get a place where I can at least have a few plants in outdoor sitting area, maybe at least 1/2 as gorgeous as yours?! I can't believe the summer is over already. Hope to meet up with you two when I finally make it down to Mexico. ☺♥
Great video. I’m a bit envious of your tomatoes. We live in San Felipe and although I know folks who grow tomatoes here successfully, my attempts have failed repeatedly. I definitely don’t have a green thumb.
This is sweet man! I didn't know you were a PNW'er. I am originally from there also having lived in Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. As a kid in Alaska we had friends who would live in AK for 6 months and one day to receive their permanent dividend check, then the other 5 fives and 29 days in Mexico. It was more affordable to live in Mexico for a little less than half the year than to heat their home in Fairbanks. Side note- I was just in Ajijic and Chapala last week wearing my Oregon State Parks hat. Cheers and congrats on building this great life!
Thank you! Yes, the farm can be a lot of work but honestly when you love something so much it feels like play. And then I get to share the bounty which makes it twice as much fun.
Nice place and nice of you to record on a sunny day. (lol) Pam's beef steak Tomato's grew and are still growing, some also pumpkin size but mostly look like 3 or for that grew together. Lately we seem to be "growing" Deer and Ducks. One of last years triplets turned out to be a 4 point buck. We have a lot of apple trees so they show up dusk and dawn. Actually they follow me (ducks and deer) as I walk the dogs. No I am not a hunter. I only take shots with cameras. Love to see your happy foursome in their element. P n D
The dogs don't mind the deer? Butters would be chasing any deer that would run away from him! Damn tomato growing wives. I've been asking Kat to plant a cotton candy tree!
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico I'm sure IF the deer ran then the dogs especially Lulu the Cha hoo a hoo a etc. (lol) would be right into that. However deer have 4 feet and aren't afraid to use them for "boxing" and running. Hey if wine can grow on vines why can't Margaritas ?
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico yes ! grew up in Mke county - south Milwaukee, Bay view- and now Greendale, in between lived in Portland! both beautiful cities. My sis lives in North Pdx:) Very different from each other hey
@@larapfeffer2845 I grew up in Franklin (more like Hales Corners, but actually Franklin.) I was a mall-rat in the 1990's at Southridge Mall. Wow - that seems like a lifetime ago. I went to college at Madison, so that's at least a bit like MKE and a bit like PDX. ;-)
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico😂 that is entirely possible! It was lots of fun. Pretty hot but not crowded and we loved showing our friends around who had never been before!
I gotta say, we are a bit overwhelmed with both houses and so much going on when we are at each place. But we are also good at just relaxing and putting on a good Netflix show and ignoring the rest of our responsibilities ;-)
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico so far looks like Guanajuato. We are looking more towards traveling in different areas for a year before deciding where to live. You know just in case. I’m kinda worried about from there.
Love couples like you. Tell your wife she Is very beautiful ❤ hugs from South Baja. Your home Is hermoso. Hope I have a home like that surrounded by nature 🌸
You are such a cute couple and I have subscribed to you for a while...just never comment. The age differnce between you intrigues me. I suppose you wouldn't want to reveal that but it would comfort me to know it's still ok to be open to younger men in my life.
Totally ok!! I'm 8 years vintage over my darling husband. I was a little nervous to marry a younger person, but it's truly about the person not the age, especially the older you get. It's all about respect, caring and commitment - and when you find those traits in a person, you make the leap and I've never regretted it. We are coming up on 20 years now!
It's the dormant season here, so we "put it to bed" which means a lot of mulching or covering the beds with cardboard so that we don't get weedy during the winter.
I think you're right - Kat is addicted to growing food. We give lots of food away. And some of the farm Kat uses for breeding flowers. We head south in late October. We also grow food in Mexico and our summer caretaker gets to benefit most from that crop. Everything seems to come ripe as we are leaving!
When we aren't there, we have a caretaker living in the casita. He tells us if anything needs addressing and we can coordinate with him to get things done.
What a fun awesome couple you are. You inspire me , at age 63 retired ready to trouble in Mexico 🇲🇽 I would like to find a partner men that enjoys traveling to Mexico n relax go for walk in pueblos majicos magic towns . Love ur videos very inspiring . Thanks
Señor Brighton Go Pack Go The Pack is been my team since 1966 I am also a Share holder Salud and Saludos I am going to Toluca to a wedding and I hope to soon Visit La Paz and invite you and Kat to Dinner. Enrique Traveling Veteran from Yuma
Wow - I don't meet many shareholders outside Wisconsin these days. Very cool. Sadly, I've never been to Lambeau Field. Enjoy your travels around Mexico and let me know when you make it to La Paz!
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico I mention before I am going through turbulent times but as and old Soldier thank God I am very Resilient! Next year I should be able to offer you two my home visitors room is in the foothills of Yuma it get super hot here in the summer that’s when I visit go visit my daughter in Washington state and Son in San Diego.💨💨♿️
Did you have a bad experience with BetterHelp? My experience was great. And the folks I've talked to who have used their service have only had good things to say. Feel free to email me your experience if you don't want to share publicly. Brighton@gen-mex.com. I'm very selective with who I accept sponsorships from, so I wanna know as much as I can. I gotta eat, but I don't want to make money from businesses I don't fully support.
Check out our sponsor BetterHelp: www.betterhelp.com/AlmostRetired for 10% off of your first month.
What amazing gardens Kat! Once upon a time, I had a very large backyard and it was filled with flowers. I was in my early 40s and knew nothing about vegetable gardening. Think of the vegetables I could have planted! Fast forward, my husband and I live in an apartment in my son and daugnter-in-law’s home. This spring, my son planted three standard raised beds with a small variety of vegetables. I was most excited about the lettuce! I felt like I was in heaven every time I walked out my door and picked lettuce for a salad or kale for a smoothie. We are going to La Paz for the first time in February for 3 months. I come to your videos for glimpses of life in La Paz but thoroughly enjoyed this video of Kat’s farm. Gardening must be very different in La Paz.
Thanks Joanne! I agree - growing lettuce is sooo satisfying. When you come to La Paz, come to one of Brighton's happy hours, they are a lot of fun. And yes, gardening in La Paz is the total opposite of Portland. I've killed more plants in La Paz than you'd believe. :)
Thank you for the invitation! We would love to take you up on that!
Kat's farm and your backyard are awesome! Nugget looks healthy and happy as does Butters. Thank you for sharing your Oregon time with us!
Happy to share - all is going really well this summer. If Nugget stays healthy, we should be in La Paz by November 1! Crossing fingers.
I love your videos, love your vibe, and you can tell you are genuinely authentically kind people! Thank you for sharing your fantastic garden! I've reduced my gardening work to four smallish raised garden beds.
Next time you're in California and want to visit Wine Country, bypass Napa, and come to Sonoma County. The wines are more affordable and better in my opinion due to all the microclimates in Sonoma County. Plus we have the Redwoods and we have the ocean and great organic farms. A much more laid-back experience.
We live in an area that people don't usually have air conditioning but I'm noticing the difference in length of heat waves. Anyway, thanks for sharing your beautiful garden and your home and I'm so glad you rented to long-term tenants and didn't add to the rental shortage.
Sonoma County sounds like heaven!!
Thank you guys for your wonderful video. Most RUclips creators keep their private lives very secret. It is unique that you share as much as you do. It brings your audience closer and we enjoy getting to know you better.
Keep up the great work and very nice to see Kat too!
I don’t know if I am projecting, but when your videos are set in Oregon you always look like you are are ready to be in Mexico!
Hah! But I think you're 100% correct.
lol - it's true for Brighton for sure!! I love both places equally. :)
@@katwest6505 I can see that for sure! Both places are beautiful. I was unaware of the gardening culture there. I think I was surprised because we grow a lot of the same vegetables in Louisiana of all places.
But I am with Brighton on this one. I am wanting to be in Mexico!
This has been a great Summer for Tomatoes here in Oregon! I am glad I didn't plant the second row as usual because the one row of several varieties has been more than enough! Our Herbal Garden has doubled in size from last year. My lavender, Rosemary, and Lemon Balm is all going crazy .. Now we are gearing up to head back to Mexico this Fall. Love seeing your different places around Portland... Beautiful gardens and really obviously very bountiful veggies. Really, we both enjoy the best of the NW and Mexico!
Kat's tomatoes were a little delayed this year (probably because she got started a bit late when we returned from Mexico.) All the plants are really happy this year (except for those plants that got toasted by the late frost - including our huge rosemary.) Oh well... it's easy to replant!
Thank you! And right?!? It was great tomato summer and the best cherry season I've ever had. I bet your lavender is loving it too. :)
@@katwest6505 Yes!! I love walking through the garden a picking the cherry tomatoes, grapes were also amazing.. we still have concord on the vine and a few White Champane grapes
Wow! No idea you had a home in Oregon, it’s the best place for awesome gardens, Kat’s hard work definitely shows! I live 30 minutes north of you towards Astoria. My husband and I love watching your news and insight on Mexico, thank you so much for your channel!
Fun! You should come to one of Brighton's Oregon happy hours next summer. :)
After watching this I'm thinking... if im a minimalist, my home can't be cozy. BUT I would live in the backyard of your Portland home! So beautiful. Love your garden, Kat! ❤ Thanks for giving us the tour.
Thank you Nancy! ❤
Our backyard is a great outdoor living room! Thanks Nancy
Thank you Nancy! I could live in our backyard too. Houses are always a second thought to me, the garden comes first!
@@katwest6505 ...and it shows in your harvest! That heirloom tomato was huge. 🍅
Woooo that a dream house in Oregon and at night all the rooms look superrrr with those light
Thanks Angela!
Thank you for sharing your Oregon life too! How lovely!
I’m so with you! I want to snowbird and come back here in the summer just to garden. Gorgeous farm you’ve got there!
Thanks so much! It's really wonderful following the best weather. But I should probably make a video about the downsides - having to prepare for the switch twice a year is definitely time consuming! Thanks for watching and commenting.
Thanks!! It's a great plan! :)
What a nice place!!
Banana leaf can be used to make tamales (wrap). :-)
We are both retiring this year. We live in SoCal 10 minutes from Laguna Beach. In the next couple of years plan to move either to Medford Oregon or La Paz. I wanted to move to Loreto BC S, but the wife is afraid of the lack of large medical facilities. I have visited Cabo San Lucas ans San Jose del Cabo many times since the 80s. We got married in Nuevo Vallarta in December 2022 and right now is our favorite vacation place. In fact we are going back again this December on our anniversary. Love your Baja videos, lots of information. Thanks!
We have dear friends (Dave & Anthony) that live minutes from Laguna Beach - such a beautiful spot. Congratulations on your anniversary coming up soon!!
Wow!! Beautiful home and farm…so dreamy! What a beautiful life and family!! I love that garden…Kat you sound like a powerhouse. I love hearing from you both. What a neat life!
I agree with complicating things. I do understand future growth but remember it still ties you up. As I get older, it’s not about money as much as freedom.
Yeah - I totally believe that. But we tried to buy this house about 8 years ago and got outbid. So when the current owner approached us, we didn't want to miss out again. But it's one more thing to manage...
I have spent some time in Oregon and loved it. Beautiful state w many different areas of topography. Thanks for the tour, and your farm is inspiring 😊
Thanks for watching! Oregon is a great place - in the summer. Winters aren't so much my thing up here...
I was made in marin in 54 and spent many a happy day in the pnw, know where you guys are coming from and miss it!😊
Where are you living now?
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico queretaro
@@davebacon6194 I love QRO - I'm hoping to get Kat there this winter to check it out.
😊😊👍👍
That was fun! Love the big garden! Ted 🌈 & Chap 🐾in Seattle. Ajijic bound spring ‘25
Hi Kat. Nice to meet you. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE you garden. I have no yard of my own where I live in AB and when I finally make it to Mexico I will get a place where I can at least have a few plants in outdoor sitting area, maybe at least 1/2 as gorgeous as yours?! I can't believe the summer is over already. Hope to meet up with you two when I finally make it down to Mexico. ☺♥
Thank you sooo much! Your plan sounds like a good one - a sitting area that is your little slice of paradise. :)
I loved this "drop." I have found that "moving to Mexico" isn't as palatable to my wife as " Vacationing for a month or 2" in Mexico.
Great video. I’m a bit envious of your tomatoes. We live in San Felipe and although I know folks who grow tomatoes here successfully, my attempts have failed repeatedly. I definitely don’t have a green thumb.
This is sweet man! I didn't know you were a PNW'er. I am originally from there also having lived in Idaho, Washington, and Alaska. As a kid in Alaska we had friends who would live in AK for 6 months and one day to receive their permanent dividend check, then the other 5 fives and 29 days in Mexico. It was more affordable to live in Mexico for a little less than half the year than to heat their home in Fairbanks. Side note- I was just in Ajijic and Chapala last week wearing my Oregon State Parks hat.
Cheers and congrats on building this great life!
beautiful ! I'm living now in mexico city but is very good idea living part time in USA & part time in mexico, I miss many things form USA
So jealous of Kat's farm! PNW permie transplanted myself in Ajijic.
Ajijic is great! I love the LCS. I'd be there all the time if I lived in Ajijic.
Thank you!!
Kat, what business does he refer to? Your farm is so wonderful and alot of work I know! Thanks for sharing your Portland life with us
Kat is an attorney doing environmental redevelopment work. Like really nasty polluted places - turning those back into productive use.
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico I love her mission to improve our world. Inspiring
Thank you! Yes, the farm can be a lot of work but honestly when you love something so much it feels like play. And then I get to share the bounty which makes it twice as much fun.
@@katwest6505 I love your response! What a joyful attitude!
Nice place and nice of you to record on a sunny day. (lol) Pam's beef steak Tomato's grew and are still growing, some also pumpkin size but mostly look like 3 or for that grew together. Lately we seem to be "growing" Deer and Ducks. One of last years triplets turned out to be a 4 point buck. We have a lot of apple trees so they show up dusk and dawn. Actually they follow me (ducks and deer) as I walk the dogs. No I am not a hunter. I only take shots with cameras. Love to see your happy foursome in their element. P n D
The dogs don't mind the deer? Butters would be chasing any deer that would run away from him!
Damn tomato growing wives. I've been asking Kat to plant a cotton candy tree!
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico I'm sure IF the deer ran then the dogs especially Lulu the Cha hoo a hoo a etc. (lol) would be right into that. However deer have 4 feet and aren't afraid to use them for "boxing" and running. Hey if wine can grow on vines why can't Margaritas ?
@@davebaker489 hmmm... you may be onto something. Agave is a fruit. Limes are fruit. So technically, Margaritas are a fruit-drink, right?
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico Well Yeah.
Fun!! Deer and ducks sounds like heaven. We have goats and bees, maybe not as fun, but I just love critters.
We’re in Wisconsin, but I Lived in your pdx neighborhood once upon a time! Hope to meet you for Happy Hour in Mexico sometime :)
Where in Wisco? And you lived SE PDX? Small world!
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico yes ! grew up in Mke county - south Milwaukee, Bay view- and now Greendale, in between lived in Portland! both beautiful cities. My sis lives in North Pdx:) Very different from each other hey
Where were you raised in Wisc?
@@larapfeffer2845 I grew up in Franklin (more like Hales Corners, but actually Franklin.) I was a mall-rat in the 1990's at Southridge Mall. Wow - that seems like a lifetime ago. I went to college at Madison, so that's at least a bit like MKE and a bit like PDX. ;-)
Great video like always..
Cheers 🍻
Thank you for the content warning of puppy Nugget 😂
Happy to share! How was Disney? I think you may have been to DW more times than me, and I worked there for a summer...
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico😂 that is entirely possible! It was lots of fun. Pretty hot but not crowded and we loved showing our friends around who had never been before!
How does this not overwhelms you.
I gotta say, we are a bit overwhelmed with both houses and so much going on when we are at each place. But we are also good at just relaxing and putting on a good Netflix show and ignoring the rest of our responsibilities ;-)
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico well you both are awesome. About 2 years we will be heading to Mexico 🤞🏽
@@maricelarooper9558 Thanks! Do you know where in Mexico you'll be headed to?
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico so far looks like Guanajuato. We are looking more towards traveling in different areas for a year before deciding where to live. You know just in case. I’m kinda worried about from there.
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico lol, agree - we are really good at ignoring stuff like house cleaning!
Wonderful video!
Woooo what a great farm and what a beautiful animal
Thank you! The farm is small but mighty!
Love couples like you. Tell your wife she Is very beautiful ❤ hugs from South Baja. Your home Is hermoso. Hope I have a home like that surrounded by nature 🌸
Figs!!! Yum!
So many figs!
Figs galore!!! The challenge is how to use them all...
You are such a cute couple and I have subscribed to you for a while...just never comment. The age differnce between you intrigues me. I suppose you wouldn't want to reveal that but it would comfort me to know it's still ok to be open to younger men in my life.
Thanks! There's 8 years difference between us. I won't mention which of us is the younger one ;-)
Totally ok!! I'm 8 years vintage over my darling husband. I was a little nervous to marry a younger person, but it's truly about the person not the age, especially the older you get. It's all about respect, caring and commitment - and when you find those traits in a person, you make the leap and I've never regretted it. We are coming up on 20 years now!
@@katwest6505 I always liked younger until I met my husband now... he is only 1 year older though.. :) I thought YOU were younger! You look AMAZING!!
What are you do with your farm to take care of it while you’re in Mexico?
It's the dormant season here, so we "put it to bed" which means a lot of mulching or covering the beds with cardboard so that we don't get weedy during the winter.
Wow!! Is Wild West Farm open for business? I'm heading south late October from Bellingham WA. Thanks Kat and Brighton!
In late October it will be put to sleep. We plan to drive south October 25th. Maybe we can caravan?
Always open for sharing the bounty! :)
When are u headed back to Mexico? Nov?
I ❤ oregon too. Why are u growing all that food if u r leaving in a couple months. Gardening is addictive. 😊
I think you're right - Kat is addicted to growing food. We give lots of food away. And some of the farm Kat uses for breeding flowers. We head south in late October. We also grow food in Mexico and our summer caretaker gets to benefit most from that crop. Everything seems to come ripe as we are leaving!
How do you manage your Mexico home? Does anyone take care for it? Thank you.
When we aren't there, we have a caretaker living in the casita. He tells us if anything needs addressing and we can coordinate with him to get things done.
What a fun awesome couple you are. You inspire me , at age 63 retired ready to trouble in Mexico 🇲🇽 I would like to find a partner men that enjoys traveling to Mexico n relax go for walk in pueblos majicos magic towns . Love ur videos very inspiring . Thanks
Señor Brighton
Go Pack Go
The Pack is been my team since 1966
I am also a Share holder
Salud and Saludos
I am going to Toluca to a wedding and I hope to soon
Visit La Paz and invite you and Kat to Dinner.
Enrique
Traveling Veteran from Yuma
Wow - I don't meet many shareholders outside Wisconsin these days. Very cool. Sadly, I've never been to Lambeau Field. Enjoy your travels around Mexico and let me know when you make it to La Paz!
@@AlmostRetiredinMexico
I mention before I am going through turbulent times but as and old Soldier thank God I am very Resilient!
Next year I should be able to offer you two my home visitors room is in the foothills of Yuma it get super hot here in the summer that’s when I visit go visit my daughter in Washington state and Son in San Diego.💨💨♿️
you one lucky dude.....your wife is Beautiful.
Yes I am! And yes she is!
Love your farm. Wish you would stop shilling for better help. They’re a horrible service with all sorts of nasty videos about them on this platform.
Did you have a bad experience with BetterHelp? My experience was great. And the folks I've talked to who have used their service have only had good things to say. Feel free to email me your experience if you don't want to share publicly. Brighton@gen-mex.com.
I'm very selective with who I accept sponsorships from, so I wanna know as much as I can. I gotta eat, but I don't want to make money from businesses I don't fully support.