Shades of Marla Singer

Wow! We've had such a lovely weekend here in Ogden. It really lifted our spirits to be able to spend so much time outside in the warm, warm sun. We took a stroll down the Ogden River Parkway for the first time this spring. The boys and I got six new roses in the ground and watched the first of our bulbs come up. Dad even came by with the kids and helped us cut down the remaining junipers. The yard looked soooo much better with them out. Spring was here, finally!
Then the wind started to pick up.

And the haze began to creep in.

By Monday morning our sky had a visible dusty tinged ring up to the mountains.

The winds got colder, and rain, then snow descended upon us once more.

Now the boys and I are cooped up inside, after hurriedly covering our bareroot plants with burlap again.

Inversion allergies are wreaking havoc, encouraged by the 25 degree temperature swing.

So now, of course, I've got the death hairball.
(Cough, Hack, Wheeze.)


Actual progress reports & new pics WILL be forthcoming, just as soon as I can talk/eat/laugh/drive/walk/stretch/___(insert routine activity) without alarming bronchial spasms and dry-heaving. Honest injun.

Sprouting Update

We just started our third set of seeds this morning, despite the fact that Utah is having some unspring-like weather. So far we have six greenhouse trays going, with various stages of sprouting throughout. Here's a breakdown of what's germinatin' at the Nuclear Bungalow:

Tray 1 (mar. 10)-"Celestial Mix" morning glory, "Envy" zinnia, "Red Pomponette" & "Double Mix" english daisy, giant painted daisy, "Excelsior Mix" foxglove, bells of ireland, "Victoriana" dahlia, "Limelight" four o'clocks, "Catskill" brussels sprouts

Tray 2 (mar. 10)-"Golden Jubilee" anise hyssop, german chamomile, blue catmint, true lavender, spanish lavender, sweet marjoram, stevia, fernleaf dill, soapwort, spearmint, feverfew, rosemary

Tray 3 (mar. 17)-"Snowball" marigold, "Mr. Majestic" marigold, "Jaguar" marigold, "Cottage Red" marigold

Tray 4 (mar. 17)-"Amish Paste" tomato, "Yellow Pear" tomato, "SunSugar" tomato, "Cherokee Purple" tomato, "Brandywine" tomato, jalapeno, "Thai mix" hot peppers, "Southwest mix" hot peppers, "Chocolate Belle" sweet pepper, "California Wonder" sweet pepper, "Genovese" basil, cilantro

Tray 5 (mar. 31)-"Siam Queen" basil, "Lime" basil, chives, oregano, "Mojave" sage, valerian, joe pye weed, sweet annie, queen anne's lace

Tray 6 (mar. 31)-"Chianti" sunflower, "Big Blush" sunflower, spaghetti squash, "Grafitti" cauliflower, "Green Goddess" eggplant, "Yellow Doll" watermelon, "Orange " watermelon, "Moon & Stars" watermelon, "Charleston Gray" watermelon, "Cactus Flowered mix" zinnia, "Psychedelic Spring" viola, "Queen mix" cleome

Time Lapse Revisited

I know, I know, it's been a while, AGAIN. But I really am going to try to keep up the posts from here on out. Incidentally, we've been plenty busy since the start of the year. Things that would probably have made for interesting blogging, if I could've mustered up the brain-power to document them. Like when our family Jeep was hit by a left turning truck WHILE MOTIONLESS IN OUR DRIVEWAY and the less-than-lucid Ogden PD we called wrote us a citation for a "backing violation". Um, hello, does the term "stationary vehicle" mean anything? Needless to say we are appealing that one, we might even have a chance since she filled out almost HALF of the paperwork incorrectly. Also we lost hot water for about a week after the valve leading to the roof evap. cooler corroded and gave us a lovely high water bill. Of course, I was under the impression that this particular line had been drained, lucky me I got to find out different right in the middle of an ice storm. Directly after solving that little dilemma, our wall oven decided to call it quits, and it took 2 weeks to get someone out to repair the faulty wiring on it. I am guilt-ridden over the amount of takeout I ate in that time period. Now that we can bake again, we are facing yet another plumbing problem in the form of an overflowing basement drain, which appears to be directly linked to the kitchen sink. Nothing else in the house is affected, so I will be taking apart the basement ceiling/walls of the target area in an attempt to locate the problem. I have to now anyway, because it appears to be causing mold damage (yuck!). In between all of this, our little family has managed to survive the cold/flu season relatively intact, and we are heading for the local gym every chance we get. The boys are thrilled with the child care center, and a few hours a day w/o kids is a nice reprieve for me. Even if I have to make an effort to get fit during that time. And now that the end of winter is finally in sight, we are getting ready to start seeds in the kitchen nook, which gets the most reliable sun. When we have something more interesting than a couple of trays of potting soil to look at, I'll be sure to put up pics. Here's looking forward to spring!

Flu Fun

Oh you evil spring freeze, you've thrown our systems out of whack once again! Everyone in the house seems to be infected now, and the nausea/vomiting is in full swing. This is the third time this year the flu has made it to our house, I'm hopeful that there will be no complications this time. Have to keep cleaning up the boys, with more than a touch of queasiness myself, and what keeps running through my head is that bit in Eddie Izzard's "Glorious". The one where he's speaking as "James-The-God-Mason" and saying that connecting the inner ear and vomiting will be great fun, because then hearing someone vomit will prompt you to respond in kind. All too true, unfortunately. I have found that some things help offset the flu odor and nausea, like sheet spray. After removing soiled linens and wiping down offending surfaces, it greatly reduces the smell if you use a light scented sheet spray when remaking the bed or sofa. We like Shore from Restoration Hardware because it is mellow and does not smell like food. And we've covered all cushions/pillows/mattresses with aller-free waterproof covers, to keep bacteria and mildew from reaching the interior. If your kids don't mind the strong taste, breath mints like Altoids are great since mint is a natural anti-emetic. Now that I sound like some sort of ad, I think I'll go crawl off to bed for a cat-nap with the boys. And hopefully tonight they'll be able to eat more than gatorade, Coke and saltines for dinner.

Don't Let Your Eggs Freeze

We're off to church for service, brunch and the egg hunt. Hope everyone is doing well in this unusual spring weather. Have a happy and blessed Easter Sunday!

April Snows Bring May Flowers?

So I woke up this morning to this:

Definitely not "play at the beach" type weather, which is what we were having earlier this week. We've gone from a high of 85 degrees to a low of 32 degrees, and so of course all the winter clothes have already been packed for moving. Aauugghh! This weather would've been great say, around 3 months ago. Now it's just irritating. R has a three day weekend in I don't know how long, and we're going to spend it stuck inside. Oh well. At least the kiddos are thrilled to see snow. G is convinced that God has put a great big snowman in the clouds just to bring us snow. How cute!

Springtime In The Garden

Just not our garden, I'm afraid!
Children's garden entrance

A throws pennies

G is surprised by the fountain

Lovely patterned paver of slag glass and cement

Very Wrightian fountain in the rose garden

Since we're still waiting to start our own garden, I thought it would be nice to take a trip to the botanical garden nearby. The boys and I had a thoroughly lovely afternoon at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.