Boing!

Spring sprang.

I know, two posts about spring, but it always amazes me that year after year, these beautiful flowers keep coming back and I don't do anything to make that happen.

I like daffodils.  They remind me of teacups.  Maybe that's from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where Gene Wilder drinks something from a candy flower and eats it.  Funny what sticks with from your childhood.

On another note, Bucket has a bit of a tummy ache.  Something foul just sneaked out of him while I was writing this.  Thanks for that, pal.

I can't take credit for the flowers.  The ladies of the household planted them.  Some I really enjoy.  Later on, this little bush will grow and purple flowers will bloom.  We have two of them.  They're my favorites. The sweet williams are growing like weeds.  The snow on the mountain is trying to eat the flowerbeds a little early this year, too.  June won't let me roundup it.  So I pull it and pull it, but it just keeps coming back.  

My philosophy on gardening is this:  Better living through chemicals.

Hers is: if you poison that stuff, some really bad things might happen to you.  You sleep soundly and I do the cooking.  She's never said that out loud, but I know what that look means.  So I don't do it.  Out of respect for her.

I've learned respect.  That though is another topic for another day.  

It rained today here in Ogden.  I woke up to thunder and lightning.  Shortly thereafter the snow came.  It hailed for a bit.  Then it rained some.  Then the wind quit blowing and the sun came out.  Just another typical Utah day which proved the old chestnut:  If you don't like the weather here, wait five minutes.

I have some plans for Friday yard work.  There's a chance I might have to work Saturday but Friday is a day for planting what will help sustain us through the fall and winter.  Stuff is going to happen around here.

The spring schedule for flowers seems to be daffodils first, then the tulips. Next comes the lilacs.  Roses and peonies will follow.  Some irises might bloom.  They don't do particularly well because my neighbor's apple tree shades them too much.  We have pretty purple irises.  The peonies are pink and big and beautiful.  Some lilies come up.  They got trampled last year by all the wildlife in the yard (cats, dogs, deer, or raccoons on any given day in any given combination.  This year, I'll put tomato cages around them to protect them.  We have pretty yellow lilies out front that did really well.

Long about Memorial Day, the back yard looks pretty.  By about July, I'm ready to roundup the whole thing every year and just start over.  But I'm grateful and thankful for each and every blossom.

We lost our big pink teacup rose bush.  It grew under the fence from the neighbor's side.  When his fence blew over, it had to be removed so the fence could be replaced.  They took out a lot of brush from their side of the fence that has grown over to my side.  I'm kinda glad they did.  My side of the fence will be a little easier to deal with this year than in years past.

The lawn will be a work in process this year.  I have some weed and feed from last year and it'll have to do this year.  Fortunately, I live with kind of a prepper.  The Mrs. bought a box of seeds at a thrift store a while back and we still have some left.  Plants are already growing in the spare bedroom that will become the garden this year.  Miss June has a green thumb.  I have something I haven't had in a few years:  Time and motivation.

The only thing I think I'll have to buy from the nursery is strawberries.  Ours finally died and this year, I'm gonna figure out how to water that one little spot better.  I need to work on salvaging the raspberry bushes.  They get overgrown with daisies and weeds.  A new weed reared it's ugly head last year:  Thistles.

Did you know in Utah it's against the law to allow thistles to grow to seed on your property.  As the (in)famous Donny Baker would say:  "it's a State law.  Look it up".

Well that's all for today kids.  Thanks for reading the blog.