Saturday, April 7, 2012

Spring sucks sometimes

Spring in Utah is an interesting thing.  It gets warm.  Gorgeous, clear blue skies.  Days perfect for laying on the (rather brown, still) lawn.  Planting seeds, getting ready for the beautiful, hot summers.  And then you get a day like yesterday. 
We woke up to a couple of inches of snow. 
Yeah, that's always fun.  You shift your settings in your brain to SPRING and start wearing flip flops and capris and whatnot, and then Mother Nature thumbs her nose and you dumps a load of snow in your yard.  And on your car.  That you forget you have to clear off before you can race down to your studio for that appointment with a bride that you are running late for. 
No?  Just me?  Oh.  Right.
Anyway, fortunately for me, I am far too lazy to actually put away my winter clothes, so they just hang about in my closet taking up room. 
I mean, actually, I am super awesomely prepared for ANY kind of weather, no matter the time of year.  It's all at my fingertips!  See how efficient I am?
(Funny aside, I am sick.  Bronchitis.  Which means that I can't breathe very well.  Lack of oxygen to the brain and all that.  It took me about two minutes to think of the word efficient.  Go me.)
Anyway, I am hoping against hope that the freeze did NOT kill the apricot blossoms, because we are in dire need of apricot jam.  And do not suggest I go to the store and BUY apricot jam, because that is gross.  Store bought jam is gross, full stop.  No offense to all you weirdos who buy jam.  Or jelly.  But you are weirdos.  And don't suggest I make a different kind of jam.  I think, and The Small One will agree with me here, that there are only two proper kinds of jam in this world.  Apricot and/or peach.  That's it. 
Now, should circumstances force my hand, I will eat blackberry jam.  But, only if absolutely required.  And we have blackberry jam in abundance.  The freezes here never manage to kill off the blackberry bushes, which grow in abundance in the yard.  The Man of the House prefers blackberry jam, which is just fine by me.  More apricot for me and The Small One.
Last years apricots were mostly killed off by a late freeze, which was right tragical, in my opinion.  See, living where we do, in a smallish town that used to be primarily orchards, there is generally an abundance of apricots.  This means, if you hit up the neighbors just right, they will unload their excess on you.  I am so down with that.  But, last year?  No excess.  Like I said.  Tragical.  I may actually have to buy apricots at the fruit stand if we can't beg some off the neighbors.  That is how important my apricot jam is to me.
And before you ask, no, I don't make it.  That is what TMOTH is for.
I can...can.  That sounds absurd.  But, anyway.  I have the knowledge and experience to do the canning.  But TMOTH does it, so why on earth would I argue with that?  I wouldn't!  And won't.
I spent the morning today trying to find an affordable  material to build a retaining wall in my yard.  Said yard slopes about 6 feet from top to toe, and I am a bit tired of it.
We excavated a level patio when we moved in and I laid flagstone, but we left the rest of the yard to slope.  It's fine, I suppose, but I don't love it.  Plus, I want a big garden.  So, I am going to turn one section of the yard into said garden.  Since gardens work better if they are level (I know, weird), this will require my  building a 2' high retaining wall on the downside.
I would be quite happy with a red cinderblock wall.  I think they are attractive.  Or even railroad ties.  I like railroad tie walls, it's what we have in the backyard.  But, I got the veto from TMOTH.  He no likey.  So, since I can't afford diamond block, river rock it is!  Of course, this means it is going to take me much longer to build the wall, but hey.  Time?  I haz it.  Plus, I am sure it burns lots of calories. ;)
In other news, I was driving down the road yesterday with The Small One and she asked what street we were on.  I told her,  Battlecreek.  "Battlecreek?  What's that?"  she queried.
"The name of the street." I responded, intending to explain to her why it is called Battlecreek. (Epic Native American/Pioneer battle near said creek, up in them thar hills.
However, she beat me to the punch.
"Oh," says she "I guess a bunch of ninjas must have fighted here."
Yep.  That's why.