Spring...Let The Attack Begin

 Spring...is coming.

Some would say, it's already here.

Let the attack begin.

When I say "attack," I'm not meaning anything on a grand scale, nothing involving troops or guns or things that cause major damage. No, the attack is in a micro-level and it involves pollen, sinuses, and diminished tolerances. 

It's my semi-annual battle with allergies.

It makes spring not quite as enjoyable as I can be, as it should be.

No--I'm not a "spring person," at least, not as an adult. As a kid, I loved spring. Spring meant it was closer to summer and summer meant going to Lagoon, swimming in the pool, hanging out at the Arcade, riding bikes and skateboard with friends, hiking the hills, going to Idaho for vacation. I'm pretty sure I had seasonal allergies when I was a kid--my siblings can tell stories--but I don't remember those. I remember enjoying spring.

Today, I walked outside to see if the raspberry starts we planted were alive or not. We saw evidence they were, or most of them anyway. I also checked some flowers we planted in the front yard. I snapped a picture of a dead rose. It's interesting...in one small yard in Northern Utah, there are signs of new life and signs of past life. In the coming weeks, we'll see more of the former and less of the latter. Such is life.

Yes, seasonal allergies are kicking my trash right now. I wonder, if I'm able to look back on this time thirty or more years in the future, will I remember disliking spring, or will I not remember it?

Time will tell.

Give Thanks...Growing Raspberries

 Does thirteen plants constitute a ranch?

Okay, I know...ranches are more associated with the raising of animals, but yesterday we planted thirteen raspberry plants on the northern side of our lot. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, ranch has three definitions:

ranch

rănch

noun

1. An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised.
2. A large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised.
3. A house in which the owner of an extensive farm lives.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

So, I suppose it may turn into a raspberry ranch one day.

Before we moved in, our builder asked if we wanted a rock retaining wall between our property and our neighbors. I love rock walls so of course, we said, "yes." We believe that this was a win-win for the builder. He didn't have to pay to haul off the boulders. I also suspect every rock came from our lot. After our neighbors put in a beautiful cedar fence, we were left with a shelf, maybe six feel wide running the length of the backyard. It was my wife's idea to plant something there...grapes, or perhaps, raspberries.

Yesterday, my son and his wife called to see if we wanted some raspberry plants. Her father was thinning his stock and we jumped at the idea. A few shovel turns, a few rocks removed, and we had our field. Thanks to some rain during the night, the starts should be on their way to growing strong and providing years and years of plentiful fruit.

I'm thankful we have others looking out for us. They didn't have to call and offer the plants, but they did. It was a nice thing to do. Now, we just need to keep them alive so they can come over and enjoy the bounty.