Spruces

Here is a slideshow from the Audrey, Doug and family camping trip back in September... hey, it's better than never.

Yo ho, yo ho!

Happy Halloween!

So... we were going to post all of these photos.. of a camping trip and other adventures...but more pressing things have taken priority. We'll post some soon, but before another month has past, we thought we'd commemorate our favorite holiday with a few classics. A few more photos are on their way for all you land-lovers! Happy Halloween!

Seed Storage

I (Heather) thought it would be a good idea to include some seeds for our food storage. We figure it would be a bit nicer to have some fresh veggies to complement all the other stuff, so I started working on this little project a few months ago and have now finally finished it. I'm posting this so the families I did this for will have an idea of what's inside. There are 25 numbered, sealed Mylar bags, corresponding list of seeds and short gardening notes compiled for the specific varieties. A basic idea of types of seeds: bean, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, corn, cucumber, kale, buttercrunch lettuce, romaine, honeydew, cantelope, onion, pea, snap pea, bell pepper, pumpkin, spinach, zucchini, butternut, spaghetti, 3 varieties of tomatoes (1 cherry) and watermelon. All of the seeds are USU recommended, many AAS listed, and non-hybrid (well, all but the corn because they were out) so that, theoretically, you can sustain your seed storage forever. These should last a while... from the research I've done, it should be at least 4 or 5 years or so.. the lettuce being the first to significantly drop in germination rate. So, you should take your cans and put them in a ziploc or other plastic bag and freeze them for the longest storage, or at least in a dry, cool, place in your basement. Oh, and when I started this.. I had no idea of what 1/2 pound of lettuce/any other seed looked like, so I GUARANTEE there are more seeds than your wildest dreams. Any other questions, or if you want the document or pdf, just call me.

Baby, All I Need(ed) is a Shot in the Arm

I often find myself flipping through the CD's at the library. Its a habbit that rarely reaps rewards. One day, however, I found a CD entitled "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" by Wilco. The name Wilco sounded vaguely familiar, and so, I decided to check it out and give it a listen. Move forward 2 years. I am now an obsessed Wilco fan. I think they are the best active American band. I can't stop listening. They are often referred to as the "American Radiohead," which, in my opinion is only true in that the are both extremely talented and not afraid of taking sonic adventures. I heard one person describe it like this. "Radiohead gets you in the head, Wilco gets you in the heart." I have to agree.

When I find a great band, I have a tendency to get up on a soap box, and begin to proselytize . So, when I found out Wilco was coming to Salt Lake, I went into missionary mode with vigor. Mix CD's were burned, DVD viewing of live performances were forced down various throats, and various bribery was used to organize a group to go see Wilco. My efforts were successful. I had convinced Andrea, Gary, and Scott to attend with me. Ah, the glee. Then, they sold out before the tickets were available to the public. I pouted. I moaned. I groaned. I complained. Then, I found out they were playing Boise, and to my surprise, found my concert going group willing to make the journey, even at $4.11 a gallon for gas.

Have I dragged out this post long enough? I guess all I really need to say is this. We went to Wilco. They were incredible. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The band played for 2 and a half hours, thanks to a second encore entitled the "longcore." Scott became a bigger fan, Scott's buddy Jeff became a bigger fan, Andrea and Gary survived the more "experimental" elements of their music, and at a minimum became more interested in listening. Oh, and by the way, I became a bigger fan, which I thought was impossible. As a live act, they showed more richness and depth than I thought they had. Thanks Wilco, your great.


*since posting this, Andrea and Gary have called to report that they are fans, and need access to more Wilco ASAP. All in a days work.

Jalapenos, Anyone?

I've decided I really enjoy gardening, despite my gardens best efforts to frustrate me. The spinach quickly bolted, the peas were attacked by weevil, the potatoes have scab, the soy grew to a grand 3 inches and halted, some of the beets have issues (see photo below...we'll let you guess who had a hand in creating him), and we're guessing all of our squash plants bit it when someone sprayed round-up. I pulled out the beautiful carrots just to find they had gone to seed as well. However, our little jalapeno plant is thriving. So...I made jalapeno jelly for Doug this week. My estimation of what was needed in the recipe was a little off; I think I still have about 1/2 - 3/4 of a pound. We'd like them not to go to waste, so anyone who could use them and would like to come pick them up, give us a call.

One tool I used to Trick Heather into Marrying me.

Listen to me attempt to show Heather my love Here. I love you, Heather.