One Thing I Can Grow

Ok, I am not the world's best gardener. I wish I could grow corn and potatoes, but I just don't have the knack for growing those. I do know how to grow Zinnias, though. Mostly because they just take care of themselves.

I've had a few years of wimpy looking Zinnias, but we added compost to the fence line this year and they took off like crazy!

Zinnias are such happy flowers, don't you think? Plus, the more you cut off the spent blossoms, the more flowers they produce- win! Let's hear it for the simple Zinnia!

Berries!

I'm back and blogging again! Happy day! My main computer is on again- and it will stay that way until I'm convinced that I won't find it in that dead and lifeless state anytime soon.

Big news at my house- the blackberries are finally ripening! It's going to be a banner blackberry year with more berries than we've ever had before. I picked at least a quart this morning and that's just scratching the surface.

We brought the blackberry plant back with us from a family trip to Washington state in 1999. It has a tendency to sprawl all over the place and send up shoots in random places. I cut it back brutally in the spring and I guess that was what it was waiting for. Occasionally (rarely, in my world!) a vicious pruning can be a good thing. :)

So, what to do with the bumper crop? I will freeze, then juice a bunch to make grape/blackberry jelly for neighbor gifts at Christmastime. I'll make blackberry muffins and peach/blackberry cobbler. I'll search the web for a blueberry vinaigrette, because that sounds kind of good.

What else should I do with these blackberries? Ideas would be appreciated.

Sunday Saying

A Blogging Vacation?

It looks like I may be taking a blogging vacation! My main computer's power button has stopped working, so until I can figure out a way to turn the darn thing on, I'll be taking a blogging break. I'm hoping to be back soon!

Sunday Saying

Grizzly Adams

Look at this hairy beast:

Brian was sporting this Backwoodsman Look after he and his wife took a camping trip to Yosemite earlier this summer. They climbed a little mountain (click here to see!).

The hairy look didn't last long- too itchy!

Rodeo!

Ogden, the town in which I live, holds a pretty dad-gurn good rodeo for Pioneer Days. This year, we went on Rodeo Family night. At least some of us did. The rest of us were at work. But I digress.

We were there early enough to see the teenage kids ride the mini bulls.

And what's a rodeo without some mutton busting?

This is a good example of mutton wrangling.

Squish.

This little girl was the winner. Impressive trophy, right?

There were fancy cowboy pickup trucks too!

Skydivers delivered the Utah and American flags. Those 4 little dots? Those are the skydivers.

Brian was convinced that the Republicans were running this rodeo. Between the Opening Prayer and the sheer quantity of American flags, he might have been right. This little girl sang the national anthem while sitting on a bull. No kidding!

Ok. This was an amazing sight. If you look closely, you can see that there are sparklers shooting out of the top of this flag pole. No wonder that horse is running so fast! Someone's trying to kill him!

These are a few of the Whooppee Girls. I have no idea why they are called that, but there are about 20 of them that help out at the rodeo. Carrying flags and such. And scaring their horses to death with sparkler- shooting flagpoles.

 Here are a few of the bareback riders. I'd last about 1/2 a second on one of these bad boys.

There were Steer Wrestlers, a crazy rodeo clown, the Weber County Sheriff's Mounted Posse, Baby Cow Ropers and Barrel Racers.

Of course, they saved the Bull Riders till last. You'd have to be either brave or crazy to try this!

There were lots of flying bodies during the bull riding, I'm afraid.

This poor cowboy had his hand caught in the rigging, (do they call it rigging?), and did a good rag
doll impression.

Thankfully his hand came loos and the whole lot made a run for it. His arm is 6 inches longer now.

 Rodeos are fun!