A Post About Plants
Hello, everyone!
Not a ton to report here from Pootah as of late. It’s been hot (in the mid-90s) but not humid like it would otherwise be back on the East Coast.
Work is fine - you know, same sh*t different day. It’s not bad, just plugging along. Same for Ian.
We’ve been spending more time with the couple next door, which has been fun. Tragically, they bought a house and are moving out in July :( Granted, they’re only moving ten minutes away, but it will still suck not having the convenience of friends right next door. They are a couple years older than us and are from Minnesota. I go hiking with the wife a fair bit, and we have game nights and that sort of thing. Most recently, we went bowling and played Scrabble late into the night. Mom, don’t be mad at me, but I feel as though I’ve brought shame onto our family by how poorly my Scrabble performance went last night. Third place out of four. To my credit, it was almost midnight and I had been up since 6:30 AM, so honestly I think I was half asleep through the whole game. Either way, it was fun and I’ll get my wordsmith’s redemption soon enough.
Let’s see, what else?
I did say this was a post about plants and have yet to mention anything about plants. A few of our plants have developed mealy bugs, teeny tiny gross white creepy crawlies that make the plants look ugly and scary. Those plants now live outside on the front porch. To replace the empty spaced on the indoor plant castle, we got two lilies from Home Depot. Ian is very devoted to our plants, and I can take virtually no credit for keeping them alive whatsoever.
So many plants, so little time.
Look what a great plant dad he is.
In addition to caring for our growing collection of plants at home, Ian has also started taking photos of plants outside in the world. We’ve been going to this tiny cafe near the Draper Historic Park with all the polygamist statues, which has pretty decent green space and landscaping by Pootah standards. We’ve been going on runs on Saturday mornings and getting breakfast from there and eating it at the gazebo at the little park. It’s nice.
The aforementioned gazebo.
Flower game on point.
I’m clearly stretching for content here this week.
Other noteworthy events include our visit to a Salt Lake City Bees baseball game. They’re a minor league affiliate for the LA Angels, and they don’t appear to be very good. The stadium was kind of nice, though, and the food and drinks were surprisingly reasonably priced. They don’t add the extra “O” during the national anthem, and they don’t have crab dip waffle fries like Camden yards does, but it’ll do in a pinch.
One of the relief pitchers for the Bees was actually on the Nats during their world series run in 2019. Watching Wander Suero pitch did feel like a tiny piece of home for a couple of innings.
For $15 a ticket, it’s not bad.
We’ve also been hiking a lot more lately. Some trails higher up in the mountains are still covered in snow, but more and more things are starting to resurface. It’s been great to get back into hiking.
Last weekend, we hiked Lake Blanche. This trail we had done once before last fall, when it was icy and snow covered. As you will see, there’s still plenty of snow on the mountaintops, but none on the trails.
Pretty neat, huh?
Don’t worry, Lake Blanche has wild flowers too.
We’ve also ventured into the Uinta mountains and into Corner Canyon, which is super close to home, maybe a 15 minute drive. Ian and I are practicing for some of the harder and more notable hikes this area has to offer, which involve a solid 4,000+ feet of elevation gain in one hike. That means they are very, very steep and very, very hard to climb. We can comfortably (I say “comfortably” meaning we can handle it without hurting ourselves or passing out) about 3,000 feet of elevation gain right now.
Needless to say, we have our work cut our for us. One day, we’ll do a 4,000+ foot hike and I will brag about how I am a beacon of cardiovascular fitness. Until then, don’t wait up and don’t hold your breath :)
Battle Creek Falls. Not sure what battle took place or when, but it’s pretty.
There’s never a shortage of flower photos when you go hiking with Ian.
The oh so toxic but beautiful Utah Lake. (It really is toxic. Infected with some sort of ecologically devastating algae.)
High temps = snow melt = waterfalls actually having flowing water
Next, we have the Peak View Trail and Lone Rock in Corner Canyon. These are the ones that are close to our house.
A little hazier, but there’s Utah Lake again.
Ian and his flowers.
These red ones are a personal favorite. Oftentimes there will be just one single stem in a huge patch of nothing. I like those the best.
Tis a rock.
“Lone Rock” seems an ill-fitting name for this area, given that there are actually two rocks.
You really have to watch out for rattlesnakes here. It reminds me of my mom always telling us to watch out for snakes at the rock pile at the park beyond the billy goat bridge.
Well, that’s all, folks. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful week. This week I’m looking forward to my allergies calming down a bit and a restock trip to the library.
Until next time,
Chloe
