When Good Trees Go Bad

We knew when we moved here to Idaho that we would experience a different climate.  We have actually looked forward to the cooler weather and actual seasons, not just the hot and less hot seasons of Phoenix.  The leaves and trees and all the colors are absolutely amazing!  I feel like a kid sometimes in that I am awestruck by all the new scenery and sights and smells. 

Credit: Roadsidepictures/Flickr

It's all such a refreshing change of pace from the dry, brown desert we have lived in forever.  FOREVER.  FOR. EVER.

It's funny though, how things that look so cool on the surface can suddenly be not so cool in reality.  Like the changing leaves, for instance.  They are a canvas of colors and patterns that are so enjoyable to look at while we walk along the river banks.  When they started falling one by one from the tree in our front yard, they became individual pieces of art that the boys studied and collected.  Then we had an extremely cold night.  And when we opened the door to go to school the next morning we found this:

A Naked Tree!!  Just days before we were wondering why our neighbors' trees were all but bare, while ours was still full of green, healthy foliage!  Then BAM!  Just like that we have a 4 inch deep carpet of leaves covering our yard and driveway.  Apparently, our neighbors' trees have figured out that if they disrobe a little at a time, their owners can keep up with the raking and the bagging.  Our lovely tree  decided to give us a hearty fall welcome with a full-blown, leaf-filled ticker tape parade!  Which we missed, by the way, because it happened at night!  While we were sleeping!!   Either our tree isn't a very good event planner or it is an accomplished practical joker.  Either way we were shocked at how many leaves the thing had once worn! 

The first thing Little Man wanted to do was make a leaf angel.  I know!  What a great idea, right?  I was hormonal cold and grumpy when he asked and we were running late for school so I told him no.  Why did I say that?  I have no idea.  I just blurted it out.  It wasn't a complicated request.  It's not like he asked if we could snowshoe to Russia or use the leaves for toilet paper (oh, don't think he didn't think about that option, he's totally into Survivorman and Man Vs Wild.  It's only a matter of time until he tries it, believe me!).  It wouldn't have caused any harm.  What was my problem?  Gees, I've got to loosen up! 

Rather than start raking the minute I got home, I decided to ignore the leaves and check my email save the leaves for Little Man so he could have some fun before we disposed of the giant gift from our tree friend.  He and a few friends rolled around in them, jumped in them, made piles our of them and threw them for about an hour before they decided they were done. 

  (Leaf Angels)

The weather man kept saying it was going to snow, so Big Man and I left the leaves where they were for a few days, hoping that maybe we'd get enough snow to cover them and then they could just kind of hibernate and compost over the winter, thereby saving us from clean up duty.  No such luck.  We had no snow.   Just some rain.  Which made the leaves wet.  And heavy.  So the blower didn't work and we had to rake. 

Two hours and eight giant, stuffed bags later we had a clean yard again.  Actually, when I think about it, the tree kind of did us favor.  There are still a lot of trees around town waiting to shed the last of their fall foliage.  Everybody else has been raking intermittently for 3 weeks now and many probably have one more big clean up to do before the snow hits.  We got ours done in one shot.  Maybe this tree ain't so bad after all. 

So yeah...the fall colors and changing leaves are beautiful to look at, but not as much fun to clean up.  Still - I'd rather rake leaves in the crisp fall air that pull weeds in the hot desert sun any day.

PS - I forgot to do the Hexbug Giveaway, tune in Tuesday for the winner!!   

Settling Down in My New Town

So...it dawns on me that since my move, not only am I Boymom, I am also now a Boise Mom! It's been great getting to know the city and while I miss Surprise, Arizona and my wonderful friends and neighbors, I honestly have no desire at this particular moment to EVER return to the desert heat that I have endured for years now.  One of these days I'll have to tell you about our ridiculous trip, but I just don't feel like backtracking and reliving the whole thing at this moment.  But there are some really painful hilarious moments I should probably chronicle for future generations, so I promise, I will do my trip post in the nest few days.  I would rather spend my blog time today telling and showing you guys some of the things I love about our new place of residence.

One of the first places we found to eat when we got here is Hugo's Deli.  Hugo's is yummy and the customer service there is awesome. They were very patient with Little Man, who always takes just under a decade to make any kind of food selection and they made sure he had extra pickles, just like he asked.  The owner was there and he was gracious enough to meet and talk to us when we mentioned that we were new in town.  Who does that anymore?  I have a confession to make here:  I forgot the guy's name.  It's not Hugo.  Or else I would have remembered.  How sad is it that he went out of his way to show us some kindness and I can't even remember his name?  I'm blaming it on menopause the stress of the relocation. So yeah...Hugo's and the guy who owns Hugo's rock.  Great sandwiches, nice employees, clean and inviting store.

Another thing I love about Boise? The amazing gardens and farms here! Everybody grows stuff! My granddad's caretaker, Darlene and her brother own a farm. Darlene has a kick-butt garden and everytime I go visit her and Grandpa she loads me up with cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, greenbeans, corn and watermelon.

My sister's sister-in-law (did you follow that?)  went from being a major corporate star in San Francisco to being a major Mommy star and Master Gardener in Idaho.  She sent home some amazing jalapenos, green chilis and tomatoes, from which we made some kickin' salsa!!  We made a huge batch that filled a huge bowl and this is all that is left 3 days later.

I think my body is in shock from all of the freshly grown, nutrient rich fruits and veggies I have consumed in the last 4 weeks.  Seriously, I have probably eaten more produce in the last 4 weeks than I did in the 8 months previous to my my move.  Consequently, even though I feel a little healthlier and more energetic, my gut doth protest at times.  I'll spare you the gory details.  Suffice it to say that I have definitely shown the menfolk in my family that having someone lock the windows so they can't be unrolled after I "release" ain't so funny when it happens to them!  I can't tell you how many times I have fallen victim to this little prank.  I would like to thank all those who have contributed to my recent bout of retribution.  Revenge is...well it's stinky.  But also pretty hilarious.

When I said everybody grows stuff here?  I mean stuff just grows.  Like you are walking down by the river and you see this:

Yeah.  Blackberry bushes just growing by the river.  I love that I can pick a berry and eat it while I am checking out the river and walking the trails.  The river area is getting pretty picked over though, so today we went to The Berry Ranch to pick our own berries. 

Little Man threw a major fit, the likes of which I have not seen since he was about 2.  I have NO idea what he thought we would be doing, but apparently he envisioned something akin to a prison labor camp.  So we pretended to ignore his meltdown, even though secretly I was  plotting a chore agenda that would make his prison labor camp look like a day at the fair.  He finally pulled it together when we pulled into the dirt lot at The Berry Ranch.   We spent about an hour picking blackberries and raspberries and ate a few along the way.  Of course I forgot my camera, so no pics this time in the fields, but here are the pics of our harvest:

Little Man apologized for his behavior and talked the whole way home about how he wants to have a farm so he can grow stuff too.  He talked and talked and TALKED about it.  I know, Little Man.  That would be the goal.  Because then I wouldn't be paying someone else $3.00/lb for berries that I had to pick myself!  Dang!   I think I could have bought them at the grocery store for half that!  But...we had a wonderful day together.  And we supported local farmers who work hard to grow good food for us.  And that?  Was Priceless. 

Livin' on Boise Time

Things are a little slower paced here in Idaho, which is what I thought I wanted.  Until I tried to get my high speed internet connection set up.  When they told me the earliest day they had was August 30th I started hyperventilating.   The CSR had no sympathy and thanked me for my patience, then hung up.

So this is what I'm reduced to...writing my blogpost from my cellphone because Qwest (now Centurylink) is so busy getting BSU students set up with high speed that I have to wait 10 days for them to get to me! I think there might be a clue in Qwest's new moniker (Centurylink) as to the length of time you might have to wait for service.

ANYWAY...I have so much to write about my recent relocation adventure, but my giant ham thumbs make writing a lengthy blogpost on a tiny cellphone keyboard a very exasperating experience. Not to worry though, I remember every single detail and will make sure to include each and every thought and feeling about my move to Idaho so you don't feel like you missed out. Because I know all of my readers are waiting with bated breath to hear about the journey. I SAID, I know you are all extremely excited to hear about my trip, right? **Crickets**