Finally, Summer

This year, salt lake has been very strict, not letting us have any truly hot days until it was officially summer. Never before have I longed for heat as I did this year. But finally, finally the hot days are upon us, the rhubarb and strawberries are here, the beans and tomatoes and blue Hubbard squash, the carrots and chard and Brussels and broccoli, it's all growing like wildfire-despite the crickets and slugs best efforts to eat everything up.

And now, finally, we've been having summer food: raspberry rhubarb crisp, homemade mint ice cream, cold asparagus soup, suntea.

And the parents are here! We've picnic-ed by rivers and lakes, stuck feet in icy waterfalls, thrown snowballs, driven through the greenest rolling hills covered in purple and yellow wildflowers, walked through snow in sandals, viewed lakes still covered in ice...

Hooray For Summer!

This year in Salt Lake, spring has made a poor showing. It hasn't swooped in with nonstop sun and blue skies and warm days. Instead, there's been rain and more rain. Snow and endless clouds--the sun visiting oh so briefly. Still, the flowers haven't minded. First crocus, then daffodil and tulip, big showy irises and now poppies and roses. In the Avenues, the flowers hang out on street corners, blanket front yards; constantly cheering in the face of all this un-springlike weather. And while we're not having hot ninety degree days like they are back on the east coast, and it technically won't be summer for another seven days, each day I can feel it creeping closer.

Signs That Summer is Almost Upon Us:
1) the farmer's market has begun! fresh wild arugala, scapes, chives, honey and a billion people rejoicing in the fact that summer is coming
2) ate two popsicles the other day
3) there are tiny tomatoes on one of my plants, the painted lady beans have come up, we've been eating kale and baby broccoil greens from the garden
4) yesterday at little dell reservoir there were girls in bikinis in inflatable rafts, my feet in the icy water
5) wide open windows, two mosquitoes in the mudroom
6) the sun is up at 5:15 AM!

So Happy About

-green growing things
-black seeded simpson lettuce (which i planted too late last summer but popped up this spring as a wonderful surprise)
-clear blue skies
-10 snowfree days and my tomato plants not dying!
-finally feeling better
-green green green
-that my work baby has taken a nap this morning!
-keith and i having time off together this weekend (after his third 31 hr shift in a week)!
-cherry pineapple sage suntea
-lemon leek goat cheese frittatas
-fresh eggs from the park city farmer's market (they taste like indian eggs...i guess i've been eating super fresh eggs in india and not knowing it)
-the strawberries which will soon be ripe
-asparagus picking this weekend
-the first downtown farmer's market of the season on saturday!
-argentinian cheese from my landlords!