hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
I like rap and hip hop music a lot. It’s what I play when I am in The Zone to clean, write or make stuff. I like the bass line, I like the predictable rhythm that makes me sharply move my hips. And I like how nearly every singer inserts a groaning, passionate uunh when they are feeling it. It’s like they encouraging themselves. Uunh usually happens after music begins, just before it really gets going.
Today, I feel uunh. My pandora station is tuned to Kid Cudi, Kanye, Eminem, Outkast. And I am cruisin’. We have family coming in waves over the next week, we travel to Helena for Andy’s art opening where we’ll meet up with dozens of loved ones. And then the fun rolls into a family reunion on a lake. It all feels a bit like a wedding, that lovely anticipation for a big deal, when those you love all gather to celebrate, smile and hug. It also feels like a wedding because our to-do lists are unreasonable and instead of crossing stuff off of the list, I do irresponsible things like make myself a skirt at midnight. (Friends who helped with my wedding will remember how we relaxed for a while over cocktails in my kitchen the night before my wedding and I excitedly toasted to all the food made, all the flowers picked, everything done! and then remembering we had forgotten to pick up 200 salmon fillets and steaks from two different butchers across town from each other and it was 4:55pm on Friday.)
Uunh.
The music has begun and I can’t wait for it to really get going. It’s a big week!
:: Water is beginning to really go down, although still big. Way too big to swim with kids. Soon.
Kootenai Creek
:: “Mama! Come here and check out Ruby’s tattoo!” I took a deep breath and entered the art room to find Ruby smiling with forest green nostrils. Margot meticulously colored the entire inside of Ruby’s nose.
dang, no photo of the dark nostrils; Ruby is way into painting right now
:: We’ve harvested four tomatoes, Stupice and Sun Gold. Uunh.
Stupice tomatoes
:: Margot peeled all the potatoes for dinner. Oh, my big kid.
One of our best friends and amazing cook, Laura. Margot called her Warla. Warla was one of her first words and remains one of her only mispronounced words. I hope she always calls her Warla.
:: My cousins cruised through town last week. On a walk in my eclectic neighborhood, we came upon a carefully arranged free pile.
This photo makes it look very careful and mellow. I assure each child was drenched seven seconds later.
Kootenai Canyon
:: :: ::
34 Comments
Breathtaking photos, as always. The colors you capture make me want to jump through my screen and roll around in the grass and eat peas under the Montana sky.
I raise your Uunh with a YEAA-YUH! You know the one.
I totally agree w your comment about puddle magetism. Bugs too. My 7 y/o can spot anything small on the ground. It’s amazing. We should bottle that talent and sell it. We’d be rich! Your garden porn is awesome. Keep it coming. xo
I literally had my hand to my mouth, muffling my “OH MY GOD!” at the one picture of Ruby with the pea. Could she seriously look so big right now?! It seems like just yesterday she was a sweet wee thing! Not that she isn’t still, but you know what I mean.
Glad to hear your garden is going nuts! Mine is as well, and I seriously can’t get over it. I didn’t think a little 8×8 plot could get so huge and out of control. I’ll be looking here for ideas on what to do with my 98 cucumbers… so start brainstorming. 😉
Ha. Brooklyn was just looking at the pictures with me and said “Who are they?” And I said “Margot and Ruby”. She said “Where are they?” and I said “Montana”. She thought for a moment than asked, “Hannah Montana?”. LOL.
And it’s my first week joining in the nugget fun…. here’s my link!
http://littlesidekicks.blogspot.com/2011/07/hump-day-nuggets-new.html
I had the same reaction when I saw Margot! She’s so big now. Ove the sled-cum-harvest basket.
Here in Minneapolis, the heat index is beyond bearable, and I’ve been travelling. This means I have a bumper crop of weeds. I can’t even bear to go out and harvest my garlic!
Say, did you really use hay or was it straw to mulch your garden? I know there are some newbie gardeners out there, and it makes a difference. Hay is food for cows, and will have lots of seeds which will turn into weeds. Straw is the by-product of harvested oats or wheat, and won’t have as many seeds. So, straw is usually a better choice.
Sincerely,
A former farm girl
You get a major unnnnnnnh on your harvest there! Nicely done. Still drooling over those amazing tomatoes. We have had approx. 5 days over 70 here. Ya, lots of greens going on. LOTS of greens.
Serious garden envy… gorgeous!! And miss Ruby… when did she get so big? Loving her cutie short hair. Am cleaning my own house in bursts between boy wrangling, popsicle rationing & bubble blowing… family arrives Friday morning. Love the feeling of happy anticipation before big family gatherings… enjoy!
xo
Kate
Have your tried making pesto with your garlic scapes. It is awesome!
So jealous of the garden porn. With absolutely no yard, and two massive dogs using the very small patch of grass as a restroom, I’m afraid gardening will be something I tackle in a few years, I sure hope. Until then, I live vicariously through you. And the hike looks awesome.
Uhnn.
Joining the nugget train for this week! http://shaylenmaxwell.blogspot.com/2011/07/week-in-reflection_20.html
Seems like you and your girls are always having so much fun. Love it!
Uhnn…na na na na! All I could think of was Master P, “Make ‘Em Say Uhhhh!” when I saw this post. I absolutely LOVE that you love hip hop music…because I do too!
Lovely post as usual. I really need to get on board with weekly nuggets for my own blog since lately I have been SLACKING on posting.
Your last pic, of the tangled heap of elbows and sticky hands, makes a compelling argument for a second child. Completely trumps the nostril/haircut moments.
For getting ‘er done, esp. in the kitchen, we favor Cajun music, or seventies funk. If you ask my 18-month old if he wants to “Get down?” (from a chair, for example) he often answers, “Get funky.”
Off to see if I can figure out the nugget doohickey without any HTML or swearing.
uuhn and i LOVE this post! and p.s. am totes loving that awesome necklace adorning your neck in saucer sled pic 😉
http://www.RamblingsofaLovesickMommy.com
you had me at ‘garden porn’ in these nuggets, but that last hugging picture of Bug & Ruby absolutely slayed me. totally has me thinking about trying for a 2nd baby… ahhhh!!
Easier than I thought. Thanks!
http://3saltydogs.blogspot.com/2011/07/hump-day-nuggets.html
Garden porn! Love it!
Love that last picture of Margot and Ruby hugging- so sweet. Makes me so excited for my second daughter to be born in another month or so. Can’t wait for sisters! Oh, and the sunshine/rainbow hunt picture is pretty great also 🙂
And my attempt at nuggets:
http://www.olivesandyarn.blogspot.com
Ohh goodness I love your family, garden, blog & nuggets.. I’m always so excited for new posts! My guy and I are in the process of looking/buying our first home and we spend hours sitting around our lame apartment with our three littles talking about all the awesome gardens we will grow when we finally move, And I bring up your blog quite a bit.. You are inspiring lady, simply inspiring! =)
How do you know when it’s time to harvest your garlic?
I love your nuggets and am eager to read them each week. This week I’m joining you!!
http://punksy.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-rolls-on.html
Thanks for the invite.
I always look forward to your hump day nuggets posts. Everyday life. Can’t get any better than that! I also love that you sew a skirt at midnight. I made a laptop bag hours before a trip once. Thankfully, my husband understands.
beautiful post as always. the pictures. the words. the people. the memories being made. love it all. inspiring as always.
random question… your dog… is it a german shephard??
Love all your nuggets! Glad to see everyone’s garden porn is as big as mine! Ha
,,,take a peek under margot’s bed or in her toy chest or ask the neighbor if margot delivered a queen size flat sheet to her for her use (thinking she may need one for her double size bed),,,nuggets delivered the “uunh” that i needed this morning,,,my fav photo the last one of ruby and margot sharing love,,,
Garlic! I pull it when the leaves brown and fall over.
So glad to have the nuggets over here to give my brain a rest from work stress. I love it here.
Happy hump day to you, too – and have many fun wishes with all your plans to come!
Congrats on the tomatoes 🙂 We picked our first two yesterday, too.
Nice nuggets. I might have to join the movement once summer slows down : ) The paints Ruby is using, would they be easy to clean off, say, hardwood floors and kitchen cabinetry?
Also, I have to agree with judybusy about the hay versus straw thing. I mulched with hay my first year gardening and HOLY MISTAKE!!! I paid for it that year and the next. Since then, it’s STRAW and only STRAW.
Also, one year I used large chunks of doug fir bark to mulch between beds and had a slug problem from then on out (they loved to hole up and breed on the underside of the bark!).
Warla – love it. I used to teach a preschooler who called her older sister Woolen (Lauren).
Nope, not really Koan. That was really me commenting about Woolen.
Seriously cannot get enough of Rubes in the garden with the peas. She’s shooting up like a weed! What a beauty. Also love the rainbow hunting with 2 different wellie boots.
On vacation the week my tomatoes are blooming crazy. My sweet neighbor will reap the rewards. When I get back, I must read up again about my potatoes. I’m tapping my feet impatient to see if I have anything to enjoy.
Happy Hump and keep sending us garden porn!
-Jennifer
Love, love that last photo. Warms my heart. Also-so excited to see tomatoes! I planted 7 tomato plants for my first garden and haven’t seen a spot of orange but I’m optimistic!
Uhhh….what….thas’ right….here we go now….
I’m back! After a month in the wilderness I’m settling in to four weeks of Dig and Kelle H with a cup of coffee and an entire afternoon. Don’t mind me while I bliss out on garden porn and lots of littles who by the way are getting BIG!
xoxo
Melina
Love you, your kids, your hubs and am inspired by your garden. Admittedly, laughed out loud When I read you “love the baseline,” I was instantly taken back to middle school and your advice to “take things with a grand assault.” Bass line?
Nici, if you have not read this, you must:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29franzen.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
One of the most inspiring pieces of writing (& thinking) I’ve come across in a very very long time.
Love the picture of the kids in the puddle! So like my son:) he would go straight for the water too:) someday i wish i will live somewhere where i have a garden and can plant some peas and tomatoes too:)
Have a beautiful day