Hello, countertops. Meet kitchen cabinets.

Anyone who's talked to me in the last eleven months knows that I've been threatening to put a countertop on my kitchen cabinets for a long time now, and this weekend I made good on that threat and started to build the substrate on which I'm going to install a laminate (Marmoleum, most likely). Here are a couple photos from the project so far.

The cabinets (just begging for a countertop under which they can hide and hold all manner of kitchen implement).

Cutting the MDF sheets that I'm using as a base for the countertop.

Checking the dryfit of the MDF pieces.

Gluing up the joints that will hold the MDF pieces together.

And here, after the gluing, is the countertop base. Now I just need to get the laminate and glue it down and I'll have a real countertop.

Bored Daniel = Barber Mother

A Very Dashing Haircut?

The Disapproving Mother!

Note: If perhaps you cannot really tell, the haircut pictured above is a "Mo-Hawk".

Dandy Lions (now with an update!!!)

When I was at Cedarville, Dr. Dixon (the school's president) was known for his hatred of dandelions. The grounds crew kept the grass and landscaping in pristine condition, and we were told time and again that we were not to walk on the lawns. Grass was for seeing (and mowing, apparently), but not for walking on. There was only one condition under which we were allowed to walk across the lawn, and that was if we saw a dandelion and walked out to remove it. Every spring Dr. Dixon preached a mock sermon about the evils of dandelions and exhorted us all to go about the good work of dandelion removal.

I've always maintained sort of an open mind to the notion of weeds. Plants are plants, and weeds are simply plants that we'd rather not have growing where they currently are. One man's weed is another man's hosta, in other words. So I never really bought in to the anti-dandelion fervor of Cedarville. After all, how can you dislike the first sunny sign of yellow in spring?

I stand (metaphorically, of course) before you a changed man. And I think Dr. Dixon might be proud. I just spent half of the morning with a weeding tool prying up dandelion clumps from my back yard. It goes without saying that the only reason I can do this is because I have a postage-stamp sized yard, and it's relatively easy to get them all. I think I pulled about a quarter (or maybe a fifth) of the taraxacum plants from my back yard, and I'll keep weeding them out as the spring goes on. One thing I'll say about dandelions is that they're easy to spot as soon as those blossoms open.

So what led to this change of heart, you ask? Well, it started about the time I noticed (last spring) that one half of my entire back yard was nothing but dandelions. These things were running rampant. And they were starting to crowd out the good grass already growing on the other half of my yard. I'm all for the occasional yellow blossom here and there, but they were basically taking over. So I've decided to take decisive action—first by pulling up as many as I can, and then by fertilizing and laying down a weed killer. I don't have any illusions—I know this is a multi-year project in the works. But you've got to start sometime.

It's occurred to me more than once that my attempts to beat back the dandelions sound an awfully lot like Dad's tirades against the wicked oaks. I guess I'm acknowledging here that some things change as you get older, and sometimes the sight of an old man tilting at windmills looks a little different when you're tilting at windmills of your own.

Update:

I suppose this is the season for writing and thinking about plants and growing and dandelions, so I shouldn't be surprised that one of the columnists at the NYTimes is writing about his own futile efforts to maintain the perfect lawn. My favorite line: "my eco-friendly ethos dovetails suspiciously with my laziness." Here's the full article, which is pretty interesting.

From Tiny Seeds, Mighty Mesclun Does Grow

I was going to post these pictures on the Butchers, Barkers, Candlestickmarkers blog, but David beat me to it with his bread post. So I've decided to thrill even the non-foodies with these action-packed photos of lettuce emerging from the soil.



That's Swiss chard on the left half and mesclun (a mix of spring greens) on the right.



And here's Butterhead on the left and a different mix of greens on the right.

I'm going to give these a few more days (maybe a week) inside, and then transplant them to a little patch in my backyard. Then I'll be on 24-hour watch for the rabbits prowling my yard, seeking what lettuce they may devour. Look for outdoor pictures soon.

Has Spring Sprung?

It may not be as green in Hancock as it is where you live, but we are seeing signs of spring. For one thing, the snow is (almost) gone. Also, we have crocuses and the grass is greening up under it's brown winter mat. In fact, we even saw green tips on the lilac today and I heard spring peepers the other night.

Besides, these pictures of our first bike ride of the year (and Peter's first bike ride ever) are sure to convince you that we've made it through the winter and are preparing to bud and blossom into springtime. Also featured here: Peter's first and second times swinging at the park.

The pictures were taken this past Wednesday as we rode bikes to a nearby park and then let the girls ride their bikes at our park across the street.

The whole family, ready for adventure (Fletcher not shown - someone had to take the picture).

Ella and Elisabeth enjoy the space shuttle ride even as they ponder the future of NASA and space exploration.

Peter's just happy for a chance to ride - first the bike, now the space shuttle!

Back at home, Elisabeth tries out her pedalling while Peter hangs out in the swing.

Ella's bike fits better this year after raising the seat several inches. A slight adjustment to the training wheels improved her confidence.

Peter (the jester) in his second swinging experience. He may be dressed a little warmly or the girls may be dressed not quite warm enough. I think I had a t-shirt on and was warm the whole time, but I was pulling a 60 lbs of trailer and kids around.

Christmas, errr, Easter Cactus

This last Christmas, David, Daniel, and I found a sale on Christmas cactuses at Lowe's. I think they were a dollar each, and we picked up a few. I've been giving my cactus a little water and plenty of sunlight and wondering if it would ever blossom (as they're rumored to do). It had been pretty quiet over most of the winter, but then this afternoon I noticed a huge blossom off the end of one arm.



I think it's kind of impressive that a cactus meant to mark the occasion of Jesus' birth is now marking the event of his resurrection. Happy Easter, everyone!