Good morning or afternoon wherever you are, come in, sit, and join me for a chat. Coffee? Tea?

If we were having coffee, I would tell you after three warm spring-almost-summery days, Mother Nature has again plunged the temperature back down to semi-winter. This roller-coaster temperature pattern is not good for plants nor a person. I have shut off my furnace for the season and if Mom complains about the cold, I might have to turn it back on.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you my seedlings have made great progress this week. The garden beans germinated late Sunday night and it’s grown a lot since then. One of the plants have such large leaves that it’s already starting to shade the cucumbers seedlings next to it.

I’m so proud (as these seedlings’ parent) but I think this is partly owed to the grow lights shining on them 18 hours a day. The web told me seedlings grow best if kept under grow lights 16-18 hours a day.

Mom is definitely not liking that. I can tell by the string of excuses coming from her mouth like, “That’s why it’s so hot in here.” Pa-lease, this is a big house, not a little apartment. You feel hot because you’re sitting next to a space heater set to 70-degrees. She is still trying to kick my little baby plants to the curb.

She decided to get very snarky yesterday, know what she said? “I’m glad I decided to join the army. If I hadn’t, you’d never grow up.”

It made me laugh on the inside. Is that really what she tells herself? That I became independent when she went off for basic training?

I grew up a long time ago, way before I was 16 (the year she enlisted). I grew up when she left for the U.S. without telling me. I grew up when I was left with no other choices but to shuttle between my paternal grandparents and mom’s family, whichever one wanted me at the time.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you I am taking a trip in 10 days. I’ll be exploring Highway 12 in Central Utah, the section between Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. It’s one of those must-take-once-in-a-lifetime trips. This will be a 4-day trip and my aunt (the fun one), uncle and his wife are coming along.

Though I would prefer to take the trip alone but let’s face it, mom will never let me. Also, taking the trip alone would put a dent on my savings. But with the four of us splitting the cost, it’s more affordable this way. Also, since I will be the one driving, I will have control of where to stop along Highway 12. Hopefully, this mom-less trip is worth it and I really need to get out of my house.

I just hope my plants will be alright while I’m gone.

If we were having coffee, I would thank you for joining me in this edition of #weekendcoffeeshare and hope we’ll both return next week.