Becoming Suzie Homemaker

Now that school has started, and I'm not going back, I am finally getting the chance to learn how to do things through application rather than from a book. Neil and I are getting green thumbs as our new hobby has become our garden. We planted it on August 15 and it blows my Wyoming mind how fast it is growing. This is coming from a girl who grew up in a climate where there was only one, three-month long growing season. I was skeptical at first when Neil suggested starting our garden this late in the year, but now I understand; Arizona weather is great! Below are pictures from Day 1, Day 7, and Week 4 of our gardening progress.

This is what the garden looks like today. It is coming along quite nicely! I think we just have beginners' luck with how good it looks. Well, that is, with the exception of the spinach and carrots which are barely beginning to come up (far right picture). However, we will see how good it really is when harvest time comes around. We might be eating our words when we have no good produce by the end of November. My next newest homemaking skill is attributed to my sisters-in-law, Andrea and Rebecca. They helped me decide to purchase a box of Utah peaches and pears for canning. I had no idea how much work canning fruit could be. If it wasn't for the good company and conversation while we worked away at it, I would resort to just buying canned fruit from the store when it's on sale. The work was well worth it, though, because the peaches turned out beautifully.

We are on our way to self-reliance. Before you know it, we'll be raising cows and chickens in the back yard!