Most of you know that I am from L---. My great, great, great-grandpa Zimmerman was born in Garden Grove, Iowa in 1851; then, came to L--- and helped establish this great city. My great, great, great-grandpa Turner came over from England, also helped establish L---. Both men lived and died here; one passing in 1935 and another in 1927. Some of my mother's family is also from L---, but she is also from SLV.
My father and I love genealogy, and we love to learn about the lives and trials of our heritage. My father was also raised here in L---, his house used to be where the freeway is now over by the L--- Block Company. He always tells us that when he was young his brother buried his shoes in their back yard, and teases that his shoes are under the freeway still to this day. My father loves to do things the "old way." He still does a "huge" garden even though most of the produce goes to neighbors and friends, and people in the ward who are in need of food.
Anyway, my father is getting older and had knee surgery this summer. At the beginning of Spring, he asked me if I wanted to use his half acre garden plot. "Now," he stated, "you will be in charge of it. Planting, Weeding, watering, and taking care of the produce once it comes on." I thought to myself, "sure, I could do this, I did it when I was a kid. Plus, I take care of my own garden every year. How hard could it be?"
Needless to say, July came and I was ready for fall to be here. For any of you that had a father like me, you can understand where I am coming from. Here is a list of some of the things that are required when maintaining a garden bigger than your house:
1. Weeding and Picking: Forget sleeping in. You will need to be up and weeding BEFORE you go to bed. If you wait to long, the sun could actually melt the top of your head off.
2. Watering: Forget your plans. You will need to plan a whole day to move that heavier than an elephant trunk hose around the bigger than your house garden. To think, when I was a kid, I hated getting up at 5 to do irrigation; at least that only took a couple of hours. Tip to self: Bring a book next year.
3. Gophers, Raccoons, and those pesky Rabbits: Forget being kind to woodland animals. After months of trying to catch the cute, furry, little creatures.....you are out for blood. I am sorry, that was a bit far.
4. One more thing on Weeds: They do not stop growing! You weed, they grow back. Forget it.
5. Tools: Forget buying the tools of today. My father actually has a cultivator that is probably a hundred years old (I think it was the first one-ha), and I love to use it. It is man(Brook)powered, but it does a great job. My tiller that was made in 2007 and cost me a good chunk of money has broken 4 times, and I have since returned it. So much for progress.
Our ancestors had it rough. Today, I had a LITTLE taste of the old days. My mother called me last night and told me that the garden needed to be picked again (what! I just did it!) We picked, cucumbers, onions, peppers (purple and green), tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. Now, I have pickles, sweet pickles, and relish to put up, zucchini bread to make and freeze, peppers to cut up and freeze, onions to put away, and tomatoes to bottle; not to mention I have already put up grape jelly and one batch of pickles.
My father and I love genealogy, and we love to learn about the lives and trials of our heritage. My father was also raised here in L---, his house used to be where the freeway is now over by the L--- Block Company. He always tells us that when he was young his brother buried his shoes in their back yard, and teases that his shoes are under the freeway still to this day. My father loves to do things the "old way." He still does a "huge" garden even though most of the produce goes to neighbors and friends, and people in the ward who are in need of food.
Anyway, my father is getting older and had knee surgery this summer. At the beginning of Spring, he asked me if I wanted to use his half acre garden plot. "Now," he stated, "you will be in charge of it. Planting, Weeding, watering, and taking care of the produce once it comes on." I thought to myself, "sure, I could do this, I did it when I was a kid. Plus, I take care of my own garden every year. How hard could it be?"
Needless to say, July came and I was ready for fall to be here. For any of you that had a father like me, you can understand where I am coming from. Here is a list of some of the things that are required when maintaining a garden bigger than your house:
1. Weeding and Picking: Forget sleeping in. You will need to be up and weeding BEFORE you go to bed. If you wait to long, the sun could actually melt the top of your head off.
2. Watering: Forget your plans. You will need to plan a whole day to move that heavier than an elephant trunk hose around the bigger than your house garden. To think, when I was a kid, I hated getting up at 5 to do irrigation; at least that only took a couple of hours. Tip to self: Bring a book next year.
3. Gophers, Raccoons, and those pesky Rabbits: Forget being kind to woodland animals. After months of trying to catch the cute, furry, little creatures.....you are out for blood. I am sorry, that was a bit far.
4. One more thing on Weeds: They do not stop growing! You weed, they grow back. Forget it.
5. Tools: Forget buying the tools of today. My father actually has a cultivator that is probably a hundred years old (I think it was the first one-ha), and I love to use it. It is man(Brook)powered, but it does a great job. My tiller that was made in 2007 and cost me a good chunk of money has broken 4 times, and I have since returned it. So much for progress.
Our ancestors had it rough. Today, I had a LITTLE taste of the old days. My mother called me last night and told me that the garden needed to be picked again (what! I just did it!) We picked, cucumbers, onions, peppers (purple and green), tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. Now, I have pickles, sweet pickles, and relish to put up, zucchini bread to make and freeze, peppers to cut up and freeze, onions to put away, and tomatoes to bottle; not to mention I have already put up grape jelly and one batch of pickles.
It is so hard to imagine what our ancestors went through just to eat! Not to mention they had to pee outside, sleep in a cold house, and all kinds of stuff we take from granted-all while breast feeding. Thanks to our ancestors for all the hard times they went through so we could enjoy such an easy life. I sure am glad my mom has taught me such an art that is disappearing.
Oh...look at that pickles are 3 for $5 at the local Food Town. Good deal! Crap. Maybe....that's why they came up with grocery stores.
Oh...look at that pickles are 3 for $5 at the local Food Town. Good deal! Crap. Maybe....that's why they came up with grocery stores.
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