Livinig in Laveen means living around dairy farms and miles of crops. Driving up to our house we have a mile of crops on our street, and we always wonder - what's growing there? More than likely it is probabaly corn. However, as of two weeks ago, we no longer have to wonder whats growing on a section of that mile - we are the ones planting the seeds. That's right folks, Jason and I have become farmers!!!
OK... so that's not totally true. Our ward, the Gila River Ward, has borrowed some land to make a ward garden. Each family was assigned to bring a packet of seeds, and to help water the garden. Last Saturday, I had the grueling tasks of watering the garden. I say grueling, because it was. We had to wait for the irrigation water to flow into the back yard, flood the grass, and eventually flow into the section of our garden. As the water is flowing you have to create and break dams throughout the garden so the water flows down each row. Some rows filled with water nicely, while other needed to be dug deeper. 
Our ward decided to do this in preparation for our ward Christmas party. We planted: corn, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and a couple other things I can't remember. Everything should be ready to harvest the first of December - just in time for the christmas party. The garden is new to the ward, so we will have to see what comes from it.
In addition to the garden, we have a ward pig!!! They told us we can't name him, so I call him bacon. Each family signs up to take him scraps of food, gives him water, and makes his home nice and muddy. Along with the veggies in our garden, "Bacon" will be part of our ward feast too. I know - I know, makes me a little sad and sick as well, but I guess that is the circle of life. I'm just not sure if I will be eating pork that night.
On our ward farm we also have a unigoat (he's missing his other horn), chickens, two other pigs and some cows. The owner of the property takes care of these animals, we just get to look at them. 
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The joys of living in Laveen, Arizona
Posted by Jason and Ashlee at 9:40 AM
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11 comments:
I love it, love it, love it!!
All except the part about eating "Bacon." Will you really eat him?? I think you should be vegetarian that night.
I also think you should bring your new found gardening expertise over this way and help me plant my garden.
That's a neat thing that someone organized in your ward. I hope that everything grows well, and you're able to have a great Christmas party! When I was little I raised 2 pigs on a bottle from the minute they were born, they were pets so we didn't eat them! Yall will get a small taste of what it was like for people in the old days! Good luck eating the pork! I sure couldn't do it, but then again I guess it depends on how hungry I was!
Thats fun that your ward planted a garden. Watering doesnt sound like much fun, but im sure it will all be yummy.
A ward pig! That cracks me up! That's a neat idea though to do a project like that as a ward.
Welcome to farm life :-) Just think you don't have to do that every day like a lot of farmers.
Ashley,
That sounds like the ideal life. You drive out do your part learn all about how plants and animals grow, can take the kids out to see where their food comes from and leave. You don't have to stay up late nights in spring watching for piglets and lambs and calves to be born so they won't freeze to death and you can do your part and go home. You are seeing everything we saw only not so intense. If you don't stand there and watch Bacons demise when you see him all cooked it will be just like going to the store for a hunk of meat and putting it in the pot. What an incredible adventure.
That goat cracks me up! I think that is so cool that your ward has a farm together. I have peach trees, does that count? I don't have a garden plot, but next year I've decided I am just going to integrate some garden plants like zuchini and squash into my planters. I love fresh veggies. PS I am going elk hunting Oct 10-11. Are you going to be around on Oct 9 at lunch time? Or maybe we could have you over for breakfast on Sunday morning? Let me know if any of those work out, and I'll call some of the girls who live around here to see if they can come, too. Otherwise I definitely want to get together next trip! You've got to be coming in town for Thanksgiving or Christmas, right?
Hmmm, that is really cool yet interesting. I honestly don't know what to think of it, but I really do hope all goes well with the crops and animals. Oh, and since growing up on a farm I can promise you that Bacon will be in a better place after you eat him. So really, your doing Bacon a favor. How is that for a different way of looking at it! LOL
Oh Ash, don't eat bacon the pig. That's just not right. I know everyone eats them all the time but to have to feed it and take care of it and THEN eat it. That is not right.
Ask Brock about the turkey on the pioneer treck. Same kindof thing. I just could not eat it after it was our pet. Brock ate it just fine but me, no way, I couldn't do it. I just went hungry that night.
K, I know you gave me your email, but for the life of me, I can't find it. My email is mindysterzer@msn.com. At least that is the one I check the most. Oct 9 sounds great! I'm going to plan on it. We'll have to brainstorm on a good place and whatever time you would like to go works for me. I'm excited!
Hey Ashley we currently live in Texas, but we did move down here and then back to Utah in 04. We are down here right now getting residency trying to get into dental school. Hopefully it works!
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