My View

This is my view when we go for a leisurely drive.

Kennecott Copper Mine

This picture is from Kennecott's website

Our home is nestled between the Wasatch and Oquirrh Mountains. We are closer to the Oquirrh Mountains. One of the things I loved most when we were looking for a house in this area was the view of the Kennecott copper mine. You can't see the mine from our house, but you can see the spoils (rocks and dirt that have been dug from the mine) that have been dumped on the side of the mountain. I think it's beautiful.

You would never know that on the other side of that mountain is the biggest man-made excavation, which can be seen from space. Kennecott copper mine is an open pit mine. It is 2 3/4 miles wide and 3/4 miles deep.


Huge trucks remove rocks from the mine and deposit them into crushers. The trucks can carry up to 320 tons. The tires alone are bigger than a normal truck.

It's an amazing site to see.

Apricot Nectar

My Dad gave me a huge bowl of apricots last week. They were the biggest apricots I've seen. They were also very sweet. I wasn't sure what to do with all of them. I finally decided to make them into apricot nectar. Dwight and I like adding mango nectar to orange juice to sweeten it up a bit, so I thought we'd try apricot nectar.

I washed the apricots, sliced them in half and took the pit out. I boiled them for a few minutes and removed the skin. I put the apricots in the blender and blended them with some sugar and lemon juice. I put it all in a pan and cooked it until it boiled. I also added a little of the water that I boiled the apricots in to thin it a bit.

I put some empty jars in the oven set to the lowest temperature to sterilize them. I didn't have lids for my canning jars, so I used old spaghetti sauce and pickle jars with their lids. I put the hot nectar in the jars and when they cooled, the jars sealed. I don't think they will keep at room temperature because I didn't cook them in a water bath, but I think they will keep for awhile in the fridge.

The nectar does taste great mixed with orange juice. It's even good by itself. Little by little I'm learning how to preserve some of the fresh fruits and vegetables we have access to this time of year.

First Harvest

Today I harvested the peas from our garden. This is the first year I have planted peas and had good results. I planted them in the same garden boxes as the tomatoes and cucumbers. It worked out nicely. The roots on the pea plants weren't very deep, so they didn't compete with the other plants and it was fun to watch them grow up the trellises which will now hold up the tomatoes and cucumbers.

I picked all of peas and then pulled up the plants, since they are finished for the season. I blanched and froze the peas that we didn't eat fresh. It will be nice to have the taste of summer during the winter.

It's so nice to have a garden.

Independence

"The object is great which we have in view, and we must expect a great expense of blood to obtain it. But we should always remember that a free constitution of civil government cannot be purchased at too dear a rate, as there is nothing on this side of Jerusalem of equal importance to mankind."
John Adams, July 1, 1776

"Objects of the most stupendous magnitude, measures in which the lives and liberties of millions, born and unborn are most essentially interested, are now before us. We are in the very midst of revolution, the most complete, unexpected and remarkable of any in the history of the world."
John Adams, July 1, 1776

"The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army."
General George Washington, July 2, 1776

"This second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."
John Adams, July 2, 1776

Ellie's Fort

Last night Dwight made a fort for Ellie out of pillows and blankets. She loved it.