I can do it.....I think

There is nothing better than being able to entertain your friends and family by falling flat on your face. Maybe it's not the failing itself - I don't ALWAYS fail in my attempts. It's how you get there. My goal is to learn how to do things for myself. I have always had my father, my boyfriend, my husband, or the yellow pages to fix things for me. Every year, I save up all my "man chores" and put them on a Daddy-do list, so that when my poor unsuspecting fathers come to see me, I can make sure they are not bored while they visit. Of course, they are no longer unsuspecting....I think maybe that's why they're not coming to visit this summer.

Yes, I know that repairmen need work, boyfriends like to feel useful, and fathers will always come to the rescue, either in person or by phone. But once in a while I would like to be able to look around my home and say, "I built that. I fixed that. I grew that."

With that in mind and with spring rapidly approaching, I have decided to take on some challenges. This year I am expanding my garden and changing from row gardening to square foot gardening. I will need to create and build my own beds. I am also going to attempt (again) to grow some of my plants from seed. This has not turned out well in the past, but you know what they say about try, try again. Once my garden is producing its bounty, I am going to attempt canning and drying. Yes, I know I've been planning to do this for years, but I have an irrational fear of poisoning people. Actually, it's probably not that irrational. But supposedly people do this all the time and live to tell about it, and really, knowing how to raise and preserve your own food is a good idea. There are the practical, money saving, self reliant reasons, and my own personal reason - the jars look pretty in the pantry.

Mostly, as the title of my blog says, my heart longs for the country but my finances require an urban setting. Eventually, I would like a little place in the country. In order to do that, I need to learn how to fend for myself. If nothing else, I figure this should provide my family and friends with endless hours of entertainment.