Harvest Day at the Orchard and the Garden

Our first harvest today came from the Sherman Creek Orchard up the road. For someone that loves cherries and loves to bake I can't believe I had never made a fresh cherry pie.

Well... I did today.

 We enjoyed it so much I believe I will go pick up some more pie cherries tomorrow to freeze.

When I got out the Betty Crocker cookbook I remembered so well this picture of the cherry pie from my childhood. I always wanted to make this pie to celebrate George Washington's birthday, but today I didn't add any hatchets! My pie wasn't so red either.

Of course you can't come home from the orchard without fresh Bing cherries. I just wish the delectable fruit could last all summer, but then I suppose we would all be sick of them.

I also harvested food for dinner this evening. Our peas have grown very slowly, but I found  enough for the two of us. When you have Bright Lights Swiss chard you almost hate to harvest the leaves because the colors are so striking. They even look striking on the plate.

The students at school raised a new kind of spinach in the greenhouse. I purchased some plants at school and we had our first taste of it tonight. It is a delicious type of spinach and is doing well in warmer weather. I will have to find out the name. I look forward to many more harvests as the growing season moves into full swing.

Where I'm From

 

I’m from

A logging truck hauling along the rutted road,

sun peaking over the eastern mountain,

baby starlings squawking for their first feeding.

I’m from

fires in the gazebo, summer in a glass , BBQ, bluebirds,

dark soil, daffodils, dogs barking,rainbows over Lake Roosevelt.

Fresh garden peas, fresh farm eggs, fading fuchsias, fur,

water gurgling, clouds dividing, lilacs lingering, green beans sprouting.

I’m from

springtime iris, winter snow, fiery autumn leaves, gorgeous summer lilies.

I’m from

four dog memorials, cats that never came back, rabbits that grew old,

funerals for neighbors too soon and weddings in the yard,

reminders in the handwritten recipe, orange trumpet vine, a blooming dogwood,

empty pet food dishes, a collar on a nail, and a photo of two black cats.

I’m from Martin Creek, the place I call home.
by Christy Woolum

Pure Joy

When was the last time you experienced pure joy? When was the last time you slowed down enough to experience pure joy. I think joy hides in our lives and often we miss it because we are too busy, too tired, too absorbed in something else, or too unaware.

 When I spent time with my great niece and nephew last week-end I watched pure joy. Jack feels pure joy as he is held by my niece and his mother Adrienne ( in the photo at the top).  I think both my sister and Jack felt joy in the photo above. I am not around small children very often. I need to be. They reminded me that pure joy can be found in

 Dora the Explorer on a real TV,

a new swimsuit from grandma,

 having fun with a new red ball,

Olivia helping out her cousin Jack,

learning to open the gate,

and discovering what a clothesline is for. It is all joy.... pure joy!

Getting Acquainted and Reacquainted in Kellogg

Being at Mom's house was a perfect place to get acquainted and reacquainted with a sister-in-law, nieces, great-niece and nephew, and  almost niece and nephew. Whether we were holding babies in the living room, doing tours of the garden, or saying good-bye on the porch... it was a week-end full of family time.

Vegetable Garden Beauty Revisited

"As a gardener, I'm among those who believe that much of the 

evidence of God's existence has been planted. " ~Robert Brault

On June 11th I illustrated garden vegetable beauty with the post here. 

After being gone four days I am stunned at the changes and new beauty in the vegetable garden. Some long, sunny days and sufficient water can change plants in a very short time.  Carrots from last year reseeded creating this lovely bloom.

 The dill is giving the signal that it is pickle time. The beans are climbing up the poles.

 Finally, tiny tomatoes.

 We'll have peas for supper tomorrow. 

The spinach grown in the school greenhouse is about ready to sample. Yes, God reminds us every day of his glory in flower beds, but God also leads us to the garden of vegetables to show his handiwork.  A vegetable garden creates another type of beauty.... a beauty that shows persistence, growth, and sustainability.

Creating a Retreat

When I first purchased my house I was in need of a retreat. I had struggled through a dark time in my life and I remember the day I first saw my house I knew if would be a place to heal. I began at that time thinking about how I could surround myself with all the things I love so I would have a place to rest and restore myself.

Meeting JEJ while he lived right across the road was not in my plans, but it sure did work out! He saw my vision of what I wanted to create. If you visited here often you know he is the vegetable planter and I am the flower girl. 

Slowly our place began to take shape. We planted trees, flowers, and vegetables. JEJ created furniture from the wood around the area. We added some water features and outdoor lights, and JEJ built the best spot on the property... the gazebo. Sometimes we didn't have enough water. Other times we needed to amend the soil. Plants died and plants grew too large.

Somewhere along the way I forgot that this was my retreat. I would try to take time to enjoy what we had created, but often in the summer I was racing out of town or getting us ready for camping, or grumbling as I deadheaded and weeded.

My sister told me once she loved to come and relax at my house. My friend Tracy just spent five days here and felt refreshed and energized when she left. I think we created that retreat I yearned for fourteen years ago. I am working hard myself at taking the time to see my own place, rest among the flowers, sit and smell the mock orange, and forget about the deadheading, weeding, and fertilizing that will get done someday.

I can thank my husband first for always making me stop and notice the beauty around me ( even straw bales... right honey?) I can also be grateful to my camera. I now have a long history captured in images of where I started, where we've gone, and what we have created.

I think I will grab a cool drink and sit and reflect. I have found peace here and have slowly healed. Tracy said I am more centered now. I believe dreaming, planning, creating,working the soil, and harvesting has helped me become more centered.
I am not even looking at those weeds in the far corner. They will wait for another day.