Jam Anyone?

So, as a city girl, berries came in neat packages at the grocery store.  With the exception being an occasional cherry tree or a strawberry patch.  Or a backyard raspberry bush.  Berries happened, and life, like berries sometimes came neat and tidy.  Other times, like this weekend, berries became much more hands on for us.

Enter the Elderberry bush.  Last year I didn't have a clue what one was. Didn't know we owned one, what the blossoms were like or when the fruit was ready. Now I know. How does one figure out life and berries? Sometimes you simply need to ask and go from there.  I started with a photograph of a random bush with its fruit.  Now, truth be told I have never tasted Elderberry anything.  But, that will change soon.

Jam is in the works, and it better be good.  After stemming elderberries I have a greater appreciation for any plant that has large fruit.  Let's just say this it's labor intensive.  It's a patience builder, and in a way it's therapeutic. It's especially nice if you have a tasty beverage, and a friend by your side as you stem them.

Someone asked me why I made them my mission this summer.  Because they are there, because I've never had them and because I love small culinary adventures.  Last year it was choke cherry's and wild plums, this year elderberries.

Isn't that a good enough reason to try something new?  Because you can, because you haven't and because life is made up of little adventures.  In the end we'll have jam and satisfaction.  Both will be sweet from making the effort.

Let There Be Pie

As a city girl I had no idea the significance of pie.  Don't get me wrong, pie happened.  It came in a couple shapes and forms.  Pumpkin, pecan, cherry, apple.  It was not my forte, though I can muster up a good pumpkin and a lovely apple.  Perhaps I missed the depth of pie because I only have those two pies up my sleeve.

Let me just say my eyes have been opened.  And I owe it all to rural living. Several times a year now I participate in pie events.  The women's group I belong to does pie in a really big way.  Apple, Cherry, Rhubarb, Rhu-Berry, Strawberry-Rhubarb, Triple Berry, Pear, Apricot, Gooseberry, Pecan, Blueberry, Peach and others I probably have forgotten. May I just say the Pear pie is amazing!

These ladies can probably kick some pie butt in the realm of cream pies too, but for events it's fruit pies only.  You could say I've come to embrace a life of pie.  But, and there is always a but, I accept my limitations.  I clearly own being crust challenged. Double crust pies thwart me at every turn. Yup, I know you can buy frozen pie crusts.  It should be simple.  Lots of things should be simple, and simply are not.

For now I stick with the pies I know how to make and sample all the other's I don't.  It's a good thing, It's a pie thing.  Life dishes up some delicious things and they often come in the shape of pie.

Little Towns in the Big Beautiful World

There was a time where I never left the city.  It encompassed all.  Sure, there were other subdivisions. bedroom communities, small city's that bordered the big city.  They all ran into one and you took them for granted.

Now I find my world blessed by gravel roads, highways and byways that lead from from one little town to the next.  Towns I'd never heard of or dreamed existed.  We all have roads in life like that.

I know where the bar is in Sutton, the pizza is in Gilter, where our friends are in Stockham.  I've partied in Milligan, picked up a foster dog in Geneva, relaxed lakeside in Silver Creek.  I picked up precious canine cargo at the rural airports in Harvard and in Aurora. We've done pet therapy visits in Hastings. I've delivered flowers in Henderson.  Visited friends in Bradshaw. We've had dinner in Marquette, Central City, Hampton, Chapman and Dannenbrog.  We get around.  And usually we eat when we get there.

I go more places than I ever went before.  Or, perhaps, I am simply more aware of the individuality and beauty of the destination.  Sometimes you have to look past the big and embrace the little.  Big can be beautiful too, but I'm finding little is perfect in a big way.

Crumbling Facades....

Have you ever felt an instant affinity for a person, place or thing?  I'd be surprised if you could honestly say no to that.  We are called to love and if we are smart we listen.  This is how it unfolds, life takes you to places, to people, or into situations that touch your heart. Sometimes the beauty calls out to you, or the sorrow, or the plain mystery of it all.

In this situation an old farm house speaks to me. I want to know it's story, I want to restore it. It's not huge or grand, but the simple charm sings with possibilities.

The windows and doors have been taken out and I'm guessing it will soon be demolished in the name of progress.  It makes me sad, and makes me wonder all the same.   Surely it had to have been shelter from the storms of life at some point in time. People had to have called it home and found nourishment there.

And it makes me ask....   Are we sometimes just an empty shell, a crumbling facade or are we full of simple charm and possibility?  Do we nourish, shelter and encourage?  Have you savored the beauty of the old and the new?  And maybe by honoring, even fleetingly, simple beauty we will have multiplied it.

How's Your Heart Today?

How's your heart today? Positive or negative?  Open or closed? Grateful or envious?  Do you encourage or discourage?  Gracious or resentful?  Perhaps somewhere in between.  How do you sort that out. Or do you even know?

We cross paths day in and day out with people who either bolster our spirits or sap our energy.  We encounter folks who's faith is a light for us and those who's angst causes untold distress. Of course, we all have lessons to learn and those we share life with are our tutors. We all struggle. I have to think the key is to be gentle with ourselves.  No easy task sometimes though, but a goal well worth praying for and embracing.

Some seasons in nature, and in life, make that easier. Spring does that for me.  The lilacs, daffodils, tulips, the tree's blossoming.  New life, new beauty, new growth. I know it sounds sappy, but isn't that what we wish for those in our life? Wishing the same for you....

A Time To Plant

I will always be happiest creating, growing, digging, laughing, sharing. With Spring it's time to plant, literally and figuratively. And in planting comes creation.

My city garden was small compared to the possibilities of my country garden. Of course, both of them held more work than I could do evenings and weekends.  The good thing about it is I rarely remember I always bite off more than I can chew.  Or plant, as the case may be.

Planting comes in many ways, with a foundation of faith, hope, labors of love and big dreams.  We "planted" our second nesting box for the wood ducks this weekend. We also modified the opening on the first one in hopes the resident ducks will find the housing both affordable, attractive and accessible.

We planted strawberries and onion sets, and looked longingly (at least one of us did) at the asparagus poking through the ground.  It's only it's second season.  There won't be a big harvest, but it does my heart good to see it growing.  Sometimes dreams we plant take time to come to fruition.

The 50 daffodil bulbs I planted last Fall resulted in 5 plants poking through the ground. Not a huge return for the time invested.  I'll continue to whisper "grow" "grow". and time will tell. Isn't that the truth, time will tell. In time we'll know if the wood ducks nest for us. In time we'll see the garden produce. In time will see our hearts desires. Trust me on this one. Good things come to those who plant.

Old Buildings, New Opportunities

My new home away from home is a building that dates from 1904.  I love the thought of that.  I love the reality of that. So much history, charm and just plain longevity.  I hope someone says the same about me some day. So, okay, maybe I don't really want to be as old as all that.  The building comes complete with a "service" elevator that operates by rope and pulley.  The basement has a dirt floor. Makes me think of the following "remember Man that you are dust and to dust you shall return". Guess you could just say dust happens.  I have to wonder how many footsteps have fallen on those floors over the years.

So many people track their footsteps today and while I sometimes wonder how many I take in a day the very thought makes me weary.  I can only hope my footsteps are happy ones, full of faith and that love and laughter accompanies each one.

Some opportunities are encased in new and shiny wrappings, some come in quaint old packaging, I hope I bloom in this building, in fact, I plan too.  I hope you have a place dear to your heart that you bloom as well.  Whether it is new or old, whether you are new or old, may it bless you and nurture you.