More Strawberries

Today I made strawberry freezer jam. My mother used to make it every summer, and it made me think of her. Here is the recipe:

4 c ripe strawberries

4 c sugar

1 box Sure-Jel powdered pectin

3/4 c water

Wash and hull the berries; crush them completely, a few at a time (or run through food processor) Should end up with about two cups. In large bowl, mix together the berries and sugar, let stand for ten minutes. Combine pectin and water in pan, bring to boil for one minute and stir constantly. Stir hot pectin into the fruit, continue stirring. Ladle jam into containers (plastic or glass) and put lids on immediately. Let stand at room temp for 24 hours; refrigerate for a few weeks or freeze up to a year.

Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry), but doubtless God never did. William Allen Butler

Now That's Summer!!

Picked these today!! That's all I need to say.

Sights, Smells and Sounds of Summer

Yesterday was the Summer Solstice; the longest day of the year. As I sit on our front porch, I can see, smell and hear summer. There are flowers blooming; right now I see daisies, yarrow, spiderwort, knautia and lilies. Soon there will be coneflowers, rudbeckia and hollyhocks. I can smell newly cut grass and backyard BBQ grills. Yesterday we drove home from Brainerd past farm fields with fresh cut hay; a smell that brings me right back to my childhood. I can hear birds singing from dawn until dusk, the cooing of mourning doves and the cawing of crows. Of course, there is also the sound of lawn mowers and motorcycles.

At times when I lay on the bed and close my eyes, I listen to the sounds of nature along with the summer breeze and realize that I could have been laying here 100 years ago and experienced the same. That always gives me a sense of connection to the past, present and future. It reminds me of what is constant and sure. I often am transported back to my childhood on the farm. The memories of summer include field work, big gardens, sticky fly catchers, pigs cooling in the mud and Twins baseball playing while my dad drank Hamm's beer.

Soon we will celebrate the 4th of July and begin that rapid slide to the county fair and Labor Day. In the meantime, I hope to soak up the sun and all that summer has to offer.

Thought for today: Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit . A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world. Ada Louise Huxtable

I Love Books

I love to read books. I even love to see and feel books. That is why the thought of going to a Kindle isn't very appealing to me (yet). There are several bookshelves in our home that overflow with all kinds of books. I usually have at least three or four books sitting on the small table by my bed. I have belonged to a book club for eight years. It's called Serendipity and was started in 2002. In all those years, I have only missed one meeting, and that was due to traveling (which I consider a great reason to miss book club). We meet once a month at each other's homes, have wine and dessert and discuss our study questions on the monthly selection.

Through reading books, I have learned so much about life, other cultures, new words and ideas, and myself. There are certain books that can transport me, especially ones that are set in the late 1880s to early 1900s. I can actually feel myself going back and when I am done reading, I have to come back to reality almost like time traveling.

Thoughts for the day: A House without books is like a room without windows. Heinrich Mann

Books are the bees that bring the quickening pollen from one to another mind. James Russell Lowell

Tis a Gift to Be Simple

We just returned last night from a visit to Amish Country. My fascination with the Amish actually began as a young girl. I remember asking my dad if I could be Amish to which he replied, "you have to be born Amish." My interest was renewed when Brian and I married. One of his first gifts to me was a book called Among The Amish. We then visited Long Prairie, MN and eventually our interest brought us to Harmony, MN..Cashton, WI...Canton, OH...and Shipshewana, IN. I think much of it has to do with the idea that a group of people could actually adhere to this lifestyle for such a long period of time. I'm not naive to the pitfalls of their existence such as shunning, lack of hygiene, etc. However, as with any group of human beings, there are good and bad manifestations. I feel such peace when I'm among them that it's often quite a culture shock to come back to reality. I totally understand how not having automobiles, televisions, and electricity can keep families and communities more connected.

So since I can't be Amish, I will just have to continue to visit their communities as much as possible.

Thought for the day: Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. I say, let your affairs be as two or three, not a hundred or a thousand.... Simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau

They Shall call me Blessed

This post is dedicated to my blessings: Lacey, Olivia and Tahnee.

I have been pondering lately how incredibly fortunate and blessed I am to have three amazing daughters. They are all leading productive lives and doing their best to deal with whatever life throws at them. They are hard workers, good wives, kind hearted and accepting, creative and loving.

Motherhood began for me at the age of 20, and I didn't have a clue what to do. Somehow through all the mistakes and "on the job training", my girls turned out to be the best daughters a mother could have.

Thought for the day: A daughter is a little girl who grows up to be a friend

Signs of Spring

As I sit here, the birds are singing; the grass is green. We've come a long way since my first blog post in the dead of winter. I absolutely love spring because every thing is so new and exciting. All of nature comes back to life acting as if this is the first time it has ever happened. This week my daffodils bloomed, and I was able to hang clothes on the line. There is nothing like sleeping in sheets dried in the sun and wind. Soon we will be into the heat and busyness of summer, but I really want to savor every moment of spring until it's gone again.

Thought for the day: It's spring fever, that is what the name of it is, and when you've got it-you want-oh, you don't quite know what it is you want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so. Mark Twain