Aug 21 2015
Time of the Season
The year has tipped over into dark mornings already. The boys wait impatiently for 6:15 or even 6:30 am, whenever their Staff considers it light enough to open the doors – Miss Audrey, of course, is exempt from any and every rule – and scamper off into the early morning, looking for trouble to get into.
And the year has tipped over from constant weeding and watering in the garden on the family property to preserving and canning. I wonder if every year my sibs think they have overdone the planting once they start with the weeding and the canning. Even if they do, it never seems to stop them.
Last weekend, they made relish from the tons of cucumbers, as well as onions and garlic they grew. And they made jam from the relentlessly productive strawberries. They just keep putting out more and more fruit. I stopped by on my way home after work that day to find my hard-working sibs enjoying adult beverages after a long, hot day of canning.
Speaking of finding: Rob had found a canopy at the dump mall, which needed some repairs but was, as Jacques Pepin would say, perfectly fine. It kept the sun off as they labored over the outdoor propane burners and pressure cooker. I love it that Rob is always finding things he can fix at the mall.
It was nice to sit under the canopy with my family and talk about the present (canning), the past (summers in Maine), and the future (Jonathan’s upcoming 50th birthday). I reminded myself that I should take more time to be with them, though it’s hard when you work six days a week. Still, I’m always glad when I do it.
Finally arriving home, I discovered a pot of home-made blackberry jam on my kitchen table:
Citlali had stopped by and left it as thanks for borrowing milk and eggs over the past week or so. I feel so lucky to have such great neighbors and friends. And it’s fun to never know what you might find when you come home. Maybe a Bowflex! Maybe some jam! Maybe a bunny! Who knows?
A YEAR AGO: Ah, the vagaries of country interwebs.
One Response to “Time of the Season”
Lucky indeed, seems that every time you get home there’s a gift awaiting. As you say, you are blessed with a brother that can fix and restore anything and neighbors that appreciate you and are not afraid to show it.