Grateful

As you can tell from Pam's brief posting, things have been a bit crazy. We are all very grateful that John is doing so well, and now it will just take some time for all to return to a semi-normal state.
It has been difficult to concentrate on anything else, but I did manage to take some pictures (I love photos) that I will share.

While John was in the hospital here, and Pam was with him, Erin and Daniel and the three dogs stayed here. It was lively and kept our minds off scary stuff. O'Reilly loved having all the company; but as you can see, Erin didn't get much rest.



Daniel is standing beside a gift from John's friends (their name sounds like "bear"). It was HUGE and fun.
O'Reilly was very curious about this bear.

I have been wanting to can fruit since July, but it hasn't happened. This week I took a leap of faith and purchased several boxes of peaches, pears, and tomatoes. It is such a satisfying feeling to see the jars with their beautiful bounty. Mom loves to eat the peaches & pears all winter, the tomatoes are great in chili and stews, and I like to make jam for gifts.

Strawberry Pie and Lavender

Here's the fresh strawberry pie. I just had enough berries left after the freezer jam. Pam and grandson Daniel are coming for a brief visit tomorrow, so will try to resist this until they arrive. Looks like the hens are watching it for me.

This lavender is from a bush by the front door. It is white lavender, and it seems to me it was white last year, but now it looks pale pink to me... Hmmm. Anyhow, it is beautiful and smells wonderful.
The view of part of the garden has another lavender bush on the right, but it isn't blooming yet. The bush in the center is a Rosemary bush. A start was given to me by Charlotte. It has gotten huge, but I love clipping sprigs for fresh bouquets, and it smells good too. Rosemary is for remembrance and whenever I smell it, I think of my friend Charlotte. On the right is the David Austin rose that I showcased earlier and used for greeting cards. I bought this rose at the Farmer's Market from a local grower. It was tiny, but had a perfect little bud in bloom, so I knew it would be beautiful. It has thrived for the past 4 or 5 years, and now is very showy and one of my favorite rose bushes this summer.

Strawberries

Saturday Mom & I went to a local strawberry field. There was a time when I would have picked these berries and come home with sore back, stained knees and fingers, a full tummy and great satisfaction. This time we bought 2 flats already picked. After visiting the grocery store and stocking up on sugar, pectin and freezer containers, I made strawberry freezer jam. Due to a shortage of the kind of pectin I usually use, I tried the other brand. It has a slightly different recipe, but tasted good. Back to a different store for more supplies... takes a lot of sugar and pectin and containers, as my eyes were bigger than my supply list. This time I was able to buy my favorite brand of pectin, so made some of that too. Now we can compare at some point and decide which we like best. I have an aunt who always swore by one kind, so that's all I ever used... until now.
Meantime we are eating lots of berries, which are fat, juicy, and yummy. Again I have a feeling of satisfaction, and I'm thinking maybe tomorrow I should make a fresh strawberry pie!