A sign I'm FINALLY growing up...

Which is your favorite, summer or winter? That question came to me this morning in an email. I immediately answered "winter". I just don't like the heat of summer. As I tell folks so often, you can always add another layer of clothing or a quilt or afghan or something to warm you up in the winter, but you can't take enough off to cool you down in the summer.

Today at lunch, I remembered what I really like about summer--seasonal fruit. I had the wonderful blessing of growing up in a home where fresh fruit was available in the summer--not just the bananas, apples, and oranges that grace my kitchen table on a good day, but peaches, blackberries, raspberries, nectarines, and strawberries, my all-time favorite! When we first moved into the house my children remember as Granny's house, there was a strawberry patch next door--the whole lot next door, to be more exact! And, as I remember now, those were, without a doubt, the BEST strawberries ever. Not only did we have those strawberries available to us (for a price of course, but much less than what they are now), but about two blocks away lived a woman who made her summer money selling blackberries and raspberries!

I loved the month of June because of those berries. I can remember on several occasions being sent to Mrs. Shockey's house to buy blackberries or raspberries, then bringing them home for Mom to "fix". Fixing was no big deal--wash them, add sugar, put them in the ice box--the same way she "fixed" strawberries, except the strawberries were also sliced. Then after supper, while we were sitting around watching television, Mom would go out in the kitchen and come back with a bowl of berries for everyone, sometimes with ice cream but often, just the berries. Without a doubt, that was my FAVORITE summer food.

Yesterday, I went to Kroger's to buy bagels, bread, and bananas, the three B's--and you thought it was Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, right? Anyway, I also bought a pound of strawberries. Today at lunch, I washed some of them, cut them up, and put some Splenda on them. Then I ate them, right away--no waiting for that syrupy liquid to gather in the bottom of the bowl, just down the hatch.

And what does this have to do with growing up, you may ask? Weeeelll, until today, I waited for Mom to fix them for me! (Or I got them out at a restaurant or at someone's pot luck or something.) Finally, today, I realized that Mom wasn't going to be fixing my berries any more, and if I wanted to eat them, I needed to fix them myself. So, see? I'm getting to, finally, after 61 years, be a big girl!

Love to all, and God bless

My addiction

I really don't mind admitting that I have an addiction to a certain web site, Rocks in My Dryer. I just love to read this blog, especially on Wednesdays, when the host does something called "Works for Me Wednesday". There are so many interesting little hints on there. I'm not sure exactly what is involved in "posting" your hint on her blog, but last week almost 275 folks figured out how to do it and left their helpful hints.

Some of those folks have posted before, so I sort of "know" about them and their families. It's interesting to see how they are doing, from one week to the next. Many of them are Christian, quite a few are stay-at-home moms who home-school, and many are trying to save money in interesting ways. Once a month, they have a themed day when everyone is supposed to put in an idea that goes along with a certain theme, such as beating summer boredom. And sometimes there are days when folks pose requests for help rather than suggestions. It's kind of fun to read a request, think of a response, look at the comments, and realize someone else has had the very same thought you did!

I'm afraid I spend too much time reading Rocks in my Dryer, but I sure don't mind recommending it as a way to beat summer boredom!

Love to all, and God bless.

Request

If anyone knows anything about the following folks, please let me know. It's been WAY too long since I heard from them!

1. Bubba
2. Beck
3. Jennifer
4. Annie

Love to all, and God bless.

Here's an update: I had a good long chat with Annie last night, maybe a record chat for both of us (over an hour). It was nice to talk to my baby girl! I also talked to Bubba for a while--he seems to be doing well too. Love you all.