Fruit from the Garden

After a dreadfully cold winter, a rainy and cold spring, we are exhausted.  However, the plentiful rains were much appreciated by our cherry tree and our raspberry bushes.  We have been enjoying a bumper crop of each.  My friend Dorothy came over with her family and picked four large Ziplock bags of cherries to make "Drunken Cherries" (brandied cherries).  Julie and Grandson picked a huge bowl of cherries for us.  Every day Paul and I go outside and eat raspberries right off the shrub; Paul takes some to work with him.

I finally pitted the cherries, and found the best and fasted way I know of so far: Instead of picking up two at a time and smushing them until the pit pops out, I now stand by two bowls, use my thumb to split the cherry, take the pit between thumb and forefinger and drop into the bowl to the right, put the good part in the bowl to the left.  This is at least twice as fast as my old smushing method.  Then the cherries can be cooked with the other ingredients for cherry pie filling.  (Note: as you are cooking them, observe carefully for any pits that might have inadvertently snuck into the good stuff.  I found five in my pot, in spite of how careful I was.)  The pies were delicious!

Cherry Tree

Raspberries

Homemade Cherry Pie.  Yum!

Tea Ladies and Little Golden Books

Once a month I play Mah Jong with some of my Tea Ladies. It's lots of fun: we have lunch (usually with a glass of wine or two!), then we play the game, and then dessert, with tea served throughout the afternoon. This time we were at my sister Barbara's house. She had the cutest book, Everything I Need To Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book. This book takes the artwork from the Little Golden Books of years ago and compiles their sentiments into life advice. Much nostalgia to be had!  I was inspired to buy three more vintage books to add to My Kitten, which I bought recently. I bought Baby Listens, My Little Golden Book About God, and Georgie Finds a Grandpa.  

Tonight I opened up the packages and showed them to Tyler. He wanted me to read two of them to him. I made it through My Little Golden Book About God without a hitch, but when I started reading Georgie Finds a Grandpa, I simply could not get past the first few pages without crying! Such a sweet book, a happy ending, but I was caught up with feeling bad for Georgie in the beginning of the book, while reflecting on what a great grandpa Tyler has in Paul. Anyway, I turned the book over to Paul to have him finish reading it. Vintage books are such fun!