A Perfect Day
I can honestly say that today was about as perfect as it gets. I got up, skipped the shower since I was headed to the church to help shape up the flower gardens there, and headed out the door. (Of course, I got my breakfast in, you know I don't skip a meal!) The volunteer crew and I, headed up by my friend Miranda, really did great job on the beds and they look awesome for our farewell party for Fr. John next weekend. Jarret stayed home with the kids and cleaned the chimney.
In the afternoon I took the girls and we headed to get milk from a farm about fifteen minutes away. We get raw milk from a farmer who milks 23 cows. This is a very small dairy, since the farm across the road from us milk 850 cows! We love the raw milk because we are supporting a local farmer and the benefits of not pasteurizing or homogenizing the milk are wonderful. You can read all about that at http://www.realmilk.com/. Anyway, on the way home we stopped and picked 6 quarts of fresh strawberries. Rose and Molly did a great job, and it's really hard to put into words how deeply happy I felt watch my girls covered in mud and strawberry juice, hair damp from the rain, hunting for the reddest berries they could find. And of course, I ate a berry right in the field, because there is nothing like a just picked strawberry. Now I am going to make a strawberry pie, since I have never made one, and make some sugar-free strawberry jam so I don't have to buy that stuff in the store anymore. I am sure I will have to go out and make a couple more picking trips this week. I should look up how to freeze the berries too...
Then we stopped at an antiques place I have been driving by longingly since we moved here. Since I was without the baby, and they were having a great sale, I went in and lost myself. They have so much stuff! I have my eye on a punch bowl set for $5 and a child-sized roll top desk for $50.
After a dinner of leftovers we all headed out to the garden to spread straw on the tomato patch. Rose and Riley threw more straw on each other but at least most of it got where it was supposed to go. Jack supervised from the stroller. Then bath, dessert (sherbet from the Schwan's man!) and a couple of books, Jarret and I headed back out to the garden to enjoy the stunning sunset and some weeding. The mosquitoes were ferocious though, so tomorrow at Mass I will be sporting one lovely giant bite on my jaw, and since I forgot my purse over at my girlfriend's house last night I won't have any lipstick to distract from the bite. Well, as my Grandma Bette used to say about her wrinkles, I earned every one (bite, I mean, not wrinkles...yet).
I really don't think my life could get any better.
2 comments:
I love it. Sounds absolutely perfect to me! Funny that you talk about raw milk. I just bought a pint last Wednesday and I've been drinking it since then. I like the idea of it being fresh and natural and healthy and supporting local dairies who can continue to offer us choices of raw milk. (There are currently several law suits in CA trying to outlaw raw milk!) Anyhoo, I say "yea" for raw milk.
Oh, and we picked 5 strawberries from our garden:) I think we'll have 3 more ripe today. hahahaha. We all usually share one strawberry. :)
Ahh, memories of strawberry picking with my sisters and mother. I developed an allergy this past year to strawberries, apples and cherries. I can only eat them cooked (I have to cook the allergen out). However, I can eat a few strawberries w/o too much of a problem (most of the time). I've been really depressed about these allergies b/c apples and strawberries were my fav. fruits!! I've really got to learn how to make jam though. I'd love for you to post a recipe!
I used to drink raw milk often. I don't know much about it except that I loved it. I have no idea if I could find it around here since most of the milk comes from the Azores. I'd love to learn more about it and why some places are trying to ban it.
Lovely post. Glad you to read you had such a great day!
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