Tuesday, August 02, 2011

August Already

Just a quick hello to my friend, Jean O., in Minneapolis. I hear you had a fall but are on the way to recovery. Bruce and I wish you a speedy road to good health.

It is family vacation time. Our guests include children of every age group and temperament. With the warm weather, these kids are drawn to the waterfront as if by a magnet. Kayaks and canoes propel them on the lake.

There is nothing more fun than watching a 6 or 7 or 8 year old child don their life vest and get into a kayak for the first time. After a few simple instructions, they are off. And then there is the moment when they realize that they can make this craft go anywhere they want. There is no stopping them now.

Picking wild berries is another enlightening experience for young children. Who would believe that those small blue or red balls on a bush can be eaten and Mom doesn’t even care. Add to that the joy of eating your first blueberry pie made from berries YOU picked. If you decide to make jam with those berries, next February these kids will remember where they picked every berry in the jar.

Speaking of jam, the Kerfoot pantry is building up its stock for the coming winter. To date we have 12 jars of wild blueberry, 8 jars of wild strawberry, 7 jars of strawberry rhubarb, and 9 jars of raspberry. The strawberries are finished but there are still lots of blueberries and raspberries to harvest. Bruce and I have also been feasting on huge helpings of blueberries and raspberries on our cold cereal each morning.

It is hard to believe that we are now into August. I know that May was just last week. The beginning of August is what I consider the midpoint of our summer season. At the end of August all the kids will be back in school. We will be filled with adults of all ages who generally come up for the fall color.

Fall is a time I particularly love. By then the pace seems to slow down a bit. I might even get to watch a couple of football games on television. The temperature also cools down. It quickly becomes time to close up the garden for the season. The yellows and reds of fall are just icing on the cake.

On Thursday Bruce and I are taking off for a week. The lobster season is opening in Florida. For over 30 years Bruce has matched wits with those tasty critters. Just as we put up jam, we also like to have some lobsters in the freezer for the winter. Of course while we are down in the Keys, there are a few restaurants to visit. Our plane arrives in Key West at 1:20 – just in time for a late lunch. So don’t expect to hear from me until the 14th or 15th.

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