Peaceful morning

Usually I wake up to the pitter patter of Helen's little feet running from her room to mine. Today, for some reason, I'm awake and she isn't yet. I'm happy for her, she's been extra tired lately and needs to sleep a bit later. I'm happy for me too, surprisingly. I usually think it would be nice to sleep in but, actually, it's pretty nice to have a quiet house to myself this morning.

Right now I'm looking out the window at the alfalfa field. I think the first cutting will start today and my world will really smell like summer...nothing says summer like freshly cut alfalfa. In a couple of weeks pea harvest will start. Chris will bring home buckets of peas and I'll start the summertime process of filling the freezer for winter. In a few weeks the strawberries will be ready too. I can already taste the fresh strawberry pie. I'm also looking forward to putting up a bunch of strawberry jam.

This is my favorite time of year. I really feel like I'm caring for my family when I can and freeze summer's produce for winter consumption. Later, in the dead of January when we open a can of peaches or pull out some frozen corn it will feel like summer for a little bit. Just enough to make the cold, dark days a little sunnier. I better tend to the garden today...if I take good care it will feed us all year.

Thanks for all the comments on my last post. It is nice to "see" you all again. I didn't really expect anyone to read this...it has been ages since I've been here, I know. I'll be catching up with all of you too. Isn't that the great thing about blogs?

Okay, I'm going to go enjoy the quiet a bit more.