If life is a bowl of cherries, I’ve been missing out

No more! I’ve always liked sweet cherries, but rarely bought them because eating them is so much trouble. When I did buy them, I would bring them home, wash them, and prepare for standing a long time at the kitchen sink.

To pit them, I’d use a paring knife, cut them in half and use whatever was available to pull out the pit. Sometimes I just cut the cherries into quarters to make it easier to get the pit. Either way, it was a messy, tedious job. I tried some of the many tips I’d heard about, such as using a plastic drinking straw to push the pit through, but that was a no solution, solution.

Then one day, I found a cherry pitter online that looked like a marvelous tool. Oh, and marvelous it was. In fact, I might even say it was life-changing.

This little tool has made cherry pitting so simple that it takes no time at all to process an entire bowl full of cherries. It doesn’t stain my fingers.

I’m thrilled to be eating these delicious summertime treats.

Using the tool is simple. Just line up the cherry and squeeze. The pits just fall out.

I like to take a sheet pan, line it with parchment paper, and add the pitted cherries in a single layer, to be placed into the freezer.

Once frozen, I put the cherries into freezer bags to be used when needed.

Whether I want just a few to be added to a smoothie, or in quantity for a special dessert, they are easily accessible. Because they are frozen individually, they remain separated.

I hate to throw anything away, so I even use leftovers to make cherry pit vinegar.

For this tasty addition to salads, I take 1/2 cup of cherry pits. (whole, uncracked pits only), put them into a mason jar. Cover them with 2 cups of red or white wine vinegar. Let it sit overnight. Strain it and discard the cherry pits. The vinegar can sit at room temperature for a year. Cherry pit vinegar can be used to make a tasty vinaigrette or even as a drink with club soda and honey.

Sharing my backyard with wildlife

I find it satisfying when area wildlife is comfortable enough to spend time in my presence, relaxing as they forage.

When I looked out my window, where three fawns parked on the grass,  I had to do a double-take.

On this day, there was one doe, with four fawns. I'm still confused as to just who parents all these deer babies. Is this the mother to all four, or are some 'adopted.' Or, are they 'cousins?' Other days, there are more does than fawns, or a doe and buck with little ones. Most times, there is just one doe and one fawn. As a human, I can't help but project my own understanding of family life onto these critters, though I'm sure it isn't even close. If I had some spare time, I would read about their behavior.

While I don't exactly understand them, perhaps one day, if I continue to observe them and their behavior, I will understand. But for now, this is just the best kind of entertainment.

I think fawns are just beautiful. I've taken hundreds of photos of them over the years.

I know some have been born very nearby, perhaps on our own property; much of it is wooded. I've heard that deer have their own fawns close to where they were born. That might explain the number of them.

It is impossible to tell them apart. I've tried to take note of their difference, to recognize their spots' patterns, but that hasn't seemed to work. I suspect I've seen generations of deer in the dozen years we've lived here, but there really is no proof of that. I just like to think it. In fact, I like to think they are all family members as well as a part of my own extended family. Looks like I need more time to observe their behavior. Now that is what I consider a good chore.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day

Earth Day, my favorite day of the year...

Today is Earth Day.

Mother Earth was kind enough to give presents -- a gentle rain that turned our Arkansas back yard into a rain forest. The sun is shining now. Like all females, Mother Earth is prone to changing her mind. As I look out the window into the woods, droplets of rain on the still new leaves sparkle as the warm sun caresses them. The landscape shimmers as if dressed in sequins. Thank you Mother Earth. The effect is spectacular.

More than thirty years ago, I experienced a kind of environmental awakening that has forever changed how I see and think about things. This new kind of spirituality inspires deeper thought, a kind of peripheral vision that takes in new dimensions, and a sense of connection to all living things.

American conservationist, my hero, John Muir 
photo credit: Wikipedia

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe," said John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, who was born on this day.

That quote has been my favorite since I first heard it. Connections are not always clear. Sometimes they are difficult to discern, but we must not be blinded by the obvious.

On that day so long ago, I walked with a group of other nature lovers along a trail. It was a time when "Save the Earth" was a popular slogan. I was disturbed about oil spills, killing dolphins in tuna nets, too much plastic that never degrades, landfills overflowing with trash that could have been recycled into useful products, and the very future of the only planet we can call home. But as I walked the trail, in the forest remnant that had been largely untouched since it was carved out by glaciers hundreds of thousands of years ago, I realized that humans aren't able to save the earth any more than they can affect it. Mother Earth will save herself, even if it is at our expense. I fear for humans who totally miss the point. The only thing that man's work will destroy is man.

I'm saddened that little has been accomplished in the past 30 years. And I am frustrated -- no angry -- at recent political attempts to reverse protections of the environment.

Even though I'm unhappy that there must be legal efforts to thwart man's destructive behavior against himself, it is too important not to be supportive since not everybody gets it. My hope for the environmental future of mankind is that more people simply realize the connections all around us. Man is not the center of the universe. He is just another piece of it.

...reprinted from 2010 but still relevant today

New Year's Resolution #1

Tolerate Mr. Squirrel

I didn’t think I would make any New Year’s Resolutions this year. I rarely ever do. And, this isn’t exactly a resolution anyway. But it is only the second day of a new year and I am making a small change in my thinking with this recent proclamation, so I why not call it a resolution?

The fact is that winter in the Ozarks isn’t supposed to be this cold. Temps have been below freezing for some time. I’m retired, so I really don’t have to venture outside if I don’t want to, or need to—to run errands, attend previously set appointments, or fill the bird feeders.

I seem to be doing the latter quite often during these cold days. It is pretty frustrating to have to reach almost to the floor of the garage just to scoop up a coffee can full of sunflower seed. After all, I buy seed in huge 40 lb. bags.

Running out of bird food would definitely qualify for having to leave the warmth and comfort of the house. But feeding my feathered friends is very important to me.

There is no wonder why the food goes so fast. One look out the window makes it quite clear—Mr. Squirrel.

I have not been happy with squirrels at the bird feeder for a few years now. They have proven to be quite gluttonous, stopping at nothing to feast on the food I put out for the birds.

This year though, I’ve noticed they haven’t been as destructive as in the past. Or perhaps I’m just becoming tolerant in my old age. Then again, perhaps it is a little of both. I’ve watched Mr. Squirrel for a while. This generation seems to be a little more civilized, only taking one seed at a time, scurrying off and coming back for more. He is a little more careful in his approach as well, which means the seed doesn’t scatter all over the place, the branches of the nearby Magnolia haven’t been decimated, and he isn’t just bullying the birds. There seems to be some sharing among them. So, as long as he and his friends behave, we won’t have a quarrel.

Suffice it to say, my resolution is qualified. I will try to get along with all the feathered and furry critters that come to visit as long as they get along too. Perhaps 2018 will be a peaceful year. We can only hope.

Happy New Year!

With only 77 more days until the first day of Spring; if this is a sign of things to come, count me in.

The reality is that even though my front yard is seemingly filled with birds I have come to recognize as signs of spring, it really is still winter in the Ozarks. In fact, winter really just began less than two weeks ago. We all know how annoying it is when Walmart puts out Christmas decorations before Halloween, but I just can’t help rushing the season—this season.

Granted the days are getting longer, even if the change is almost imperceptible. But what quite apparent is the appearance of Eastern Bluebirds, Robins, and even a Cedar Waxwing, the first I have seen here in all the 14 years we’ve lived here filling the front yard. Turns out it was just warm enough with the sun shining brightly to melt a little of the ice in the bird bath.

Flashes of blue filled the front yard as dozens of bluebirds flew from one tree branch to another, resting awhile on a tall bush before returning to the bird bath again and again. While most of them relished the drinking water supply, some felt the need to do their own version of the polar plunge as they plopped into the middle and played in the water. It is always great fun to watch my feathered friends, but to see these springtime birds frolicking in the water, well, the sight made this season so much more bearable as we await my favorite season of all—Spring. It won’t be long now.With only 77 more days until the first day of Spring; if this is a sign of things to come, count me in.

The reality is that even though my front yard is seemingly filled with birds I have come to recognize as signs of spring, it really is still winter in the Ozarks. In fact, winter really just began less than two weeks ago. We all know how annoying it is when Walmart puts out Christmas decorations before Halloween, but I just can’t help rushing the season—this season.

Granted the days are getting longer, even if the change is almost imperceptible. But what quite apparent is the appearance of Eastern Bluebirds, Robins, and even a Cedar Waxwing, the first I have seen here in all the 14 years we’ve lived here filling the front yard. Turns out it was just warm enough with the sun shining brightly to melt a little of the ice in the bird bath.

Flashes of blue filled the front yard as dozens of bluebirds flew from one tree branch to another, resting awhile on a tall bush before returning to the bird bath again and again. While most of them relished the drinking water supply, some felt the need to do their own version of the polar plunge as they plopped into the middle and played in the water. It is always great fun to watch my feathered friends, but to see these springtime birds frolicking in the water, well, the sight made this season so much more bearable as we await my favorite season of all—Spring. It won’t be long now.

Before and After

I couldn't be more thrilled with this project. It is something I've wanted since we moved here 14 years ago. There is still more work to do to complete the bathroom, but the hard part is behind us. 

I have been enjoying the luxury of a hot bath before bed. In cleaning out the closets for this project, which was a massive undertaking, I found all kinds of bubble bath and scented 'this and that' I didn't know I had. 

It is all about the mood. Some nights I smell like a fruit bowl. Other nights, I feel like I've been strolling through a vineyard or played in an herb garden. Some nights there are bubbles; others, just a fresh, clean scent. Still other nights it is all about the health benefits of a soak in vitamin and mineral salts. No matter, it is all good. 

Clearing out and cleaning up

I'm going to get a new bathtub

For the past several years, I have wanted to have a bathtub installed in the master bath. It is plain to see in this photo, at left highlighting the tile I had recently installed, that the shower is very small and rather utilitarian. 

I wanted more, so it is time for a change.

For years I have been saving for this project. I have devoted hours contemplating every possible option, including gutting the room and starting with a blank floor plan. While that would have been the simplest solution, it would also have been the most expensive, making it just not practical.

So, I opted for the easiest option, knocking out the wall behind the toilet and turning the toilet 90º to the other wall. That would open up the room for a standard size, of course jetted, tub, the only item on my current bucket list.

This would not be easy for me, since behind that wall is a bedroom closet, a

secondary space where I keep quilting supplies and other artsy goodies like buttons, batting, lace, ribbons and other sewing needs. The picture at right is deceiving because it doesn’t show the entire closet. There is a lot more crammed into the space.

Fortunately, there is another bedroom closet, so this one is not exactly vital, except when I try to figure what to do with what is there.

This past week, I set out to clear out the closet, and at this writing, it is empty. Thing is, I have filled my house with piles of stuff that seemingly has no place to go. My solution, clean out all the other closets and get organized.

Getting organized is a project in itself, But it is one that is rather satisfying when completed. At least I can attest to that once it is finally completed. I admit I am well on my way. So, I spent the week cleaning out three closets at a time, the bedroom closet, the hall linen closet, the main bathroom linen closet, and even the laundry room, just for good measure. The bathtub will be installed in two days; the closet is now empty, the hall linen closet has now been deemed the artsy room, and the bathroom linen closet now contains all the towels, sheets, and other such items, with room to spare.

The older I get, the more I realize the adage that everything has its place and everything must be in its place. Unfortunately, I’m not quite there yet, but it is coming along. The garage sale items are piling up and there may be one or two extra trash bags, but I’m on my way.

Before long, I’ll be able to ponder solutions to all current and future problems while I soak in the hot, swirling water, as I take in the aroma of scented candles and sip some wine. I’m just sure this will make my brain more efficient, my body more relaxed, and my temperament greatly enhanced. For now, it’s bBack to work!