beauty Archives - Page 22 of 23

Homegrown Cherries

July 5, 2009 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty, Preserving and Freezing

Just a few months ago, I was celebrating the tiny bits of green that had appeared on my cherry trees.
In such a short period of time, we went from green to blossoms to cherries.
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We came home from vacation and our yummy cherries had turned into deep red, dripping with sweetness, dribble juice all over you cherries.
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Beautiful cherries.
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We started picking. Filling buckets and trays.
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But it didn’t even look like we’d picked.
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I’ve always enjoyed preserving fruit, making jams and sauces, dehydrating and bottling. But it’s never come from my own backyard.
I’m fortunate to live in an area where there are multiple orchards around me and I can buy from the growers. This time, to be harvesting from our own trees is really a pleasure.
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I’ve been bottling cherries and making jam.
I’ve never had cherry jam before, but we’ve learned that it’s really tasty.
Freezer jam and cooked jam both.
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It’s a lot of work, but for me it’s work that brings a real feeling of satisfaction.
So much of what I do has to be redone several times a day. But I love the feeling of lining up the food I’ve preserved and knowing that because of my efforts my family will enjoy it in months to come when the fresh food is no longer available. And we’ve only harvested from one tree!
I still have another to take care of this week.
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I also find that working with fruit helps me slow down, relax, and notice more of the simple joys of life. I start looking at the lovely shades of color in the fruit, pondering life in a day and time when work such as this meant survival. Today I noticed the lovely color of the foam as I cooked some cherry jam.
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And how beautiful it was when it reached a full boil.
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I feel more grateful for the bounty that God has given us, marveling at the genius of a God who created trees that can bring us such delicious pleasure, and such blessings. I am reminded that God’s economy is one of abundance.

Taking advantage of such abundance, expressing my appreciation for it by putting it to good use and sharing it with others, just feels right. And that’s an awfully good feeling to carry around in your heart.

Jennifer

Standing Out

May 20, 2009 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Something about this yellow tulip caught my eye and my heart.

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There it stood, in the middle of a huge planting of almost spent red tulips.

But it was yellow.
And just beginning.

It made me wonder: did they do that on purpose?
Was it a yellow bulb that somehow ended up in a bag of red ones?
How did it happen?

I love the way the yellow tulip stands out. Somehow it is more beautiful because it is different.
And having it there makes the whole picture more beautiful, as well.
If it had been a planting of all red tulips, I would have admired it from afar, but one yellow tulip in the center was what drew me away from the sidewalks to the edge of the scene.

I thought of life.
I’d like to stand out like a yellow tulip.
But sometimes I’d like to blend in like the red ones.
And perhaps, to some, the yellow one is a drawback instead of a standout.
Perhaps someone thought it was a shame when they saw it.
It’s interesting that the yellow tulip didn’t bloom when the red ones did.

I remembered my cherry trees, how they stand side by side and yet have their own schedule for growth and blooming.
Like people.

I guess life gives us all the chance to experience both colors, to learn what can be learned from standing out AND blending in.
I hope we all can have the sense to use good judgment and know when it is time to ditch the red crowd and stand alone, to stand for something worthwhile, something true.
And the more we influence others for good, the more we are surrounded by goodness.
Isn’t that the point?

2 comments beauty, Color, flowers

Peacocks

May 12, 2009 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

On a recent preschool field trip, the peacocks reminded us how beautiful they really are.

When I was a girl, my uncle had peacocks at his house, and I remember hunting for the feathers. I had forgotten how enormous these birds look when their feathers are fully extended, and how blue they look. It took my breath away to watch it (while I also wondered why I decided not to take my zoom lens).

It was also interesting to watch the strength it took from these birds to keep the feathers in a fan when a breeze was blowing:

The poor guy had to work hard to keep them out of his face.

But here’s my question for you. Have you ever seen an albino peacock? If not, check this out.

Sorry about the view of the cage. Only one little spot was bent and would fit my lens in it, and this beauty was nowhere near that spot. I know that I’m a sucker for the color white, but this bird was stunning.