So life at our house is just peachy (pun intended)! My Mom and Dad have given me a lot of peaches from their garden this year and I have been learning how to save them. I think I have peaches to last forever. I did 10 bottles of peaches, 10 jars of jam (with my friends help, thanks Alisa) and 10 big bags of frozen peaches. I remember weeks of bottling during the summer when I was a little girl. We did peaches, pears, cherries and tomatos. I remember salsa and spaghetti sauce and chili sauce and grape juice. I remember shucking and silking the corn an then putting it in bags to be frozen. It seemed like it would never end. But I have found myself following in my Mother's foot steps just a little. I have a wonderful memory of my Grandma Wetzel who passed away almost 15 years ago, she organized a little competition between my sister Julie and me of who could make the prettiest bottle of peaches. We cut and peeled our peaches and then after we added the sugar and the water we put he lids on and painted our initials in fingernail polish right on the top so it would last through the water boiling. I don't remeber who won but I do remember my Grandmother and my Mother. What stalwart examples they have been in my life. As I was peeling and cutting up the endless bowls of peaches amid the crys of my children running all around me and making messes and getting into mischief I wondered if this is what it was like for my own Mother. I can just imagine all the whining that took place probably mostly from me! I know it wasn't easy for her and she probably dreaded these weeks of canning but I think she was doing more then just preserving food for the winter, she was showing me how raise a big family. It helped me to realize that families don't thrive without hard work. I felt a real connection to her and I am grateful that she has been able to teach me to feed and care for my own family as she was able to feed and care for us. So thanks Mom, for working so hard. I love you!
7 comments:
You don't remember who won the prettiest jar because it was me! We always block those painful memories from our past!
Wish I was there putting up peaches with you!
I am so jealous of all those peaches, I wish I had the time and space to do canning! Also I was in on those pretty peach peeling contests too(you always forget about me!) I remember Grandma coming when Mary or Jeremy was born and we had contests to see who could make the longest peach peel.
They look beautiful so good you could eat them.He he. I remember doing all that years ago. We would run out and catch all the chicken we could when we saw the fruit truck coming so we could trade chickens for friut because we had cows. hay, and wheat that we needed to keep us going. Dad id raise some veggies and cherries in Kearns and I would bottle. You are lucky to have your mom and dad to help you with the food. GOOD JOB. It does look good.xxooxoxo
Great job LeAnn...you are wonderful! I have never done that before. You will need to teach me. They all look yummy! Hard to believe that Tolman is actually attending school. Time has seriously flown by. It is sooo sad. We still need to get Kimball and Reagan together. He needs to play with a boy soooo bad! Take Care! Miss ya!!-Lora
You inspire me LeAnn! I want to be more like you when I grow up! You're a wonderful mother and your family is blessed to have you.
Wow...I wish I could do stuff like that!
So sistah, where's the punkins?
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