A Day in the Garden

How blessed I feel this evening! My day was so full of fun, gardening, preserving, and home renovation! I'm actually amazed that I still have enough energy to write tonight.

When the sun rose above the horizon - ok, actually a few hours after, we didn't get up that early - we poured ourselves a cup of steaming hot coffee and sat out on the back patio. After taking the first few sips of that wonderful black brew, we began to amble through the garden, taking in the exquisite beauty of the morning. The dew on each blade of grass, the smell of the morning, the birds, bugs, and animals all out working and feeding in the cool hours of the day. I cherish the morning so a quick saunter through my little oasis is always a treat!

Our first "task" of the day was to pick the produce that was at its peak. We started at our raspberry patch, gathering every deep crimson berry hiding under the leaves of the delicate vines. Being our first picking, we didn't find a huge amount, but definitely enough to enjoy for breakfast and a snack later!

Hidden in the garden beds we also came across cauliflower and kohlrabi that were perfectly ripe and ready to be harvested. We pulled them form the cool moist soil, cleaned them up, and set them in the ice-box to keep fresh until we were ready to eat them!

We then made a quick breakfast and decided we wanted to go paddle boarding. We got all of our gear together and headed out to Pelton Dam. We paddled, lingered, relaxed, reflected, and enjoyed our time out on the lake. We weren't in a hurry; we simply took the time to enjoy where we were at and what we were doing.

Upon our arrival home, still somewhat early in the day, we decided we needed to make a little more progress on our bathroom renovation. We applied another layer of plaster to the walls so they will have ample time to dry before we can move on. (This bathroom transformation, when we finally get it completed, will be shared...hopefully I will learn some really useful, helpful, and inspiring information to pass along :)

And somehow, amidst all of this, I found time to make and can two batches of pasta sauce. I froze the last of our garden tomatoes in the fall with the idea that we would use them in casseroles, stews, and dishes over the winter and spring months. But, as some things go, we didn't use as many as I thought so I was left with several bags of tomatoes taking up space in our freezer. I drug them all out today, boiled them down, and completed two batches of sauce, with one more in the crockpot awaiting my return from work tomorrow.

It was a busy day but one I can greet at its close with satisfaction. I feel like we enjoyed it to its fullest. We worked, played, worked some more, and finally took time to enjoy it all. And that is the most important part...no matter what you experience in a day, we must always remember to take a moment, step out into our gardens, and enjoy it, and the day, in its entirety.

What kinds of things do you find to be blessing your garden so far this year? What are you most thankful for? If you feel so inclined as to share, I love to hear how things are going for others...wherever they may be!

Enjoy!