Harvest Time

 Harvesting the fruit trees is my signal that summer is on its last legs and fall is creeping in. (The other sign is that the kids refuse to go swimming. You can't keep them out of the pool in April, but by August they act like I'm asking them to go into a vat of acid.)

The kids got to climb our incredibly tall pear trees which made me more than a bit apprehensive. 

I think pruning their height for next year might be advantageous to life and limb and prevent my having a heart attack.




Elijah took the top and handed down to Emma while the three littles held the ladder down. To make the entire event even more dangerous, the ground slopes away in the orchard and the ladder wasn't touching the ground on the high side.



 We ended up with a couple of baskets full of pears - most with some blemishes. 

I hauled out the canner and we now have some caramelized pear butter to try later. Side note...I thought these jars were strange but some how appealing. 

Love that Lets Go

  About once a year, we get together with three of our boy's birth mom and their little sister.  She lives a fair distance away, but I promised her a long time ago that she would always be part of their lives.  Patty made the decision to let the boys grow up with us and I am always amazed and thankful for her unselfish decision. Life is still hard for her but she loves her boys completely.

  After lunch we headed to the park and the kids got to play and visit and catch their mom up on their lives. We headed home with bags of goodies and sweet memories. 


She's a hero kind of 
mom to me.