How could I resist her request?
To spend the day together picking blueberries was just what I wanted as well.
The weather was agreeable (it's been deliciously cool here for the past couple of weeks, feeling more like autumn than August), making (in my opinion) for the best possible picking weather. So in the morning we packed a picnic, grabbed our baskets, and just the two of us set out to see how many we could gather.
Nearly 15 pounds later we were thirsty and tired and on our way home, but so satisfied by time well spent, and time spent together.
We'll be making jam soon (from the recipes here). Last night after dinner Lupine made us a blueberry fool, and she's already prepped a batch of dairy-free coconut-blueberry ice cream for tonight. (She modified this recipe with canned coconut milk and lemon juice in place of the buttermilk.)
As we picked we chatted about books we read when she was little – Peter in Blueberry Land and Blueberries for Sal – and I marveled at how quickly she has grown. How quickly things have changed.
Because when we first came here to pick, both kids used small tin pails, and "kerplink kerplank kerplunk" was heard often from both buckets and giggling voices.
And the faster time accelerates, the harder it is to dig in and make it all slow down.
But this day? On this day time stood still.
And how grateful I am that I made the time for this.
For her.
For us.
~ : ~ : ~ : ~
P.S. The books I mentioned (plus one other harvest-season gem) are below. All three are among our all-time favorites, though it's still hard for me to read the last page of Christopher's Harvest Time without sobbing.
You should be able to request them all from your library.
Links below are afflinks, for those wishing to add them to their home library. (A very small percentage of your purchase helps support our family, our homeschool, and our blueberry jam making supplies. We thank you for that!)
All three books own a permanent spot on our family bookshelf and are enjoyed even now, with my children nearly grown.
