Be still... and listen

You always knew when dad was deep in thought when he put a weed or a toothpick in his mouth.  He would mill it around from one side to the other, never talking, just thinking.  You may wonder where the lesson comes in.  

Dad has since passed from this life, but the many lessons he taught me are forever burned deep into my heart and character. He was not a man of many words, but nonetheless, there was always something valuable to be learned. One lesson dad taught me...

                                                        be still... and listen

My memory takes me back about 16 years ago.  I was older then. The youngest daughter and I  took the two and half hour trip home to visit my parents for the weekend, which I did occasionally. Dad was an "outdoors" man.  Always busy doing something.  He had since retired from the DWR, but still had his fingers in a "big game" project.  He was raising a herd of big horn sheep which he pastured behind the house.  A chicken coop and horse stall was recently built on the west side of the pasture. Hay bales were somewhat stacked into a large square block just north of the coop.  After feeding the sheep and doing other odds and ends around the farm, dad pulled a weed out of the ground, put it in his mouth, and plopped down on the hay stack.  I was watching him out the window of the house and decided to join him.  

The sun was just beginning to set when I joined him on the haystack. I sat next to him.... that's all.  I looked at him, weed in mouth, soaking up the beauty around him. That's all I needed! There was the love. We both sat there, for the longest time, not speaking a word. Enjoying each other's company as we soaked up the sights and sounds around us. The cool slight breeze of the early evening air, the orange hues of the setting sun over Pinacle Peak, the baaing of sheep as they settled down for the night, crickets chirping.  We were connected... to nature, to each other.  It felt good! Dad taught me the principle of gratitude. To love and respect nature.  I may not put a weed in my mouth, but the the lesson dad taught me to be still and... listen! will always remind me to stop once in awhile, ponder, and reflect on the beauty of the earth and blessings in my life.  Dad... will always be at the top of my thankful list.  Wish you were here.  Happy Fathers Day!

Raspberry Milkshake

It all started in Grandma Ida's raspberry patch. She had the best raspberry patch in town.  It was my very first memory of raspberries.  As a very young child, I would follow my older brother and sister into the raspberry patch, diving in and picking the biggest, juiciest, deep red berries that I could find. In my attempt to eat as many berries as I could, red stain marked my small hands and face. I plowed my way among the jungle of green leaves and red berries oblivious to anything around me. It was easy to get lost among the tall plants that seemed to tower several feet above my head. I must have stayed until momma came looking for her little lost girl. My first experience of home grown raspberries has always stuck with me with much pleasantness.

I can remember having a garden from the earliest of memories. I often dreamed of marrying a fruit farmer.  And I did!  The first thing we planted was a raspberry patch. We dug up shoots from the father-in-law's Canby raspberry plants, and soon our patch was not only thriving, but growing and multiplying like rabbits!  With each new spring, a new crop of shoots were dug up and transplanted to another location to prevent overgrowth in the row. Our patch was located in between a cement wall on the east side of the garden and the tractor shed on the west. When we irrigated, the water settled happily in the ever expanding raspberry patch.  With the right amount of morning sun and afternoon shade, the raspberry patch soon showed herself off as the best raspberry patch in the neighborhood.  I'd pick the raspberries first thing in the morning... the biggest, plumpest, juiciest, dark red berries I could find.  Just like in grandma Ida's patch! 

There's so many things you can do with raspberries... eat them fresh, eat them in cereal, in yogurt, preserve them, make desserts and salads.  But one of my very favorite thing's to make with fresh raspberries is a milk shake. So razzle and dazzle your taste buds with this ridiculously delicious raspberry milkshake!

Fresh Raspberry Milk Shake

1 cup milk (I use 1%)
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh (or frozen) raspberries 
put in a blender and mix until smooth.  Delicious!

Servings: two -12 oz. servings, Calories: 325 per serving