Dandelion Picking

This morning I woke up with the realization that there was nothing that HAD to be done today.  That's not to say there was nothing to do....there was lots to do....but I had the luxury of choosing what I would do.  And so, because the ground was still wet, but I wanted to be outside, I decided to pick dandelions for a batch of jelly I wanted to make.

One of the beautiful things about being a Jam Maker is that is really slows your seasons down.  Your life is not just divided by the 4 Seasons, it is divided into mini season....seasons within seasons.  You watch for signs that the berry or fruit, or in my case, flower that you want to make a jam or jelly with is beginning it's life.  You see strawberries long before the berries are ripe.  You look for the tiny blackberries that come long before blackberry season is here.  When you're at the Farmer's Market you look for the beginning of Tay Berry Season, and Raspberry Season.  Well....I've been watching the dandelions with the same intensity.  I have to say that it has been very interesting.  I've learned that they close up at night like any other flower.....that they really just look like Sunflowers that don't have the seeds in the middle and that they are really a very beautiful flower.

And so today I set my mind to picking dandelions.  So, I looked for the best patch (which wasn't hard to find because I have got a bumper crop this year) and I began to pick.  I found myself lost in the picking.  I began to think of people I know who need prayer....my Father-In-Law....my mom....people I know and love.  I listened to the sound of Charley's collar and felt his beautiful presence with me.....I listened for the goats and was aware of where they were.....and I thought of my Grandmother, Signe, whose family came to Whidbey Island from Norway.....and how she would be proud of me picking dandelions to make a jelly.  It felt like something she would do....something women probably did during the Depression....I thought of Ma Joad and all the characters from "The Grapes of Wrath" and how this would have been a luxury for them to have to time to pick dandelions, cut the greens from the flower, and make a jelly.

I watched the bugs who were affected by my picking....the black spiders, the weird looking bugs whose name I don't know....and I even thought of Monsanto and RoundUp and how this was maybe my way of standing up to them....I need these so called weeds....I'm going to make a tasty jelly with them....and with that jelly I will be able to maintain the lifestyle that Charley, Corky, Nigel, Cali and Daisy have grown accustomed to.   So "good day to you Monsanto" I said.

I guess this is the beauty of "living off the fat of the land".....the ability to slow down and connect with what you're going to eat.....to pick it, spend 2 hours cutting it.....and eventually eating it and sharing it with the people you love.

And so today I am thankful for the dandelions that live in my yard....and all the creatures that call our little hill home....and for the God who created it so that I could share it with all the creatures He/She put in this spot right now.