Preservation

Did you grow up with canning jars? The ones I grew up with weren't blue or closed with a metal bail. They had a metal ring to screw on and weren't complete until you heard that pop from the cooling jars. Every summer for as long as I can remember Mom has put up all kinds of vegetables. Beans,tomatoes,pickles and peppers found their way into the sterilized jars, spent time in hot water or that scary pressure cooker and then graced the pantry shelf waiting for a future dinner table. Sent home to share with family and friends and returned when empty for next years crop. Recycling before it was fashionable. Keeping the carbon footprint small before we realized what big feet we had. I hope you get a chance to eat some home canned food this summer. Savor it if you do.

Ornament

Ornament = anything that beautifies or adorns

I keep these tiny vintage Christmas ornaments up year round. They hang from an old bracket in the hoosier cabinet that is my desk. As I sit working at my computer I catch site of them out of the corner of my eye. They shimmer and wink. They are hardy yet delicate, fragile and so old. Their hair thin bales keep them suspended and dancing. They make me smile and remind me, delicate doesn't mean weak and fragile can still last for a very long time. They beautify and adorn my life.