Strawberries Anyone?

It is strawberry season around here, and I love it. We can get strawberries all year round now, but it isn't the same. Most of the berries we get are large, have white centers, and often yellow areas on them, because they were picked too soon and are not ripe. They have a mild strawberry flavor.It is a pleasant taste, but not too interesting.
For about 3 weeks early each summer, my local produce store gets Amish-grown strawberries. They are more expensive, but so worth it. They are small, generally 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter, so they are also more work to prepare. This is where I have some issues. These strawberries are so, so good, red all the way through, with a real intense strawberry flavor. (I'm getting hungry, anyone else?)
I was told this is the last week they would be available this year, so I wanted to hoard the strawberries, to get extra so they would last. So instead of buying one quart, I bought two, telling myself I would make strawberry jam. Three days later, I haven't made any jam, and I have a feeling I won't. The idea of hulling that many strawberries overwhelms me. I can easily do 10-12 berries at a time for breakfast or a salad, but 150, or whatever number it would be? My body aches just thinking about it.
On the other hand, I will need to hull them to do anything with them, even to freeze them for later. Oh, what to do, what to do. As my mom used to say, "May that be the worst of your worries." to quote a Yiddish saying, "From her mouth to God's ears." Amen

A SCAVENGER HUNT IN BERLIN OHIO, AND I WON CHOCOLATE!

A funny story about my trip down to the Amish area of Ohio with my sister last weekend.  The town of Berlin had what they called a 'Barnstorm' on Saturday.  There was a long list of merchants involved.  In each location, there was a painted wooden barn hidden.  When you found the barn, you went to the counter and told them you found it, they would ask where it was, or what color it was, to make sure you had really found it.  Then you would get a slip of paper to fill out with your contact information to put into a drawing at the end of the day.  It was alot of fun, and we explored shops we would not have gone into otherwise.  Some places we found ithe barn quickly, others we gave up after searching.  That was hard, because neither of us gives up easily.  After awhile, though, my brain started to hurt from scanning so many shelves and walls.

Neither of us got a phone call or email, so we figured we hadn't won anything.  That was okay, it was fun anyway (though I really don't want to be on the mailng lists of the 10-12 places where we filled out the slips.)  So today, I got a packet from Berlin.  I won a $25 gift certificate to Coblentz Chocolates!  YUM!!!  My husband is more of a chocoholic than I am, but I like a little chocolate, and I can spend the rest on Jelly Belly Jellybeans, and other merchandise.  My husband says that chocolate is one of the 4 basic food groups, I say that jellybeans are.  What are the other 2?

Before I got a chance to call my sister, she called me.  She got a $25 gift certificate towards a PUPPY!!! Sounds great, but neither she nor anyone we know is in the market for a puppy.  That seems like an odd prize.  I guess each merchant that participated donated a gift certificate.  I think a gift certificate for pet products seems like a more logical prize than money towards a puppy, but I bet there is some kid out there who really wishes they got that one!

Some thoughts on relating this story to coping.  (I can relate anything to coping if you give me a chance.)  1. The fun of getting involved with a game, hunting for the barns, kept our minds occupied and entertained.  2.  The anticipation of possibly winning something gives something to look forward to- as long as you are realistic enough about it to not be disappointed if you don't win.  I buy Lottery tickets once every few years or so, and spend a few days with pleasant daydreams.  3.  The thrill of winning something, an unexpected and happy surprise.  4.  The laugh my sister and I got about her winning $25 worth of puppy.  5.  The anticipation of going back to Berlin to spend my prize.  These are all things that gave us pleasure and made our lives enjoyable for awhile.

Look for ways to have fun, to play.  Look for things to look forward to.  Look for the unexpected in life, and learn to appreciate change.  Look for things that make you laugh, and give you pleasure.  Sometimes it is the little things in life that mean so much.  Make sure it is the good little things that you amplify to mean more, and the not so good ones you keep little.

SISTERS' REJUVINATING GETAWAY TO AMISH OHIO

My sister and I ran away from home for a couple of days.  We left behind husbands, children, homes, jobs and everything else mundane and went down to the Amish area of Ohio, about 1 hour southwest of here.  Other than a reservation at a bed and breakfast, we had no set plans.  We had maps and brochures, and ideas of some specific places we wanted to go.  We explored, making decisions as choices presented themselves.  I can't tell you how many times we had to find a place to turn the car around because we saw an interesting place to stop as we drove past it. We saw GORGEOUS (but expensiive) hand made Amish quilts, along with the usual tourist tcotchkas (Yiddish for trinkets).  We tasted our way through Amish cheese stores, chocolate stores and bakeries. 

The best parts, however, were the company, and the freedom from routine. My sister and I shared a room growing up, and have usually gotten along.  Since we both got married, had families of our own, and live about 45 minutes apert, we don't see each other as often as we 'd like.  Several years ago we started having occasional 'sisters' days', where just the 2 of us got together to go on an adventure (like shopping, or a museum our families would not appreciate).  This time we had 2 full (almost) days together.  We both have husbands and 2 boys (mine now in their 20's, hers in their mid-teens).  They don't enjoy wandering in and out of shops.  We do.  This past weekend, there was no one there telling us they were bored. No one else's needs to meet but our own.

This kind of getaway is very rejuvinating.  No demands, except for those we placed on ourselves. No schedule to hem us in.  When we got tired, we stopped.  When we got hungry, we ate. Of course, like most people with chronic illness, I had to make sure I took my meds, which required getting food and water.  It was a change from our routines, which woke up our senses.  It got us out of our respective ruts.  Those routines and ruts are still there, but perhaps we can go back to the routines with fresh eyes, and fill in the ruts before we fall back into them.  That means paying attention to what we are doing, and not automatically doing the same old actions.  Just because something has 'always been done that way' doesn't mean that is the best way to do it. Especially with chronic illness, the old way of doing things might not fit your current reality.

Future posts this week will include thoughts and ideas on doing a getaway with chronic illness, and some observations of the Amish way of life including some pictures from our trip.