Yesterday found us at a local organic strawberry farm, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. The sun was shinning while a cool breeze and good friends kept us company in the fields.
I love a big field for kid gatherings; they get plenty of open space to roam freely as a pack, and we get the peace of mind of no cars and having them in sight.
Well, there was this tractor that toddler was part terrified, part fascinated by. As well as a low voltage electric fence that had a similar affect on the older ones. Ahem.
Along with an abundance of perfectly ripe berries, there were many glimpses of country life that left me with pangs in my urban heart and the sweet scent of sun baked grass in my nose.
We found this nest hidden amongst the rows.
Once home, we whipped up a small batch of strawberry rhubarb preserves. One jar of which will be devoured on ice cream , and the rest, along with most of the other berries, we’ll freeze-such an easy, yet satisfying reminder later in the year, of the sweetness of a summer day.
Even if we can’t spend all our summer days in the country, there are some great country/farm/nature stories to take us there, perfect for lazy day summer reading-especially aloud together.
For the kids:
Thimble Summer-Elizabeth Enright
The Four Story Mistake-Elizabeth Enright
Burgess Bird Book for children-Thorton W. Burgess
The Borrowers-Mary Norton
Charlottes Web-E.B. White
Trumpet of the Swan-E.B. White
And I just finished ‘Prodigal Summer’ by Barbara Kingsolver which I really enjoyed. It explores themes of nature/environment, evolution, and our place and responsibility in it all, while weaving together the stories of three characters living in and around a struggling farm town in the Appalachia’s. While the message can be pushy at times, and may have bothered me if I didn’t share her viewpoint, I really enjoyed her lyrical prose, and think this is a great summer story to savour.
How about you? Any favourite summer reads to share?