Everyday Wonders

Amy and I blur the lines between work & play. We rarely make time for what many people define as leisure, but every day is filled with moments of joy and wonder. Here are some random memories from the past few days.

* A perfect peach, juice dripping. Taste sublime. What could be better? Cut up in a bowl with the tiniest drizzle of maple syrup to bring out the sugars in the peach and then a bit of heavy cream. Eaten with a spoon so every last drop of juice ends up in my mouth.

* A pair of monarch butterflies engaged in the most beautiful of dances. Graceful, breathtaking. Makes us both smile. And we see it dozens of times, all around us. And the tiger swallowtails as well. The air alive with the beauty of the fluttering, swooping wings. Every where we look in every direction...butterflies!

* Amy's heavenly first bite of tilapia with fresh peach salsa. Brought her eating to an abrupt stop as she enjoyed a moment of bliss.

* Lying in bed, hot and sweaty on the most humid and uncomfortable night of the year and feeling a breeze blow across my face. Heaven! I smile ear-to-ear.

* Julia (10 years old) and Vera (5 years old) finding 4 tiny monarch caterpillars, shortly after Amy was unable to find any. The most amazing nature observers ever!

* Walking out to the raspberry patch, sun shining bright and hot, and eating berries, juicy & warm from the sun. The vines are laden with them.

* Amy looking at her caterpillar condo last night...American Lady chrysalis still intact. Waking up this morning to find a butterfly waiting to be released! Watching it take the first magical flight.

* Standing in the yard and simply noticing - bluest sky ever with billowy white clouds; dozens and dozens of butterflies flying in every direction; a riot of colors from blossoming beauties; the sounds of trilling insects offering the symphonic background; black snake root in full blossom, commanding my attention with its bold aroma; the softness of the grass as I lay to look at the sky.

* Amy and our niece Desta coming into the house earlier today with BIG smiles and photos of the Common Buckeye butterfly they had just seen. Stunning!

* Walking from the hoophouse back to the kitchen today and feeling the lightest, most delicate rain drops falling on my skin. Barely perceptible. I had to stop, close my eyes, and pay attention just to determine if it was real or imagined. Sure enough was real!

* A sun-ripened tomato, sprinkled with salt, dripping, eaten with great gusto.

* Judith & Pamela bringing an Eastern Swallowtail caterpillar to Amy. Amy, Julia & Vera looking up in the books to learn that it eats ash and cherry. They place it in the caterpillar condo with plenty of food. Amy comes out the next morning to see it transformed into a chrysalis overnight. Magic!

* Our Monday family lunch table filled with foods of astounding beauty and flavor, family, old friends, and new friends from the ages of 2 to 86, with stories and laughter abounding.

I could go on and on. There are a few highlights from the week. We may not have leisure, but we surely have lives packed with joy and pleasure. Stop by and enjoy some Honey Hill magic!

Community Supported Foods Members AND A La Carte Customers:
click here for this week's menu

For Carly's Cupboard click here for this week's offering

Amy's Nursery, Wing & A Prayer Nursery is open for business on Sundays and Mondays, 9-3, or by appointment (call 413-634-5659 or email us). Here is the current list of plants. All of Amy's plants have been chosen for their usefulness to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. We hope you will stop in for a visit and to chat about how to improve your garden habitat for pollinators. The bees and butterflies are out and about and magic is afoot!

Please visit our website at www.aliceskitchenathoneyhill.com. It is a joy to provide delicious, nourishing, and beautiful foods, prepared with care and love, for our community.