harvest

During this past week we completed the grape harvest. Although I didn't have the transcendent experience of last year, it was still deeply satisfying. (I can say that now that it is all over with!) I discovered that the picking of the grapes is much much more enjoyable when done with others. This year I had a small window of opportunity and so I did the bulk of it while the kids were at school. (Max did take it upon himself, however, to do some harvesting while I napped one day, to my delight.)

As happens every year at harvest time, I was filled with gratitude that, through no effort on our part, these beautiful grapes flourish in our backyard. (And if you could see the current state of our backyard, you would share my amazement!) All we have to do is pick them, rinse them off, and plop them into the steam juicer. An hour or two later, the delectable juice is ready to pour into bottles. I put the lids on, let them sit, and they seal themselves! The process is then repeated 5 or 6 times. It's unbelievably easy, and even Lucas had to admit this year that our juice is superior to what we can buy at the store.

We left quite a few grapes on the vines, because I simply could not reach them, even with my step-stool. (I inherited my mom's short arms and legs.) I looked out the window and saw a veritable flock of birds feasting on the top of the arbor. I was fascinated, because when I was picking, I didn't see any sign of birds having helped themselves to the grapes -- it was as if they waited until we got our fill, then moved in to enjoy what was left. So cool.

On Saturday evening we went to a nearby park. The kids had a great time playing, and as usual I entertained myself by photographing them. I'm so pleased with the friendships they have developed and how willing they are to help each other. I hope this never changes.

Tonight when the boys were getting into bed, we had this little exchange:

me: "brrr, it's kind of cold in here! Can you check and make sure your window is closed?"

Max, with a gleam in his eye: "Did you just say 'it', 'is', and 'cold', all in the same sentence?!"

me: "Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. The universe may well implode."


As Jordan said on her blog recently, "Children are the hardest thing to do. Children are the most magical thing I've done." I agree wholeheartedly, and I am treasuring up these moments of seeing the harvest of mothering, as I may forget this feeling when morning comes.