Pea Day

What a fun day it was around here, well, except for my little girl being in the bed sick with a fever all day. Thankfully, Bill is home and was able to stay with they children this afternoon and evening while I went some of my church friends to shell our zipper peas.  A couple of the ladies drove to a town close by and picked up a huge load of produce to bring back home for many of the other ladies in the community.

I thoroughly enjoy my time at Mom's house.  Mom is the mother-in-law to two of the ladies I join every week for a gathering.  Mom is widowed.  She lives in a beautiful, white farm house surrounded by cows and fields.  My children call her Grandma Sarah.  I really enjoy my time in her home whether we are sitting around one of her huge tables or whether we are working like busy bees such as today.  Mom is always very quiet as she listens to the overabundance of conversations in her home.  I love to watch and listen when she does speak.  Most of the time it is in PA Dutch to one of her children or grandchildren.  Sometimes I like to imagine what it must have been like to live in her home when it was full with her twelve children.

When I knew we would be shelling peas today, I knew I had to take my camera in hopes that she wouldn't mind me taking pictures.  I especially wanted to take pictures of her hands at work.  How I wish I had pictures of my own grandmother's hands.  Mom graciously allowed me my passion of photography even though she must have thought how strange I was.  :)

We had a room full of ladies shelling, most of whom had their children running about.

This is the view of one side of the room.

A couple of sweet ladies on another side

Is this not the sweetest?  I couldn't seem to catch her twin
in action.  :)

Bushels of beans make great tables for babies!

Mr. Cutie Pie

Another little one with his mother.  We will soon have
another little one joining in on the fun!

Two peas in a pod!  ;)

At the end of our four to four-and-a-half hours, we had shelled seven bushels of beans, cleaned the tremendous mess, and had the dirty bowls and pans washed.  If it had not been getting late, I am sure we would have done more.  I brought my peas home and blanched them to freeze.  I ended up with twenty pints!  I think I will get one more bushel so that we can have them at least once a week until next summer when I can get more.  :)  I love looking in my freezer at the peas and corn that I have put away so far.  Next on the list is tomatoes, then peaches, and then apples!  Perhaps I will find a few surprises to throw in there in between.  :)

Tomorrow, we will be going to pick up our hogs we had butchered.  I can just imagine all the meals we will be enjoying and all the memories I will be reliving as we eat.  I will surely be thanking God for all his many beautiful blessings in my life.

Until we meet again, may you be blessed!