Gratitude Monday -- Juiced

The nanking cherries are processed into juice and in the freezer.

Nanking cherries (Prunus tomentosa) in bloom in the front yard

It took me about six hours to take care of the six one-kg buckets of cherries my husband picked.
Normally he does the juicing as well as he's the one who uses it. It goes on his morning steel cut oats.
He's busy.
He'd stored the collection in the freezer with the intent of doing the work himself. But I need more room for beans now and carrots soon.
It's a simple matter of boiling them until they split and then draining off the liquid.
All it takes is time.
It also involves the big pots for boiling, colanders, containers to catch the drainings, and even more containers to store the juice in.
By the time it was done I had a huge stack of dishes to tackle both from the processing and from having to rearrange the freezer. After the containers were out I decided that I needed to re-contain (may not be a real word) some other items with the idea of making even more room.
I did that.
It led to more dishes.
What's important is it is done. We have plenty of nanking cherry juice and I am grateful.

Gratitude Monday -- Life in Bloom

Nanking cherries full bloom

Life continues.
Spring is here and with it warm weather, sunshine, and the continuation of the flora and fauna of the world.
I am grateful that life is abundant and beautiful.

Scenes From Our Front Yard

Spring is in bloom in our front yard.
This is a prairie anemone. It's brief, glorious blossom is nearly over.


Fritillarias.


The nanking cherries are in full flower and this makes the honeybees busy. Warning: enlarge this photo at your own risk.




A wider shot of the nanking cherries along our driveway.





The tulips are in bloom.