Dreams do come true! Mike graduated from dental school and we wanted to find a quiet place to build our home. We were blessed to find a large building lot in Salem. It was in a cul de sac by wonderful neighbors, the perfect place to raise our family of three children with another on the way.
After the home was built, we had to decide what to do with our enormous back yard. We decided to put in a full size tennis court with basketball standards and a high chain link fence. It would be a great place for the children to play. We were glad it took up space that wouldn't need to be weeded, mowed or watered. Around the tennis court we planted grass and fruit trees: apple, pear, peach, apricot and cherry.
We still had a large area for a vegetable garden and water rights to irrigate it. I turned to my family members living close by for help. My sister Patricia, an amazing mother of seven, had a beautiful garden and was willing to share her red raspberry starts. Jackie, my sister-in-law and one of the best cooks around, had black raspberry starts that she contributed. Someone else gave me strawberry plants. I was on my way to my first successful garden.
I soon found that every where the water flowed would grow hundreds of weeds. I called it my garden of weedin'. I found a book, How to Have a Green Thumb without an Aching Back. I learned a lot from that book but even more from the helpful advice of my sisters and a good neighbor, Kendall Taylor. He would stop by and give me encouragement. It soon became my favorite summer past time.
I looked forward to getting up early and escaping to the garden. While the children slept I spent time enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. My husband didn't understand my love for gardening. He loved the sunny summer days but would rather spend them on the back of a horse exploring the mountain trails or at a lake fishing. For me it was much needed therapy, a release from the stress of a busy life as mother and the many household chores inside the home.
I soon liked every thing about growing a garden, even weeding. It was like rescuing the plants from something evil as I removed the weeds that would choke them. I loved the challenge of irrigating, getting water to every thirsty plant. Harvest time supplied an abundance of fruits and vegetables to serve my family healthy meals.
As my children grew older, I couldn't convince them of how much fun it was. They viewed yard work as an unpleasant chore that had to be done. I turned to Patricia for advice. She shared a secret with me called “weeding parties”. Get the children up early and work together to get the weeding done. Afterwards have a delicious breakfast together.
I tried this technique with my own children but we had “picking parties” instead. When they heard that all the workers would get a special breakfast treat, they willingly picked baskets of raspberries and strawberries. I rewarded them for their efforts with what would soon become a family favorite, Dessert Crepes filled with fresh berries, whipped cream and homemade raspberry jam.
It was a sad day for me when my husband tilled under my raspberry patch. My garden, especially the raspberries, reminded me of the love and support of Patricia and Jackie, two of my best friends who both died of cancer. In a two year period from 1994 to 1996 I lost them along with my mother. All three remarkable women seemed to enjoy their work as homemakers. My mother always said, “Happiness in not in doing what you like, but liking what you have to do.”
Dessert Crepes
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan, tilting the pan so that the bottom surface is evenly coated. Cook over medium heat, 1 or 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly brown. Fill with your favorite fillings such as jam, fresh fruit and whipped cream. Fruit flavored yogurt mixed with whipping cream is delicious. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Make them more healthy by using whole wheat flour.
