08/01/2026
Chokecherries & Dog Days
Having a new dog makes me see my world differently. The first 2 weeks we had Oswald, I took him walking around the perimeter of my yard instead of out for a walk on gravel roads. Experts say this helps a dog grasp the concept of home turf, and they're less likely to wander. We shall see!
It was on these walks that I discovered my row of nanking cherries and it was ripe for picking! I realized I haven't picked nanking cherries in several years. I've been so wrapped up in things going on elsewhere, I forgot they even existed.
My older daughter drove out one afternoon and we picked some that she turned into jelly and returned to me in cute little jars.
Oswald and I are finished with our strict perimeter routine, but I find myself wandering around my yard with him more often, seeing it with fresh, new eyes.
One tree stump the beaver left behind is already regrowing long, lush branches. It doesn't seem possible that there could be any life left in that stump, but, against all odds, rapid new growth is happening.
I can't help but marvel at how God creates new growth in the midst of devastation and loss, and the new growth is beautiful in its own right. A testament to what once was, and to the resilience of that little bit of life that remained after the wood chips were done flying. Water, sunshine, and DNA in the trunk of that tree receiving the message straight from God to send out new shoots and keep growing.
Fascinating!
This week, I also realized I have chokecherry trees all over the place, and they're ready for picking. I picked some this morning to drop off at my daughter's.
As I stood in the early morning quiet, bucket in hand, I recalled summers in my childhood on this farm. The chokecherry row was in a different place than it is now. My 3 siblings and I often spent hours playing baseball in the yard right near those chokecherries. Depending who was pitching and who was at bat, sometimes the ball would go sailing into the shelterbelt, and we'd pause our game to crawl through the trees hunting for the lost ball.
Sometimes, we would discover (as I discovered this week) that the chokecherries were a nice deep purple and ready for picking.
We'd all but abandon our baseball game, dash to the house for ice cream pails, and return to the trees for picking.
As little kids, we got a front row seat to applied science.
I was reminded today of the one lesson I learned about the weight of the fruit bending branches down. The more I picked, the lighter the branch and the taller that branch stood. If I go for the low hanging fruit first, I will be quickly unable to reach all the fruit that was completely accessible when I first started picking. Better, then, to reach high right away while the branch is still hanging low enough for my short little arms to grasp the fruits.
I also remember watching in amazement in the kitchen as we poured chokecherries into that conical colander thing and mash and roll and spin that wooden pin inside the colander to press out the tart juice and leave behind skins and seeds.
Science is so cool in action!
But also, just a quiet reminder to myself to keep my eyes open to the beauty and joy right in front of me, and to truly take delight in the fascinating scientific wonders of the world God created just for you and me.
Here's to the dog days of summer.
