Canning Cherry Pie Filling and Beef

Week of June 30th-July 5th 2025

This has been an eventful week here on the homestead! We got too hot! Canned beef stew meat and canned cherry pie filling. The homestead always throws you a curve ball. This week I have wanted to throw in the towel at least once a day. I’m not saying this to discourage you, but I’m just being real and honest.

We finally got a break in the rain long enough for the ground to dry up, so I got up early, got my first cup of hot steamy coffee and watched the sunrise as I pondered what I was going to do today on the the homestead.  I saw as I was sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch that the garden looked dry, so here I go… hat on, check, water bottle full.. check, gloves in bag… check, hoes and other tools in ranger…. Check! I was ready, so , here Lilly and I go, we headed out early so I wasn’t worried about the heat at all. I thought I could get done with what I needed to get to today.

  I scanned the garden as we drove through and decided that the tomatoes and peppers needed the most TLC, they had grass so tall and thick around them. So, that’s where I will start. I got to chopping out with the hoe and then pulling the weeds next to the tomatoes . Time went by fast, and so did the heat!! Next thing I know I was weak and soaking wet! I had gotten to hot!! It happened so fast, to fast. I Never dreamed I would get to hot, I took all the precautions I was supposed to take. But it still happened. Y’all please be careful out there. This took me out for two days.

As, I was recovering and gaining my strength and energy back, I decided to do some small easy things in the kitchen, sun tea was the first one. Darian loves sun tea and so does the grandkids, and it’s so easy. While the tea was soaking in all the sun and enjoying being outside, I wanted to make something cool and fruity. I had cherries and strawberries. As, I looked more I found lemon and lime juice. Why not, strawberry lemonade and cherry limeade! These didn’t take long to make and they have tasted so good in this heat. So refreshing!

When everything was done and the kitchen was clean, it was time for supper, the kids and grandkids came in for cold homemade sandwiches, Homemade bread, ham from our pig, even homemade mayo, it was to hot for a cooked meal. While I was making the sandwiches for everyone, my daughter went to go grab the tea from outside and bring it in. She sat it on the snack bar so we could fill every ones cups up. As, I went to pour the first cup I noticed that the tea pitcher was leaking a little, I picked it up BOOM!!! The whole bottom of the fancy cute pitcher broke off! Tea went everywhere! The whole gallon of tea, all over my floors, in my cabinets, under my fridge, yep, EVERYWHERE!! This was a mess! Supper was postpone, towels where ran to and grabbed to dry up, we had to clean and mop up all this sticky mess. It took a minute, but we got it all done.

I say this, to say, I could have cried or fussed cause all this was making me sooo behind, and I totally wanted to, but I laughed, because I knew that this was the way God wanted me to act. So, I just laughed, it made our supper so funny and enjoyable. We have to make the decision each and everyday to have a great day no matter what or let the day to get to us. The days we choose to have a great day are the best days! So, lets choose Gods way.

LET US REJOICE AT THIS WONDERFUL DAY THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US! PSALMS 118:24