cherries. . . visiting Montana

hmmm, cherries. . . evidence of of God's creation glory-reds, blush pink, yellow, glossy, firm, tart, sweet. . .
When Amaleah and Julia spend the night with us, they like frozen cherries on their breakfast oatmeal . . .today I'm clearing out any stray frozen fruit-last year's batch, getting ready for another box of Oregon cherries ( did you know that Texas grows amazing Ruby Red Grapefruit?)
And I'm thinking about our summer visit to Montana, to the Flathead Valley-travel brochures beckon. . .the Flathead Valley lies next to the rugged grandeur of Glacier National Park.
Friends beckoned John and me to Kalispell, Montana-Mark, Monica, and family, great friends for a very long time.
So there we were-soaking up Hemingway hospitality in their family-built house, savoring garden produce. . . beets, potatoes, green beans, raspberries. . . eating lots of cherries, picking Flathead and Ranier cherries-imagine me, a content woman in a cherry orchard. . .picking and eating.

Elizabeth pitting cherries

One day I tagged along with Monica, visiting friends and neighbors. I listened to talk of mammoth vegetable gardens and the best spots to pick wild huckleberries, of pitting and drying fruit, of bartering cherries for fresh eggs and raw milk; I peered into root cellars and hen houses. . .

A corner of my heart is nostalgic for that life-as evidenced by books in our closet with titles like: Solar Projects, Woodsmith, Rustic Furniture; in my dreams I'm the woman raising and sheering the sheep, carding and spinning the wool, knitting the sweater. . . 20 years ago John and I moved from rural Mexico to the city-to a downtown spot where graffiti tags garage walls, where loud music and loud cars rumble at night, where the corner house is painted sherbert orange, where neighbors cycle in and out every few months. . .and our neighborhood road rooster, running in the street, crowing all day, all night.

hmmm, remember, Soul, whether rural or urban, any lifestyle can become an idol in my heart!

I like Montana's peaceful Flathead Valley. . .and I like my city neighborhood-

it's God's place for me.

"Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness" (Ps 37: 3)