Apples!

Lee and I spent the afternoon preparing Granny Smith apples for the freezer.  It was an exciting thing for both of us......................and very uplifting, because this is the way we were before Lee's illness and transplant.  It has been our custom every Fall to gather apples and prepare them for the freezer.  Before Lee sold his orchard, we were able to pick our own, share them with other family members, friends and neighbors. Our orchard is gone, but we were able to purchase these from a local apple orchard in Vale.

I remember one year in particular when we had a beautiful Autumn such as today, with an abundance of apples in the orchard, especially those delectable "Granny Smith's".  It was the time for our annual Halloween party with our children and grandchildren. Lee hitched the hay wagon to the tractor, loaded all the children and grandchildren, dressed in their Halloween costumes, and headed for the orchard a few miles away.  For many of them , this was a first time event!  We made many pictures that warm, sunny afternoon just before dusk.  The children delighted in finding their very own apples, and from time to time I would see the little girls gathering apples in the fullness of their little princess dresses.  Our little boys, dressed as warriors or transformers (fighters) delighted in finding an apple with a worm and scaring the girls!  I remember the squeals of delight and laughter as we moved among the apple trees.

So, this afternoon, Lee and I prepared the downstairs for our work.  Lee secured the apple-peeler to the table while I washed the apples and prepared the area for my work.  Lee is quite the pro with the apple-peeler.  It is a unique apparatus.  Once the apple is secured into the three prongs on one end, Lee turns the handle on the opposite end and as the apple is turning, it is peeled and cored all at the same time!  He then drops the apple into a large basin of salted water. ( the salt keeps the apples from changing color and also removes the bitterness from the green apples)  I, in turn, separate the "wheels" and place them on paper towels to dry.  After they dry, I put them into zip-lock bags.  We were able to put 18 quarts and 2 gallons in the freezer.

While working together, we remembered those joyful events and each in turn shared a memory thought to be long forgotton.  Even though we cannot have the annual family Halloween party this year, We savor all those memories!  How wonderful to look at him now.....happy and laughing at the shared memories, while peeling all those apples! 

I suppose your are wondering why I am so excited to be writing about something that is a lot of work.  I am sharing this with you because Lee thrives on work.  To be able to watch him doing something he enjoys, and to know that he is be able to have the strength to do it is a tremendous blessing to me this day.   Blessings are meant to be shared.

More Later.....................................Brenda