In the summer when I make jam I think of my dear granny.  She made dozens and dozens of jars daily in her un-airconditioned kitchen in Osoyoos and these were then sold at the fruit stand.  The season began in July with cherries, then went on with apricots, plums and finally peaches.  I still make apricot and peach jams just the way she did.

It’s her birthday today.  She was born 124 years ago in Germany and came to Osoyoos in 1950 with my grampa as they hadn’t seen their only child, my mother, in 11 years due to the war.  I believe it was quite a shock for them coming from the bustle of Europe to the tiny little town of Osoyoos, but they didn’t complain.

We had a “too many cooks spoil the broth” situation in Osoyoos just now with the peaches.  There are 19 trees of Glow Havens between mom’s house and the modular.  On the BC Day long weekend Luke and Jan came to Kelowna with about 80 pounds of peaches, half of them quite green.

I said what the hell are you doing?  These aren’t ready until the end of August, why did you pick them, to which Luke replied that they will ripen.  A small fight ensued whereby I said they need a certain ground colour to ensure ripening, and asked why in the name of God in Heaven he didn’t just leave the small green ones to ripen?

Luke alleged it was Jan’s fault as she hadn’t thinned enough.  I said to both of them next year just leave a lot of space between each peach so they’ll get big.  He said he had to pick the small green peaches as they were breaking the branches, and I said whatever, they’re not ripe and I’ve lived on a farm and you haven’t.  Luke said he knows, and I don’t.

A week later I was in Osoyoos and mom was going berserk as she thought the peaches were ready and she was freaking out that they would drop and therefore go to waste.  She said phone a bunch of people and get them over here to pick.  I said I can, but wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit?

Nope, mom wanted those peaches picked so a bunch of people were contacted and the trees were stripped.  Luke came home from work one day and went what the hell??  I said that’s what happens when gramma gets a bee in her bonnet.  But I do hope next year we can thin properly and perhaps even wait until the fruit is fully ripe.

The dogs were pretty proud of themselves as they caught a rat that had been living in the chicken coop.  About a week ago I went in and lifted one of the nesting boxes and a brown object darted past me, up the wall and into a space up there.  The dogs were stymied and kept looking up but I said to them you know you’re kind of disappointing as hounds go.

A few days after that we went in and I lifted the end nest box and again, zoom, the rat ran the length of the coop and straight up the wall.  Again, the dogs were thwarted.  Finally a couple of days ago I think they formed a strategy as I heard screaming and then saw a dead rat right where it would be about to scurry up the wall.  They must’ve figured out you have to get the rat prior to it reaching any heights.  Good dogs!