In what we preserve

Preservation. It has been a human practice for hundreds of thousands of years. We save what we have savored; kept close to our hands and hearts are actions that help keep alive our past and present for our future. We protect so that we may partake of  what we need should the winter prove harsh, should the rains not fall, and should death cross our threshold.

Preservation takes the shape of preserves tonight, to save the summer's bounty of blue and blackberries for the winter to come. For the last two days I have simmered fruit in sugar, chilled, then cooked the next day for lovely, thick preserves. I also had a few browned bananas on hand, which I mashed and made into a cinnamon sprinkled banana bread. Nothing goes to waste in this Clanhold. Today was also a chore day, where I take a bowl of white vinegar and wipe down all the cabinets, moldings, and counters in the kitchen. I scrub the tile backwash behind the stove and sweep the floor. I cycle dishes, hand scrubbing the largest bowls and put up the clean ones. I take bacon out to thaw for a quick dinner, including rice and beans. I pour a cider, add a kiss of whiskey and stir one time with a spoon. I settle into the couch for a well deserved evening of relaxation, where the only sounds I hear come from the hum of the cicadas and the soft chewing of a clan mate enjoying supper.

It is something to treasure. It is something that brings peace into this house. A house that is still healing but finds ways to cope a little better each day.

That, at least, is a very good thing. So I will preserve fruit and add a little bit of hope that tomorrow, we'll have a little less pain and little more strength.