There are times when Grandmas can be busy on the farm. When the grandchildren come, while they are still very young, even Grandma’s work can seem interesting to them. I had such a day.
Several of our grandchildren came to visit along with their Dad. The men and boy went to the pasture to cut firewood. The girls stayed closer to the farmhouse. The farm cats attract their attention. The youngest , however, was told to stay with Grandma in the house.
Grandma had a lot of work to do. Much of it included cooking or baking to feed the hungry crew. I set about to get the jobs done.
From the three-year-old’s little voice came, “Grandma, can I help you?”
What a sweet sentiment. But there are times when watching Grandma work is of more help than doing it with Grandma. Yet today, I did have some tasks where she could help me.
I had to bake a cake. All three girls helped with that. Licking the spoons was the best part. Then we worked together on the frosting. With that finished the older girls tired of the kitchen and trekked out of doors to pet the kitties.
With my pot of chili con carne steaming on the stove, one more job rested on my shoulders. I had to clean raspberries. Now, raspberries are yummy. I think so, the kids think so…and so do the raspberry bugs! There was plenty of work ahead.
From my littlest granddaughter, again I heard, “Grandma, can I help?”
What a blessing to have help! But the little helper needed instructions. So, we began. I told her about the raspberry bugs hiding inside the berries. The 3-year old sweetheart got the idea. So as she worked, she picked up a berry from its watery resting place. She examined the juicy, red bundle and looked deeply into its center. When she discovered it was empty, she piped up, “There’s no bug.”
She moved on to the next berry. Again I heard her say, “There’s no bug.” And so it went till a bug darkened the inside of her berry. Grandma helped her rectify the situation and she continued to reach for a new berry and announce with satisfaction, “There’s no bug.”
Many may think that this was not a big deal. But someday I hope our little helper can look back and remember the time she helped Grandma clean berries. She may recall the value of observation and perseverance. I hope, too, that she will feel the sense of satisfaction in doing a job thoroughly and well done.
To me, it was delightful to hear the clear child’s voice declare, “There’s no bug.” And I will be glad that when we eat the red raspberries we can be reasonably confident that there are no bugs. Even berry-cleaning turned out to be quality time with my granddaughter.
Leave a Reply