A change in the weather



It appears that spring is breaking out into our spot in the world. It hasn't popped out with nearly as much vehemence as I hear you all have in North America. But we finally made it into the mid 50's and sunny which has been greatly anticipated. As a celebration of our warmer weather my wonderful neighbor Sunny (mentioned in my previous post) invited the kids and I to go strawberry picking with her and a group of other moms and kids.

I have previously been on some wild and crazy adventures when I have been invited for outings with Chinese friends. It has made me wary about attempting the unknown with 2 preschoolers in tow. Once upon a time I went cherry picking with a 1 year old and a 2 year old (wipe all the images of a sweet country farm from your mind). It was a mountain climbing fiasco that we barely survived. Post cherry picking I have become more cautious when asked to venture outside the city limits by myself with 2 kids in tow.

However, I have finally found a Chinese friend that I feel comfortable adventuring with. She is a stay at home mom of 2 kids who lives in my development. Different cultures aside, that makes her as similar to me as she could be in Chinese form. So I feel relatively confident that if she thinks the outing can be done with her 2 year old and 4 year old in tow, then I can probably hack it with my 3 year old and 4 year old tagging along. With that in mind, we joyfully accepted her offer and we all piled into her little sedan and headed off for the hills. I was thrilled to discover that strawberry picking is indeed a flat field experience (nothing at all like the precarious cliffs of cherry picking) and is a fantastic activity for preschoolers.

We drove far out into the country and out into the fields. Strawberry season here begins in March and since the weather isn't always warm enough the strawberries are sheltered in makeshift greenhouses build right on top of the fields. They are constructed with plastic and wood, but are amazingly air tight. When you enter the structure the temperature goes up at least 20 degrees from outside. We immediately stripped off all the coats, hats, and top layers of shirts and entered the more tropical climate. Once we had our boxes in hand we set off picking as many strawberries as possible and eating as many as possible too. It was a bit like a treasure hunt for the kids who laughed and squealed running up and down the aisles and trying to find the biggest reddest bunch. When we were done the kids ventured outside and found some big sticks to play with (always a child's best friend and a mothers worst enemy :-)

It was a wonderful adventure! I am so happy to have found a friend I am comfortable adventuring with. I desperately want for the kids to experience more nature and village life outside of the big city. I am so thankful for a friend to share the experiences with. Next month she assures me we can safely handle cherry picking.........


I am thankful for the warmer weather and a new precious friend and that God has given us the ability and opportunity to enjoy the wonderful life He has given us. Life here isn't always easy, but even on the hard days He gives us things to laugh about and friends to lift us up. And some days like this Saturday He gives us days of pure joy and fun.

Ecclesiastes 5:19 "Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil- this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart"


Comments

  1. KatieMarch 27, 2012 at 11:46 AM

    I'm so glad you could enjoy a safe adventure and I'm even more glad you could enjoy it with a friend! You're making me hungry for strawberries myself.

    ReplyDelete

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