Month: September 2020

I love apple picking and baking pies. For me, it signals autumn and the start of the holiday season. This love of apple picking began when I met my husband.

Fun Fact: It can take an apple tree 4 to 5 years to produce it’s first fruit. If you look at a standard size apple tree, it will start bearing fruit 8-10 years after its planted. Dwarf apple trees begin bearing fruit earlier on; in 3 to 5 years.

Just think of being asked by your boyfriend to go apple picking. What a perfect date, especially for a city girl. To me, it feels as though our love for one another, our girls and our tradition of apple picking, baking and sharing our pies are all tied together. So simple, so perfect.

Fun Fact: If you want apples to ripen faster, leave them at room temperature. Refrigerated apples take six to ten times longer to ripen.

Apple picking first included the two of us picking apples and baking. We then included friends. I remember apple picking, laughing, walking through the apple orchard and devouring apple cider donuts. We had to have those apple cider donuts. Memories indelibly written in my mind include driving with our friend to a scenic overlook, savoring those deliciously, decadent, sweet, warm, donuts and just being at peace.

Fun Fact: The science of apple growing is called pomology.

Another year our friends didn’t want to pick apples but they did join us for baking pies. Anyone that bakes 8 to 10 pies in a day knows it can be exhausting. We all had a great time but after that our friends preferred seeing us after the apple pies were baked. This still brings a smile to my face.

Fun Fact: When you bob for apples, they float. Do you know why? Apples float because 25% of their volume is air.

Our traditional apple picking excursion changed over the years. Our first daughter joined us and the experience was totally new; she brought wonder into the mix. She looked at everything differently, so our view of the world changed.

Fun Fact: The energy from 50 leaves is needed to produce one apple.

Now there was magic and excitement when she picked an apple, placed it in her bag, or enjoyed the first bite. The magic went beyond the apple picking. There was joy when she went and sat with the pumpkins and played on the old tractor in the field. As she got older, it became an adventure filled with hayrides and playing in the field.

Fun Fact: Apples are members of the rose family.

Fun Fact: In China, the word for apple is ‘ping’ which means peace. This is the reason why apples are a favorite gift to give when visiting in China.

When our second daughter came home and we brought her apple picking, an apple and the experience was new to her. She took everything in. Amazed, excited and in awe, you could almost see her processing this new delight. For a little girl who spent her first years in an orphanage, away from stimulation, this was bliss.

Fun Facts: How many of you know the song, A Bushel and a Peck? A peck of apples weighs 10.5 pounds and a bushel of apples weighs 42 pounds. Now you can get a better understanding of the lyrics meaning.

Fun Fact: Apples contain high levels of boron. This can help your memory, mental alertness, and electrical activity in the brain.

Now the girls are older; they enjoy apple picking, but the real fun comes from baking the pies. Hours of baking are filled with candid conversations, sharing of music, much laughter and quite a bit of creativity. My older daughter has taken my plain pies to a new level. The pie crusts are works of art with her crafting of the dough. My little one is quite the pro with the apple peeler and continually shows me how to have fun with every part of the apple pie making process.

Fun Facts: Did you know Malusdomesticaphobia is the fear of apples? The name Malusdomesticaphobia comes from the apple’s scientific name, Malus domestica in the Rose family ( Rosaceae).

For years, we’ve frozen the baked pies and delivered them to neighbors as we trick or treated on Halloween. It’s special to share a little joy and make our neighbors smile. It gives each of us a warm feeling and one of belonging.

Fun Fact: Apples are an excellent source of fiber, they contain 0 grams of fat or sodium and have no cholesterol.

This year for the first time, the girls gave me names for the pie list. They wanted to make their friends smile and feel good. I felt my heart skip, my girls picked up on the most important ingredient, the spreading and sharing of love. Our tradition will always be part of them. I am so grateful to God for such a blessing.

Fun Fact: The average apple has 10 seeds.

A 23 year tradition filled with love, friendship, sharing, comfort, peace and hope. If you have the chance to go apple picking, next time don’t put it off or say no, start your tradition and enjoy the beauty and love that manifests.

A Little Bit of History: Was there really a Johnny Appleseed?

Yes, Johnny Appleseed was a real person, but his name was John Chapman. He was born to Nathanial and Elizabeth Chapman, one of three children, on September 26, 1774 and lived in Leominster, Massachusetts. When his mother, Elizabeth died, his father remarried, Lucy Cooley and had 10 additional children.

At age 13, John was given an apprenticeship to an orchardist, Mr. Crawford, who raised apple trees. John had a facination with apples and their symbolic importance. His interest grew under the tutelage of Mr. Crawford. By 18, John wanted to plant apple trees and “spread knowledge while reminding residents of their immortality.”

When he turned 18, John went west with his brother, Nathaniel. They reached Ohio, at about the same time the rest of their family arrived. Nathaniel stayed with the family while John continued to roam.

John traveled through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, harvesting apple orchards and constructing fences to keep animals away from the trees. In addition to planting trees, John also preached the teachings of Swedenborgianism or the New Church (believed God was to be worshipped through one form, Jesus Christ) to settlers and American Indian tribes.

He had enough money to buy clothing, yet he chose instead to barter with saplings for his clothing. He used his money to improve his apple business and help other people. John refused to use grafting to start his orchards because he thought the process would harm the plants. Instead John used the seeds to grow the saplings. This is why he carried a large sack of seeds everywhere he traveled.

Trees that grew from grafting were just like the parent trees. Because John used seeds, this allowed the trees to adapt to the environment, creating new varieties of apples. The initial trees that grew were not for eating, they were for making apple cider. The trees that adapted to the environment were later used for eating.

By the time he died, John Chapman owned more than 1,200 acres of land across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In those days, you could claim land if you planted 50 trees.

Washington, DC, Senator Sam Houston of Texas made a speech honoring John Chapman after his death. He said his work was a labor of love. He was liked by settlers and American Indians.

Varieties of Apples

Do you ever wonder how many varieties of apples exist? Each year as I ask for our bag for our apples and the women at the apple stand provide the litany of apple options to pick, I just wonder, how many apple variations are there and is there really a recognizable difference. I always supply the same response, please point me toward the direction of the best baking apple options and that is what they do.

I have the same thought as I walk through the grocery store and see all the apple options available. I wonder how someone decides on the apples that should be sold. Does it go according to taste or price? Do they provide options for those that just want to eat apples of also for the bakers?

Well, Dan Bussey has spent over 30 years compiling information for his seven volume, 3,000 page manuscript listing 17,000 apple varieties that have grown between 1623 and 2000. This encyclopedia is called “The Illustrated History of Apples in North America.” This 30 year quest started out as a curiosity. He wanted to see how many old apples he came across.

Prior to the publishing of the encyclopedia, John Bunker, an apple historian in Maine said, “This will be the most important book ever published in North America about apples. There has been nothing like it and there will never again be something like it.” The volumes include the apple’s common name, a visual discription of the apple, breeding history and geographic range.

Most grocers will carry 12 varieties of apples. To find the others you’d have to visit various orchards.

For Additional Information Read…

Apple Fun Facts

An Apple a Day, for 47 Years – by Michael Tortorello – Oct. 22, 2014

How Johnny Appleseed Grew Into a Folk Hero – by George Grow – June 25, 2012

John Chapman – Ohio History Central

9 Facts That Tell the True Story of Johnny Appleseed – by Kristy Puchko, September 26, 2017

All About Apples – by Mariel Synan – by September 13, 2013

Here are four bears, each splendid in their own way. These bears as tattered and worn, continue to be loved and cherished. Understanding their stories will help explain why such a love connection developed over the years and continues to exist and hold strong.

How did it all start? That’s simple. The bears were gifts, given out of love. Each one accepted with excitement and joy.

The four bears continue to celebrate life’s experiences, including birthdays, car rides, eating at restaurants, movies, celebrating holidays, sleepovers, hospital stays and vacations in different states and countries. These bears know and understand hurt, sorrow, love, joy, anger, happiness, regret, fear, hopelessness, gratitude and excitement.

Along with the fun and laughter, the bears also endure the pain and tribulations of life. After all this time, the bears know more about tears and the sharp pain that sometimes resonates and racks their loved one’s bodies more than anyone else. The love connection is so strong. Each of these bear’s can soothe and continue to provide comfort quietly, just by being present. So simple.

How do they soothe? They love without judgement and cuddle without objection. A simple rub against a face, a smothering hug or a rigid grasp each provide a tranquilizing effect. Each of these bears are loved. The bears are priceless and non-replaceable.

Courage and Comfort

The first Pooh on the left is and has been a companion of my younger girl, for a little over 10 years. My daughter was about 3 years old when Pooh came into her life. Pooh became one of her stuffed friends. Over time, he stole her heart. This tiny girl began to hold her Pooh by his neck and take him everywhere; the reason for his now limp neck. Pooh bear continues to provide my daughter with more comfort and courage than I could have thought possible.

The most profound memory of Pooh alleviating Rayna’s pain and discomfort was when she had heart surgery at age five. Following the surgery she had a difficult time. She woke up, threw up blood, cried and went back to sleep. The second time, she woke, she threw up blood, looked at it and and then began to cry again. This time though, she apologized for throwing up and making a mess and then said, if I could only have Pooh Bear, I’ll be better. This poor little suffering child just needed her Pooh Bear for comfort, not us, just her Pooh Bear.

We were allowed to give our daughter her Pooh Bear. She grabbed him by his neck, smiled and went right back to sleep in peace. She clung to her Pooh Bear. Pooh Bear had quite the hospital stay. He was thrown up on, washed and was back to provide comfort. In the days that followed, when a blood pressure cuff was placed on her arm, the nurse also provided one on Pooh Bear. Pooh also had his own mask.

I could never have imagined one stuffed animal providing such comfort. I look at Pooh Bear and I’m so grateful that this bear is and has been part of our family.

Companionship and Love

Pooh Bear on the right, has been my older daughter’s companion and soother for almost 15 years. This Pooh Bear was a replacement for another Pooh Bear. I wanted my husband to buy 2 replacement Pooh Bears that were the same so if something happened to one, we had the other. I saw how distraught our daughter was when she had to give her one Pooh Bear up so we could wash him when he was thrown up on. We couldn’t find another Pooh Bear like the one she had so I thought two new Pooh Bears could solve the problem. Well it didn’t work out as I had planned.

My husband, took my daughter to the store on their quest and came home with this Pooh Bear that played music. This was the last bear and our daughter fell in love with him. We basically were in the same boat that we were in when we started. We had a one of a kind Pooh Bear.

My husband soon found out what having a one of a kind bear meant. My husband and daughter brought Pooh Bear everywhere they went, to the park, shopping and on any other errands. One day this included a visit to a new garage to have the car fixed. They waited and then came home, our daughter had fallen asleep during the errand and was still asleep when they arrived home.

Unbeknownst to my husband, Pooh Bear did not make it home with them. When our daughter woke, the search for Pooh Bear was on. My husband retraced their steps and realized, in all likelihood, the bear had to be at the garage. He drove back and standing their he found this huge guy that must have lifted weights decorated with multiple tattoos holding up Pooh Bear. He asked my husband, did you forget your bear? All laughing aside, the seriousness of separation from our daughter’s Pooh Bear was now known.

Our older daughter has slept with her Pooh Bear for years, when she is over tired or upset, you can still see her take Pooh Bear and rub his nose on her face. Pooh’s eyes and nose have been stitched up many times. We will keep on patching him up as best we can.

Injured Bear

The injured bear with the broken arm was given to my mother after a car accident. I would never have thought about sending her flowers with a stuffed animal; that just wasn’t my mother. Her having time for a stuffed animal; ridiculous.

Well my cousins knew better than I. For whatever reason, at age 70, she found comfort in this little bear. Was it that my dad had passed on by this time and this little stuffed animal provided her with this symbol of love that she could keep around her? I just don’t know for sure, but I do know this, the little bear was close to her heart. She would actually speak to me about this little stuffed animal when she called. This was so odd to me to witness. When she knew she was dying, she said I could take her bear. So I guess the relevance or comfort a bear can give transcends one’s age.

Musical Bear

The last bear is small and scrawny but just as endearing. I can’t say that I remember who gave me the bear or when, nor can I say that I slept with this bear for comfort. I do know though that this bear played music and moved it’s neck. Whenever I was upset, off my bookshelf this bear would come. I would sit and wind it up over and over, and wait until I felt better.

When I moved out of my parent’s house, this bear came with me and was placed in a drawer. Again, after I married and moved, this bear came along. I take the bear out every once in awhile to show my girls and I smile at this tiny bear that gave me comfort.

Each of these bears hold their own magic. They help calm and assuage the aching hearts of others. The bears are not new and fluffy but instead, worn and weathered.

How is possible that a stuffed animal can provide solace, or be the healing balm for a child or adult? Do stuffed animals have such power?

According to psychoanalysts, psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists, objects just like these wonderful teddy bears help us with our emotional well-being and development. I no longer complain about the stuffed animals that continue to come into our home.

D.W. Winnicott, a pediatrician and psychoanalyst, first spoke about the special value of these transitional objects in 1951. D.W. Winnicott explained that these objects help the child move from the oral relationship with their mothers to genuine object relationships.

Developmental psychologist, Robert Kegan indicated, objects like stuffed animals, are important for human development. Colleen Goddard, a Child Development Specialist, stated, “The object allows for and invites emotional well-being, and without such an object, true feelings may be concealed, suppressed, or dismissed as the infant/child has no other means by which to cope with, comprehend, and contend with the world.”

Corrine Sweet, psychologist tells us cuddling a teddy bears “…evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort. It’s human nature to crave these feelings from childhood to adult life” (Llorens, 2012).” In addition, studies show, “touching a teddy bear can lessen the adverse psychological effects of social exclusion and reduce stress (Jarrett, 2011)”.  

Fun Fact

The Teddy Bear is named after President Theodore Roosevelt. In November 1902, during a Mississippi hunting trip, President Roosevelt refused to kill a bear that had been clubbed by hunting guides and tied to a tree. President Roosevelt told his guides that “it would be unsportsmanlike to kill a defenseless animal that way.” 

Clifford Berryman, a political cartoon artist, drew a newspaper cartoon, “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” to reference the refusal to shoot the bear but also to illustrate the boundary dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. Well that image of the bear inspired a shopkeeper.

A, Brooklyn, New York, shopkeeper Morris Michtom and his wife Rose, made a stuffed fabric bear in honor of the President and displayed it with a sign, “Teddy’s bear,” in their store window. Customers were interested in purchasing the bear. Morris and Rose Michtom requested permission to use his name for their stuffed toy which was granted. This started Michtom’s company that manufactured teddy bears and other toys.

So for over 100 years, teddy bears have been gracing our homes and providing love and comfort to generations. Never under estimate the power and significance of the tattered worn out bears you see adorning a book shelf or stuffed into a closet. They give comfort and joy just as they are in their current state.

Remember, they are also contributing to our well-being. So, enjoy the bear, stuffed animal, blanket or other significant object that you hold close to your heart.

For Additional Details Read…

More Than Just Teddy Bears – by Colleen Goddard, Child Development Specialist – Posted July 15, 2014

Our Love Affair with Teddy Bears – by Claire Harris

Loveys, Stuffed Animals, and Pets – Understanding Transitional Objects – by Paul C. Hollinger – Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst – January 5, 2017

Who Invented the Teddy Bear? – by Elizabeth Nix – Posted January 14, 2020