It’s a Time of Transitions and Traditions as we Celebrate Grads & Dads! JUNE,2010

How easy it is to get knocked off center by life’s transitions. And how powerful family traditions can be to bring you back to balance. I have recently been struggling with ambivalence born of my two daughters’ graduations. The younger of the two, Kenleigh, graduated last month from South Fork High School, and my oldest child, Hilary, graduated from Eckerd College in May. It seems that I am always caught off-guard by how such events effect me emotionally. Yeah, I expect to be happy and ready to start singing “Cel-a-bra-tion Time! Come On!” But I never quite anticipate the regret that comes with such life-transitions. The feelings are rooted in my sudden stark awareness that there is no turning back the clock. There is no do-over where I spend more time with the kids, take more photos of family, yell less, hug more. . . you get the idea. Time just keeps marching forward, propelling us past mile-stones like graduations, and while I can’t stop this forward motion, I could certainly be doing more to enjoy the ride.  And that is where traditions come in. Be it family Barbecues, beach days, road trips or even the annual shopping junket to buy the season’s bathing suit, these rituals are comforting in their routine and predictability.

Well, we hope you will join us for a new family tradition at Pinder’s: Daddy-O’s Tropical Fruit Festival. This year we will offer talks by extension agents Farmer Fred Burkey of Martin County and Ed Skvarch of St. Lucie County. Plus Master Gardener Lauren Palmero will give us some tips for preserving our harvest, and ag-industry leaders will share their experiences with organic solutions, beneficial microbes and sustainable practices that will benefit your door-yard garden.

While all that learning is good for your mind, the home-churned, sour-sop ice cream (a Pinder Family recipe) is food for your soul.  And as if ice cream comfort weren’t enough-how about a tropical fruit tasting “expedition” where you sample mango varieties, lychees, papaya, and a whole host of exotic flavors.