The Lonely Blackberry Harvest

The kids are safely sent off to school. Both of them got rides from us this morning. Son's school is right on the way to Cheesehead's work and I drove Peanut in. We decided to drive them since we still haven't heard from the bus company about pickup times. I'm guessing that the times must be the same as last year or they would have bothered to tell us it was different. Now, if I could just remember what those times were, I'd be all set.



I was reminded of the time Peanut's bus comes by when Peanut and I brought out the garbage can and recycling to the end of the driveway. We saw her bus stop at the end of the road and pause to make sure we weren't making a mad dash for the bus like we did so often her first year of going to school. Peanut felt a bit insecure about finding her classroom today anyway, so I brought her in to town. She knew right where her classroom is and remembered who her teacher was. We found her locker, set her stuff inside it and headed out to the playground. She was the second person out there. Apparently none of the other kids who had headed out there earlier wanted to be the first kid on the playground or something. I hung around out there with them until aa adult came out oversee the playground. Once her friend who is in her class for a third year in a row showed up she was practically shoving me off the playground ready to start a new school year.



When I got home from the trip into town, I decided to go out early today to get the berry picking done before it gets too hot and humid. You see, it's going to be 85 degrees later so I wanted to do it when it's nicer and cooler. That means I needed to do the harvest today all by myself, especially with football to run off to tonight an hour after my son gets off the school bus. I'll have to have dinner ready at about 4:30 tonight. I hope that Cheesehead is able to get off at 4 like he's supposed to so we can eat together.



So out to harvest I went all by my lonesome. It was so quiet outside when I harvested the berries this morning. The only chattering going on was the squirrels. I'm so used to listening to Peanut chatter on and on it was strange to be able to hear nature for a change.

I also had to hold both the rake I use to move the branches and the harvesting bowl. I'm not used to that either, son likes to hold the bowl. If he's not "helping", Peanut usually holds the bowl. Son's idea of helping is holding the bowl and eating 1/2 of the berries that Peanut and I pick. Rarely does he even lift a finger to pick them off the bush though.

I walk past the best producing part of our berry bushes. I can see dozens of ripe juicy berries taunting me through the leaves. Nah,nah, nah, nah, nah!

I can't go in there, I don't dare. I have picked berries from this spot twice, you see it's hidden from view a bit so it's easily missed. Twice I have been stung by bees in that very spot. I don't want to inflict any more pain on myself, I am allergic to bees. I still have to figure out what I did to attract the bees' rage. I didn't see the bees til they landed on me. It seemed that they just suddenly decided to sting me. I was wearing only deoderant as far as smells so and my clothes were not bright so I don't believe I looked like a flower. Haltingly I wander by those luscious looking berries in seach of more berries in less dangerous realms.

We still have many berries yet to ripen too. There are quite a few green and red berries on the bushes yet. That's pretty rare for this time of year. Aren't berries usually just about done growing by now? Not that I mind of course as I am still trying to save up enough berries to make some blackberry jam, but it's weird.



Some of the berries are drying right on the bush, it's been awfully dry this summer. When Peanut sees these spots she runs off to get either to hose or a watering can. I can faintly hear the echoes of her sandals scurrying down the gravel topped driveway as I look at this sad fella. I don't know that it really ever made the berries plump back up or anything, but she likes to water plants.



That cute little squirrel was chattering my ears off. I know most people don't like red squirrles much because they're so mischevious but I sure think they're adorable. I watched this little guy quite a long time as I went around picking berries off the bushes strewn about our yard. He seemed nice and content looking right at me precariously perched on a thin branch. I could have swore that branch he was sitting on would snap off the tree any minute. He just sat up there contentedly chattering away at me. I was amused by him, lost in thought about how he was trying to chatter at me like Peanut does. He must have seen us out there every day picking those berries and knew how she liked to chatter.

The berry bushes grab at my hair and my clothes. It grabs me from all directions. I didn't even think how hard it might be to hold the branches back AND pick the berries at the same time. I feel like a wild animal caught in a trap clawing desperatley for freedom. Hmm, I wonder if that silly little squirrel isn't just laughing at me instead...

Suddenley we were both rudely started by this strange sound. What on earth? Oh, it was my cell phone! I'd almost forgot what the real ring sounds like since I have special rings for all of the people who call it regularly. That squirrel started to chatter at me angrily from his tree perch. How dare this rude interuption!

It was Cheesehead asking if I was still in town. Apparently he wants me to stop and pick up some distilled water for the store's floor scrubber. I'll do it when I'm in town again later bringing son to football practice.



I finsh picking the berries and head inside to the coolness of my wonderful ceiling fan. Not much of a harvest considering no one was there to eat 1/2 of what I picked today.

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Cindy