Raspberries

Hello,

Last night we went to a friend’s house and picked red raspberries. They are so large, red, and tasty. We even froze two small containers for later enjoyment. Breakfast was an extravagant heaping helping on each of our oatmeal bowls. We ate breakfast as if we were kings.

This afternoon we went to one of the county parks. Leroy had called ahead of time to learn if we could pick black raspberries. The person answering the phone thought that would be ok. At the visitor center, after we took the full tour, Leroy again asked. This person was more sure and added, “bring back a handful for me.”

We had come in jeans and long sleeves with good sun hats. I remembered to put a water bottle, snack and sunscreen in a bag. Unfortunately I forgot one very important item. Leroy had thought of it, but did not tell me about it, since I was the gatherer and packer; it did no good for the trip. The mosquitoes zeroed in on us almost as soon as we found the first berries.

Picking soon evolved into a rhythm of pick, wave, slap, pick, wave, slap, pick, complain about mosquitoes, wave, slap randomly, pick, pick, wave, and complain again. In the end we probably picked about two or three quarts. For dessert we had plain yogurt, my homemade granola, cinnamon, and heaping spoons full of black raspberries.

We found the best patch on our way out. By the time we were done, the visitor center was closed and we could not share. However, we will be back at a later day because we spotted many blackberry bushes that were loaded with berries. Bug spray will come with us. I will also not wear one of my good UV shirts as we were in the shade much of the time. The blackberries have more vicious thorns. I do not want to risk tearing one of those shirts when I have plenty that I could just eliminate without regret if they get torn. Today I would stop and carefully work to disentangle the shirt.

We did a tick body check when we got home and both of us had no passengers.

Paula