Today I took Ben, Steven, and Jenny over to the new berry patch at Horse Creek Farms. It was everything a morning in the berry patch ought to be: cloudy with occasional sunshine, no rain, not too warm, not too cool, lots of berries, plenty of nibbling, cooperative children, saying hello to people I knew, mad dashes for the Port-a-Potties.
We kept our berry-patch traditions: The preteen boys asked each other, "Hey, is your bottom covered yet?" and cackled with great amusement. I wore my old t-shirt that says "Strawberry, California" on the front. I tried to motivate the children by telling them that every time they pick 50 berries, they get to throw one at me.
Some time ago, Mark Roth suggested I give some more parenting tips here, so the berry-throwing tidbit is my tip for today.
Quote of the Day:
"See, he doesn't wanna have this faraway relationship."
--Jenny, holding forth knowledgeably on Matt and his dating decisions
I do miss strawberry picking. The first year we lived here I asked a friend if there was somewhere to pick berries and she looked at me like I was crazy. Instead, I elbow my way to the end of the line at the market, pay for and lug my 40 kilo back through the crowd to my car, get home and start washing them. Sounds too easy??? Actually, the first year I felt guilty. It seemed a little too easy. This year I felt thankful.
ReplyDeleteI do so don't miss berry picking, for the most part.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Dorcas.
How many times were you berry-struck?
Oh, and did you blick them yet?
Hmmm. I asked the question then when I went to get the link, I saw your answer there. But I don't get it. Maybe if I were firing on all three cylinders . . . .
Mark--I probably had 10 or 12 berries tossed at me, but only about 4 actually hit.
ReplyDeleteAs for the blicking...see, it jars the ear to mix languages. You should know that: "Me aprietan mucho los shoes," for example.
I am taking a break from blicking as I type.
Thanks for the response, Dorcas.
ReplyDeleteMark--I probably had 10 or 12 berries tossed at me, but only about 4 actually hit.
They obviously need to pick more berries with their mother so they get in more target practice.
Lemme calculate a bit. If every 50 berries picked entitled them to a single berry shot at you, and if they threw every fifty-first berry, they must have picked...uh...lemme think...hang on, just give me time...510 or 612 berries which may or may not include those they consumed as well as those they target-shot at others.
How many berries did you pick?
As for the blicking...see, it jars the ear to mix languages.
I thought you might be doing some PigLatinizing. :-) Maybe it was a Dutch pig.
You should know that: "Me aprietan mucho los shoes," for example.
Very good, Dorcas!
Mark--from my one year of high school Spanish I still remember: Me aprietan mucho los Zapatos, and Por que no llega de la Escuela todavia.
ReplyDeleteBut don't test my vocabulary or ask me to conjugate any verbs.
And I probably picked almost as many berries as the other three put together. (She polishes her MennoMom halo.)