Word of the Day

Charp - The mutant green potato chip at the bottom of the bag.

Oh, my aching back! Sis and I got to the strawberry fields at around 8 AM yesterday morning. We weren't the first to arrive...nor the last. I couldn't believe how many cars were already parked in their "parking lot". Amazing! That's OK. There were plenty of strawberries for everyone. The vendors supplied free baskets for everyone to pick into. Nice. Extra nice? Next time we go picking (probably not this year), we can bring our baskets and they'll discount the berries we pick...fifty cents per basket. At $1.10/lb, the strawberries were fantastic. Huge. My mind starting thinking up sinful desserts like chocolate dipped strawberries. Sis and I ended up deciding to pick 10 baskets of berries...five baskets each. It really didn't take all that long to pick 10 baskets of strawberries. Each basket held approximately 4.7 pounds of fruit....if my calculations are correct Sis kept three baskets for desserts...she's got company coming this weekend. My Mom took another basket. She tells me that they enjoyed some last night on waffles for supper. Yummy. That left me with six baskets of fruit to take care of when I got home. Jam. I made three batches of sugarfree jam. I made one batch of low-sugar strawberry jam. I started eight quarts of strawberry schnapps (three for Sis). In a month, we'll start turning the finished schnapps into strawberry liqueur. Anyway, after turning my fingers to prunes, standing by the sink for hours (hulling, washing, slicing, squishing and measuring strawberries), I still have one basket of strawberries that I plan to use for strawberry shortcake, etc. Only, after making the shortcakes, cleaning up my jam-making mess and cooking and eating supper, I just didn't feel like eating strawberry shortcake last night. I was just too tired. We'll just have to save the strawberry shortcake for tonight, and tomorrow. I may clean up a few to have for breakfast this morning. In the meantime, I need to find room in the fridge for my berries. They're ripening as I blog.

What plans do I have for today? I need to water my vegetable garden. I may hold off on the rest of the sprinkler dance until tomorrow. I think the lawn and flower beds will be OK for another day or two. I hope. I noticed that my own tame raspberries are starting to ripen. I may have to go out and pick today if I don't want the birds to get there first. This is the first year since I've planted tame raspberries (three years ago) that I'll have enough berries to do something with. My blueberries are starting to ripen too and since I covered them with netting, I'm hopeful that I'll have enough blueberries to do something with too. The wild raspberries are forming but haven't started ripening. I'm afraid our lack of rain will again make the wild raspberry picking sparse. I may make a couple of batches of Sugarfree Rhubarb/Strawberry Jam today. I still have rhubarb growing and I think I have enough for two batches of jam. We'll see. My aching back may have other plans for me today.

Murphyism of the Day

Marquette's Second Law of Home Repair

The first replacement part you buy will be the wrong size.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. -- W. H. Auden (1907 - 1973)