Different Scene, Same Action, Same Costume, Different Date.

Word of the Day

Revertebrate - A creature that has evolved a vertebrae, then evolved into something without a vertebrae, and finally back once more.

Woodtick Count of the Day - 39

"A watched pot never boils." I picked 50-pounds of strawberries today. I'm not exactly sure why I decided to risk killing my back like this but I figured that as long as I was going to pick strawberries, I'd darn well pick ALL the strawberries that I needed for various projects...even if Sis couldn't help. So...there I was this morning in a wet field of strawberries (it rained, it drizzled), picking strawberries at around 7:30 AM. Normally, I don't pick this many strawberries...especially when it's just me doing the picking but, I figured, what the heck, why not? After picking the first two 5-pound baskets of berries, my back and upper thighs let me know that they were NOT happy. So, despite the wet ground, I decided to kneel instead of bend at the waist or perch in a crouched position. By the time I'd filled three more 5-pound baskets, my jeans were saturated at the knees and my toes were starting to cramp up. I was really beginning to wonder if I'd even be able to actually stand up...or if I'd have to crawl back down the row when it came to getting back to the berry bus. *moan* I prevailed. I had just started filling my eighth basket when I heard someone ask me if I wouldn't mind if he picked on MY row. I glanced up and was ready to kindly tell this someone to move on to his own row when...it was HTP. He'd come to rescue me! Hey! He only picked and filled one basket but that was one basket that I didn't have to fill. Rescue. I felt invigorated. Plus...and this was a BIG PLUS, I knew that he was there to help me stand up after filling the eighth and ninth 5-pound baskets of strawberries. Actually, this invigorated me enough so I didn't actually need his help to stand up.

So...what does one do with 50 pounds of strawberries? Sis and I cleaned 30 pounds of them and started making strawberry wine...which...we'll blend with the rhubarb wine that we've already got started. Our eleven gallons of strawberry wine will blend with our eleven gallons of rhubarb wine to make 22 gallons of spectacular Rhubarb/Strawberry Wine.

What about the rest of the 50 pounds? Well...there never was exactly 50 pounds of berries. I ended up picking enough berries to fill ten baskets. I was told that each basket held approximately five pounds of berries. Well...not quite. Close...but not quite. After Sis and I prepped thirty pounds of strawberries for the wine, and after Sis measured out a quart (two pounds) of strawberries for strawberry shortcake, I've got about three and a half baskets of berries left to make strawberry jam AND strawberry shortcake....maybe twelve pounds? If you want to do the math, I paid $1.49/lb. and totalled out at $64.60. Digging out the calculator, I actually picked a total of 43.3557047 pounds of berries....but who's counting?

Jam? I'll start on that project tomorrow...after breakfast. I took my remaining three and a half baskets of berries to the cooler temperatures of my basement. HTP will have to settle for sugar-free raspberry jam tomorrow morning. He finished up the last of the sugar-free strawberry jam on Monday. In the meantime, while HTP and I enjoyed a wonderful meal of Venison French Dip (Thanks, Sis), I tried very hard not to watch while I was attempting to bring 25 quarts of water up to a boil. Hey! It worked. I've got all the fermentation buckets set and cooling. All I have to do now is add the wine yeast....tomorrow, stirring daily for a week...and then I'll have to see if Sis can help me with the next step. Those fermentation buckets sure do get heavy once you're talking about 4-5 gallons of wine. We may have to see if T-Square can design something for us for when we have to carry those buckets.

And...for the rest of the night? I'm planning on soaking my aching back and muscles in a nice hot jacuzzi. It's Miller Time....well...substitute a nice glass of Merlot for that Miller thing.

Murphyism of the Day

Drew's Law of Professional Practice

The client who pays the least complains the most.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.

- Jerry Garcia, (of the Grateful Dead)