Down Mulberry Lane

Picking Berries...

I am having Chelsea read through some readers to try and improve her fluency with reading.  Today's story was about picking berries.  It was a nice warm story of one family picking blueberries. 

This afternoon, I was working in the garden and got what onions I could find out.  We also got some tomatoes and then I remembered that Dh showed me last night that the elderberries were ripe. 

I called Megan and Chelsea and asked them to come help me.  I grabbed three buckets and out we went to collect some elderberries.  We have a small patch that is quite easy to get to.  A second batch cropped up this year in a pile of brush.  In trying to reach the elderberries, I had to climb onto crackling logs and branches which were buckling under my weight, but thankfully did not come crashing down.  The girls enjoyed my gymnastics and had a good time out there together picking berries... just like in our story.  Chelsea even commented on us picking berries... hope we don't find any bears... just like in her story earlier.  She is 16yo, and was poking fun, but it was a smiley fun and she didn't mind picking berries at all. 

I have spent some time pulling berries off their stems, but I needed a break, so thought I would let you all know what I will be doing the rest of the evening!  My fingers are already purple and I smell of berries.  My hope is to get enough berries to make a batch of elderberry jelly and a batch of elderberry muffins.  We will see what we come up with. 

Well, I guess I had better get back to plucking berries into the bowl.

Warmly, ~Melissa