Lessons Learned While Berry Picking


It’s been a couple of weeks since I check on the wild blackberry bushes that are spread all over the property. The last time I looked, they were almost all green, meaning the flowers had just fallen off and they were waiting to soak up the rain and sunshine. This morning, they were almost all red! They’re coming right along.


I noticed several other things while I was out walking the property, and hopefully they’ll be as much of a blessing to you as they were to me. First, if I’m only looking for berries, I miss out on the other plants and colors spread all around. I have to keep my eyes up and open for other beautiful things, too.


The one thing that’s different always stands out. In a sea full of red berries, the black ones look like flashing neon signs. So if you are something special, or do something different, you’re going to stand out in the crowd.


There’s often snags in your plan, a hitch in your giddy-up and a beaver slide in the middle of the trail. You can’t control them or prevent them, but you can deal with them as soon as you see them.


Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it’s so much fun for humans! Like, why are there two evergreen trees randomly in the middle of the property? Were they someone’s Christmas trees years ago? Did they migrate in with some bird? Are we the target of evergreen tree pranksters? Inquiring minds want to know!


At the end of the day’s picking, I ended up with three cups of blackberries, the biggest ones coming from the top of the ridge. Over the next few days I’ll show you my plans for them. I can’t wait! And I’ll be able to go back out in a couple of days to see how many more berries are ready for picking.

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