It was a little over 14 miles to this huge blueberry farm. The wife (I never got her name) told us how they had bought the land in 2017 and she introduced us to 4 month old Charlie was infatuated with Phyllis and he was smiling at her right away. Her husband was busily hammering on their new house which will also be huge when it is finished.
Speaking of being infatuated with Phyllis: I told her that we had to bring our own buckets and she told me not to worry. Yep, she had the coffee cans with heavy twine on them so you can string them around your neck and pick with two hands.
Phyllis Picking Blueberries
There weren't a lot of blueberries, but as Phyllis said, "Plenty for blueberry pancakes tomorrow!" I'll be making blueberry muffins for sure.
I remembered that you caress the branch and draw the blueberries toward you. If they don't come off easily, they are not ripe yet. At one point we had a bird screaming at us to get out of his blueberry patch. We didn't. I noticed quite a few bees and I couldn't figure out why -- there was no blossom to provide nectar. Short of drilling into a fruit, there was no food for a bee.
It was perfect for blueberry picking -- overcast with a slight breeze of relief from the low 80 degree heat which got really hot if the sun peeked through. Of course, I was hotter than usual because I was wearing my calf high gardening (rubber) boots. Phyllis couldn't figure out why I was wearing them and I told her that it's because I am really worried about ticks and Lyme disease.
When I got home, it was still overcast so I figured I couldn't put it off any longer. I got the loppers out and went a-lopping. I was embarrassed yesterday when Iola was nearly attacked by that darn wild rose when she was leaving. This giant cane reached toward her, "That wasn't there when I came in!" she exclaimed. Yes, it's like a jungle with all of the rain we have been having.
I haven't picked up the cuttings from the front porch yet. Then I was thinking that might deter some of these door knockers. They bedevil us because it's an easy neighborhood to canvas. Solar energy, politicians, save the whales, change your electric company, etc. We get them all.
Scenario
Violent bell ringing and knocking on Tina's door.
Me: What?! (Trying to fling open door in annoyance but deflated due to the fact that the rain and humidity has swollen the wooden door making it impossible to fling. Poot!)
Him: Hey, I got scratched on these thorns. You should pick them up.
Me: I didn't ask you to come to my door.
Him: I'm here with some really important information -- you might qualify for a rebate.
Me: Nope, I'm sure I don't qualify.
Him: What?
Me: Whenever I try to take online surveys that will give me a coupon or something, as soon as I put my age, they say I'm disqualified.
Him: No, see ...
Me: Yes, I see very clearly. And I clearly want you to leave. Be sure to have a nice day.
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Speaking of growing things:
Salt and Pepper Added for Size Reference
I have yet to taste one of these tomatoes. Three ripe ones and this have suffered the same fate. Phyllis has the same problem. She and my friend Ang in CT are convinced it's chipmunks. Or a chipmunk. Suddenly, Chip and Dale are not cute. I only left the green ones thinking he wouldn't chomp them -- boy, was I wrong.
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The movie I, Claude Monet was fabulous last Saturday (Amherst Cinema). The videograpahy was fabulous. They would find the exact spot where Monet viewed his subject, photograph it and dissolve into his painting of the same subject. It was terrific. I had no idea he was so poor during his first marriage which produced two sons. He remarried later and began to do all right. I saw many of his paintings in the movie that I had never seen before. Of course, at the end of his life, he was cursed with losing his eyesight. That must have been hell for him. He also did not think his paintings were very good. Can you imagine?
This coming Saturday we're going to see a movie about Hieronymus Bosch. (Yes, I had to look up how to spell his name and even then I had a hard time spelling it correctly.)
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Tomorrow I go for training to become an election worker. I'll be at a poll for the afternoon shift until closing. I don't know what I'll be doing, but I have done it before and it's not very taxing.
On Wednesday, I plan to go to my second Zumba class. I'm really going to have to make myself go -- last time I thought I was going to die! O.k., that is hyperbole, but the next day I hurt everywhere.
Last Friday I went to the Craft Time at the Senior Center. I brought a hand stitched table runner to work on. There was only one other lady who was quite elderly. She said when she first started going to that group there were 20 or more women. Maybe there will be more this coming Friday.
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The small successes are the sweetest. I couldn't raise the stopper in my bathroom sink. Of course, it was full of water and fabric that I was pre-washing. So I googled it and fixed it. The hardest part was getting up off my knees!
I have to go clean the filter in my mini split air conditioner. Cheers!
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