Blackberry memories

I think this is so much prettier when enlarged. I took it today--won't be too long till there's berries! A big old blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream sounds wonderful to me!

Our mom always made them in a 9 x 13 cake pan. Its another thing she made without measuring--and they were always good. Ask Neal and Patty. Mom always tried to make one for them when they went home to visit because they liked them so well.

We did not have tame blackberries....I don't know of anyone around there that did. But there were two or three cow pastures where they grew--uncared for in anyway. Other than the cattle that sometimes made paths through them.

Usually mom and I would each take a milk bucket...in our case a 2 1/2 gallon pail. And I always took a little coffee can--at least I think that is what they were they were about 6 inches tall and 4 or 5 inches in diameter. First, some of us would take a nail and make holes on opposing sides, and then we would use wire and make a handle. And off we would go.

Either of our two favorite places to pick berries were less than a mile away--one was within sight of home for the most part....the other was a little bit farther. We would get there, and I would set my milk bucket down and take time to run my belt through the handle of the homemade coffee can bucket. That way, when I came to a good place to pick, I could set my big bucket down and have both hands free to pick into the coffee can. When I got it full, I would just empty it into the big pail.

I don't remember how long it would take us to fill our buckets...I do know that we would go pick after lunch usually, and mom would still have time to make a batch of jelly or can the berries after we got home, and before supper.

You would think the weight of all those berries would have squished them till they were mushy, but it really didn't harm them. Maybe cause we were walking and not the constant vibration had we been transporting them in a vehicle.

Anyway, to this day, blackberry picking is at the top of my list of favorite things to do. And I don't even like to eat them as I pick. I have just always enjoyed picking them. My arms were always full of briar scratches and I would always be full of chiggers. I don't remember my mom ever getting very many of them, but they loved me.

If you don't know what chiggers are, or have never had them....count your blessings. You can read about them here. They are the one thing I would really dread dealing with now. But if I were given the opportunity to go berry picking like that once again, I would jump at the chance!

Here's another barn

I am so worn out I can't think straight tonight...it has been a long time since I have taken care of a little baby and you can tell it. All you have to do is look in my eyes to see that I am wiped out. I know I will not be taking near as many pictures, but hopefully I will still be able to show a few new barns. I have a lot I have never posted....such as this one. The top is the view we first saw of this barn....then we went down and around a couple curves and got the other view of it that I am showing below.
I always wonder about the windows in the barns. Around here, a lot of barns have at least a couple windows, but where I grew up, I cannot think of any barn right in my area that had windows. My first thought is that they are for ventilation, but I am not even sure you can open them.
I cropped one of my pictures to show you a closer view of the windows...click on it to enlarge and see what you think about them.
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Change of subject
One of my blog buddies wondered if Cougar might have a girlfriend...and I thought I would just add a note that all our animals are either neutered or spayed. So I don't think that is it...he sometimes comes home with burrs in his hair, but not the other day. He came home starved to death...he looked like he had lost weight. We sort of think he goes in someone's garage and gets locked in. He has never been gone this long before, but he was gone almost 24 hours once. That time he came home hungry and thirsty, too.

I had planned on not letting them out, and didn't really think it would be much of a problem. They had been born inside and never been out. You would think they would have had a fear of going out, but instead they would about trip us trying to get out. Then, my daughter brought her two cats, which did happen to be the mother and brother of our two....it just became impossible to go outside without at least one cat getting out. So we finally gave up.

My first Cougar, who lived to be 17 years old, was neutered; he stayed in our yard for the most part so I kind of figured these would also. For the most part, the other three almost always come when I call. They are usually here in the yard somewhere or across the street at Kay's, but Cougar just disappears and I have no idea where he goes. I turn him and turn around and he is gone.

But, I am actually wondering if he has learned something from this, cause he sure has spent a big part of the past two days inside! He does go out, but he is usually back within a short time.

Just a few more flowers....

When Lorelei got here this morn, she and I went to look at the flowers...and I was trying to decide if this dark one is the same variety as I showed earlier. I cannot tell for sure. I bought it at this community yard sale a year or two ago...I forget the name of it. At the time from the description I wondered was it the same as the dark ones I already had.
I forget where this one came from....I only have two or three of them. I have had them for several years.
I wish I had taken a picture of the whole bunch of those above when they first started to bloom...again, I started out with only a couple and I have a whole bunch of them now.
I had totally forgotten buying this yellow one...again it was at that community yard sale. I had just been thinking I wanted to get some yellow ones. I kept seeing the petals that stand up and thought that it was just another of the purple/white ones, even though the white petals had a sort of yellow glow. I thought it was just something to do with the lighting.
Imagine my surprise when Lorelei and I walked out there and it was this one! I just love it. Irises are some of my favorite flowers...I think it is the variety of colors available that make me love it so. And they do smell so good! To me, they smell a little bit like grape Kool-Aid. Is it just me, or does anyone else think that?

Anyway, I hope you enlarge them to see their full beauty.
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I don't know if you noticed that the picture I posted of Lorelei sleeping in the last post was actually taken Tuesday. There is a sort of story behind my reasoning. Yesterday was a hard day...she was just out of sorts. I was trying to hold her to the schedule that we figured she would be on with the feeding. I was not letting my natural instincts have their way. And I paid for it big time. She fussed a big part of the day, then when I gave her her bottle she would go to sleep before she really got full. Then wake up in a bit and the cycle would start all over again--me trying to make her wait, her crying and wearing herself out and then falling asleep before she had her fill. So it was a long day....in more ways than one as you will see if you continue reading.

On top of this with Lorelei, my cat Cougar had went outside Monday and I didn't see him again that day, and he was not home Tuesday morn as he normally is after spending a night out. He is usually on the back porch sitting in a chair waiting for me. He did not come home that Tuesday at all. We went for a walk after Lorelei went home and called for him. No Cougar. I stayed up till past midnight, occasionally going outside and looking and calling for him. No Cougar.

I didn't sleep much at all that night, looked for him when I first got up yesterday(Wednesday) and no Cougar. Every chance I got, which wasn't many, I went outside and called for him. By the time Lorelei left yesterday, I had given up on him ever coming home. I doubt you can imagine my joy when I looked up and seen him looking in the window looking for me at about dark last night! It really isn't much of an exaggeration when I say he owns my heart....

Then today I went with my instincts with Miss Lorelei and we had a great day! I am quickly learning the tv schedule...it is fun to sit and talk to her and watch her reaction to things....so far, she really loves the two characters that are orange and yellow on Barney and Friends, she likes Sesame Street....but not Sponge Bob Square-Pants (he doesn't do a thing for her), she kind of likes Clifford the Big Red Dog and she likes the Barnyard Animals.

Kay came over after school, and Lorelei likes her....and what is not to like? She is 7 years old and is one of the best kids. She has a very loving heart....she is such a good sister to her little brothers. And I know she will be so good to Lorelei. She had to hold Lorelei and she wanted to give Lorelei her last bottle but I was afraid to try that right now.

So now it is time for me to settle down and try to get some real rest!