While mowing the lawn last Saturday(an early Father's Day gift for my allergy prone hubby), I came across the most wonderful surprise. The entire back right side of our house is filled with Raspberry bushes. Originally, we had thought that they were rose bushes as they had thorns and basically looked like they were getting ready to bloom. Imagine my surprise to find tons of bright red raspberries ready to be picked.
I remember going camping as a child and somehow, my parents always found raspberries for us to pick. I think that I have a picture of my sister and I around ages 6 & 7, with our scraggly blonde hair in our face, peeking out from behind the raspberry bush. Ah, memories. I think that for kids, picking raspberries is almost magical in a way. The moment I went inside to tell the kids what I had discovered, they were squealing with delight and rushing out of the sliding glass door to bound down the stairs and get a peek at the tiny red berries that they knew they would soon pick.
We have been picking berries every day since Saturday. If this picture is any indication, this is only 1 bowl out of three that were filled to the top this morning with ripe red raspberries. It is so much fun to be able to have this little ritual every morning. The kids truly enjoy picking and munching on our own home grown goodness.
The kids have learned which ones are ready to be picked and which ones we need to leave until tomorrow. They have also learned to be very careful as there are "poke's" on the branches. I have been poked numerous times helping them pick off some of the berries...but it is all worth it in the end. We even had the chance to spy a little green tree frog hanging out in the berries. He momentarily captured all of the kids' attention, until they realized that pursuing him meant gettting A LOT of "pokes."
Today, I am thankful for the simple things in life. The things that capture our imagination, hold our attention, and bring us joy to brighten up our day.
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