My garden has been getting me a little down lately although there has been one success I'll be blogging about shortly. This really bummed me out though. I refused to highlight the offenders in this blog and instead focused on the victims, these poor roses that never got to bloom. Why can't they like to eat weeds?!

Notice something different about this photo? Yep, that's not the view out my back porch window (they aren't that clean), it's Nellie outside. I hadn't seen her for two days and just happened to notice on my way back in the house from a tomato check, that she was perched outside, swaying in the breeze. That was two days ago, I haven't seen her since.

I don't know. I'm kind of happy for her, there was always something very melancholy about Charlotte. Maybe she never knew she could leave and her heart was longing, maybe she knew but was too afraid to take the risk.

Good luck Nellie, the garden is yours. I hope you meet a nice (tasty) boyfriend and are happy as a Mantis can be.

Around and around the back yard I go. Garbage out, check lilies, check watermelons, corn and pumpkins. Flowers, (weeds) garden. Tomatoes. Moving on, peas, onions then peppers and grapes. Back in the door but one quick stop to the immature blackberry bush. Two weeks now it's been sporting 2 dozen pink, underripe berries, but not today. One lone black berry stands out from the pack, only slightly undderipe and I am torn. I want to eat it. I want to photograph and share it with all of you. I am late for work. Ah well.

I rummage through the oddments on my couch to find the camera, prepare and capture this bush's first offering to the family. The children, feeling my excitement start petitioning to get their share of the bounty and suddenly I'm torn between popping this blackberry into my mouth and closing my eyes and enjoying every second of it or succumbing to the endless barrage of "mommy, mommy, mommy?" that are coming from somewhere in the region of my navel. This is dutifully backed up by shrieks of delight by my daughter, strapped in the high chair.

I carefully peel the blackberry in half. I hand one portion to my son who declares it sour and delicious. Then to the baby.  I hand her one small section which she takes, looking to me to reassure her that it is indeed edible. She places it in her mouth, her little brow furrows a she chews. Her cheeks suck in and her eyes squint and her lips, pursed and then the uncontrollable smirk of all things sour slowly twists into a grin and a laugh and it is declared by all that (that matter) that blackberries are wonderful and delicious.

She ate the rest and Cooper didn't understand why there was only one, but I reassured him that there are more coming, slowly. Next year we won't know what to do with all of them!

I was frustrated that the focus was off on this picture, however, when I questioned whether you all would want to see it, bad focus job or not, I had to admit, I knew you'd want to see it.

She's doing well on the back porch!

These are the only bees I've been seeing lately, but they sure are busy. I saw one yesterday who was so covered in pollen he could hardly fly!

 

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