Berry Time

 Time for my annual post about strawberry picking. I went first thing this morning, arriving just as they were opening for the day at 7:30.  The field was quiet, sun was shining, it wasn't hot yet. It was perfect.

Did you know there is a berry picking etiquette?  Well, any U-pick situation has common sense manners.  When we lived in South Haven the activity was something people did while on vacation and it could be Katie Bar the Door with manners. 

1. Pick ALL of the fruit on the plant, not just the pretties on top. Move the leaves around. Pick all of it. Sometimes the best ones are hiding.

2.  Stay in your lane.  If someone is picking a row or a bush find a different one, this one's taken.

3. Please stay off your phone.  Some of us are there for the peace and quiet

4. Yes, it's fun to taste but the object is to pay the farmer for his crop not see how much you can eat without paying for it.  This isn't Costco.

5. Keep tabs on your kid - toddler or teen - doesn't matter. 

I went alone this morning and in 20 minutes picked 6.25 pounds

The pie.  I bragged to a friend the pies weigh ten pounds.  Close but not quite!

Many years ago I was cleaning fruit for a senior class party at my daughter's school.  A teacher was also in the school kitchen prepping food.  When I finished with my enormous bowl of strawberries I stood back, smiled and said, "Isn't that the prettiest thing you've ever seen?"  

"No," he said.

"What?" 

He said he grew up in a family of migrant workers.  He can't/won't eat anything he had to bend over in the hot sun all day long and pick in order to live. 

Now, I pick my own because I love it and thank goodness physically can still do it.  Many, many/most people don't.  They rely on going to the farm stand and buying their berries already picked.  Someone once told me she wasn't going to go out in that hot sun and do it herself.

Well.  

My feeling is this.  If you eat food and didn't grow it or pick it yourself then someone else did. 

Someone else bent over in that hot sun all day and did it for you, and like the trend now to thank a veteran when you see one, thanking a migrant worker isn't too far off.  There are some - and I won't name names but you all know which side of the fence I'M on - want all migrants gone from the US. 

I would love to see SOME people snarking around talking this talk bending over in the fields picking their food. 

Just sayin'.

Sunflowers and Such

 I don't know about you but I'm tired of the squirrel problem.  They've gone again so I have a break.  While they love the sunflower seeds and can smell that they are in the feeder from two hills away, they do not like the hot pepper treated seed so I'm doing ok with my battles if I keep the seeds hot.

Sure is pretty out there, though.  This is my view while on the computer. It can be a busy place.

Done with squirrels so here's an update on the sunflower quilt.  It's wrinkly because I am scrunching it into my hand to stitch and the pieces are pinned down.  I know, I know, there are other ways but I don't use those ways. No glue, no fusing, no machine, just thread basting for first placement and then pinned like a suit of armor that come out as I needle turn applique. Works for me.

Adelaide is guiding my hand with every step.  Every one of them.  I put something down, take a picture and send it to her and she edits. Or while she is here and can move something. I had pulled out the bright orange petals in the third flower but she put them back in.  

I showed her some border ideas and she chose one that will use all of the colors so that's good.

I AM following how the original picture of these flowers did the vein in the leaves.  The photo shows flat sided ends, and we all know points can be a pain so this works, looks good, Adelaide approved and so much easier.

We all know Jo knits scarves using tea bag strings.  That absolutely intrigued me and after her post telling how she does it, needle size, weight of string, I decided on January first to start saving my tea strings.  

I drink a lot of iced tea.  A lot. So I was curious about how long it would take to save enough strings.  Sometimes I use string bag tea, sometimes the bags don't have strings and sometimes I use loose tea so doing the math wouldn't work.  Besides, Jo doesn't count them, she weighs hers.  

This little knob is 7 grams and as you can see, a few of the strings have the little staple attached so I am aware this will affect the weight.  

Before we went to London in January I asked Brian to save his strings.  He said tea sold domestically comes in bags without strings.  Only restaurants have stringed bags. While we were there, I saved those.  And, Jo, he laughed hysterically when I told him why I wanted them.

Everyone I tell thinks it's about the craziest thing they've ever heard of.....till I show them the pics on her blog post.  Then it's, "ohhh, it's really not that crazy!"  

By the end of the year I may have enough for a bookmark, I am sure there won't be enough for a scarf.