by Curt Kovener
With the multitude of changes that have been and continue to go on with the newspaper, I had been derelict of duty with mowing the area of the wilderness to keep too much from becoming more wilderness.
Mowing is therapy for me. I can think, solve problems, foresee additional ones, and come up with possible alternative solutions.
And when the grass is tall I have to mow slower which gives me time to view the landscape.
I am pleased to report an excellent black raspberry crop along the mowed edges. Unlike previous years when they would ripen slowly, this summer entire canes are showing shiny ripe fruit.
A move to the lower walking trail shows a good potential for the blackberry crop. There has been adequate rainfall (sometimes too much, too quick) in the wilderness so I expect the now green blackberries to turn red then fill out to their juicy ripest.
Then it will be knee-high muck boots, bug spray and my homemade berry bucket. In its former life it was a coffee can and a length of spare 12-2 copper wire serves as a bail. A small spring loaded clamp affixes the bucket to my belt so I can use a two-handed pickling style.
While it is hotter, I wear an old long-sleeve shirt so the briars claw the fabric of the shirt and not my skin.
The first bucket of blackberries goes to Becky’s cobbler. And the first cobbler out of the oven gets initiated with vanilla ice cream.
Future buckets of blackberries get washed and placed in plastic bags in the freezer for winter cobblers and memories of summer.