At Last!

I have some very fond memories of strawberries from my childhood.


One being Strawberry Shortcake (the doll), but I also remember going over the mountain with my parents and my grandparents to pick strawberries at a farm.


It was a day I should have been slapped by my Grandmother. (Yes, I did say I have fond memories...let me finish...) On our way home from picking berries, I sat in between my grandmother and my pap-pap as we drove home from the "pick your own patch". For some reason, I lovingly touched my Grandmother's stomach and asked her if she was going to have a baby! My mother let me have it, and told me that I was very rude. I've been embarrassed about that comment ever since...

Aside from asking my grandmother about her pregnancy, it was a great day. I remember it vaguely, but it's one of those childhood memories that is still fresh in my mind for some reason.

My grandfather used to have a huge garden at my parent's house, I'm talking the size of a football field, filled with vegetables. He also had a little strawberry patch to the side of the garden. The berries were never really sweet, but I do remember tasting them. My father just started a strawberry patch for Michael (and his other future grandchildren) this spring, so maybe in a few years we won't have to go to a farm to pick strawberries. We can just go to my mom and dad's.

This was an exciting afternoon for me. I've been wanting to pick berries for the past few years, and today I got the chance. This evening I think we're going to take some of these yummy berries to my grandparents. I doubt I'll bring up the pregnancy story to my grandmother, though!

(**My smart aleck husband asked me if I plan on entering the top photo in the fair this summer--he makes fun of any picture that I take of an inanimate object. We thought I should call it "Strawberry Shortcake". One of these years, I just might enter a photo, just to mess with him...You do get a free pass to the fair for a FULL week!**)