Gems from the garden!

I was out early this morning..right at daybreak. I had a mission. I wanted to get to the blackberries before the birds had a chance to get their share! It seems that since Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal made their abode in the vines, they laid claim to all that grew around them. Well, I was careful not to disturb them as long as Mrs. C was on the nest and then again when the little ones were still flightless. Now...the vines are mine again! When I slipped out to the fenceline, the berries sparkled like jewels. The dew from the night was still thick upon them. I could not help but pop the first few into my mouth! Oh..the sweet goodness of a fresh-picked berry! It took me nigh on thirty minutes to fill my pail, but the time nor the thorns mattered. I was gathering gems from the garden! Actually, these gems make me happier than all of the gemstones from a jeweler. Call me crazy but a cold, hard rock cannot bring as big a smile to my face as a pail of edible jewels from the garden! Simple pleasures..smile inducing..priceless!

These berries were soon washed and tossed in a pot. After a while of cooking, some sugar and a bit of homemade apple pectin, blackberry jam was being jarred! Ten more pints were added to the shelf! Family and friends will definitely be recipients of some homemade goodies soon. On some slow day, I will bake loaves of sourdough bread to deliver along with a pint of jam. Nothing better!

After finishing the chores for the day, I perched myself in my favorite chair in the front yard. There was a delightful breeze blowing in from the bay making this the perfect cooling-off place. One reason I love to sit here is that from this chair, I have full few of the many bird feeders. Today, the birds were putting on quite the performance. The bluejays and redwinged blackbirds were jockeying for the best position on the feeders. They both seem to like the black oil sunflower seeds and will challenge any that comes between them and their intended meal. As they were busy chasing each other, the redbellied woodpecker helped himself to their seeds. I was at first confused by his actions but after studying him for a bit, I realized this was one smart bird! He would land on the feeder, pick up a seed, fly to the driftwood post and deposit the seed in a knot hole. Then he would start pecking at the seed in the hole.

This was repeated with every seed and it took me a few minutes to realize that he was using the knot hole as a holder so he could shell out his seed. He had figured out that the seed would sit securely in the hole while he pounded away at it. I was impressed at his ingenuity!