Picking berries

In April it was Strawberry pickin' time. Then the Raspberries started ripening; they come bits at a time over a long season. Now, it's Blackberry pickin' time. They too ripen over time. So far we've picked a whole lot and there's more than that still ripening on the vines.

Yesterday, after work, I was pickin' Blackberries so I could take some to Laura and my next door neighbor came out and helped me pick while we chatted. Then, her friend arrived and she helped pick too. Remember, we have no fences around our yard. It stuck me how uniquely Southern this little experience was (is). Rachel, my neighbor, knows that she can pick all the berries on her side of the bushes (I planted them on the property line) but she wasn't picking for herself. She said she had all we wanted and she was filling up my bowls (4 large ones all together). It's just another thing I love about living here. (There are so many that I'm going to start sharing and labeling them.)

So far we've had Blackberry cobbler and I've made Blackberry jam. Someone at work told me what he likes to so with them and we're going to try it. He washes and dries the berries and then promptly freezes them. Then, he'll put a portion of frozen berries in a whole and pour sweetened condensed milk (or evaporated milk mixed with sugar) over them and stir quickly. The milk freezes onto the berries and it makes a creamy frozen treat. Now doesn't that sound wonderful? We'll see if it's as good as it sounds. There are berries in the freezer now.

Summertime in Chattanooga

The sun is shining bright (and hot) these days. We stay inside a lot but we do venture out when we dare.

There are some "cool" places to visit in weather like this. One really great spot is downtown, between the two aquariums. In the shade of the buildings and trees, there is a water feature that is adored by kids and adults alike. A long winding "creek" makes it's way from one end of the property to the other. It's a great place to cool off. And it's free! This is just one more reason to add to the list of why we love living here.

On Memorial Day, Larry and I headed for Cloudland Canyon State Park just over the border into Georgia. We decided to visit the two waterfalls. We were warned about the 600 steps. No kidding! It was down first and then back up after. It was about 97 degrees that day too. Whew! We did a lot of resting.

We live in a beautiful place. We've only begun to explore all that TN and GA have to offer.