Wednesday potpourri

For Linda who commented yesterday:  I did not take pictures of dewberries during my limited time of picking yesterday.  I didn't even let the four dogs out of the pickup.  I didn't stay long.

Seems the dewberry crop took it in the shins like so many other fruit crops have in North Idaho this year.  One aspect of dewberry picking will change for the better.  Most of the berries I did find yesterday need a week or so to ripen.  Again, the cold spring put another crop behind.

Still, the volumninous vines from years past are simply crawling across the ground with no fruity accessories.  Occasionally, I'd find a few but not nearly in the numbers of the past couple of years.  

Makes me wonder how the huckleberry crop will be this year.

I do believe that the cold spring AND that week's worth of frigid temperatures with no snow back in December had a lot of influence on the sporadic yields we're seeing among many fruits this year.  So, we'll just have to chalk it up to an off year and make the best of it. 

Thank God for hearty blueberries.

I'm asking Willie and Debbie to pick the ripe berries  while we're gone cuz I don't want to see them fry on the branches over the next few days. 

We're taking off tomorrow for Houston and ending the day in Galveston.  Bill's sister Margaret says after all she's heard about the Gulf disaster, she wants to put her hand in some Gulf water.  So, we'll be just across the street from an area that, as far as we know,  has not been affected by the oil spill.  

We're not looking forward to the "balmy" temperatures, but the rest of the trip should be a great and valuable family memory as we meet Bill and Margaret's niece and nephew and visit  with a couple of elderly relatives in Orange, Tex., and Shreveport, Louisiana.  Then, we'll go to Bill and Margaret's hometown of Oakdale and spend a couple of days.

My plans are to stay in the background and quietly chronicle the happenings,  both photographically and with written word. If all goes well with our nightly accommodations, I'll be blogging from each overnight stop.  

So, that means a busy day today, getting everything in order around here.  Of course, one of the kitties, Licker,  had to catch a few ear mites, so I'll be doctoring her today.  

And, we still don't know when Harvey's crew is coming to do the hay.  More than likely, it will happen while we're gone, so Willie will have to see that all goes well in that department.

Debbie's lame these days.  Her knee, compliments of  the 204-mile bike trip from Seattle to Portland continues to swell and stiffen.  So, she's icing it and heating it as prescribed by the doctors.

She also spent her first-ever experience in a hospital (except for being born 32 years ago, that is)  Sunday night after crossing the finish line,  with a case of dehydration.

Debbie was one of several patients the staff had seen over the weekend, thanks to the biking classic.  After three hours of IV's, she was released.  In spite of the setbacks, she's overflowing with exuberance at having completed the ride, every last mile of it.  

She told us lots of stories last night, including a few tales of "cheaters," who would ride part way, then load up themselves and their bikes in cars and take the easy route for a few miles.

All the "no pain, no gain" and "what doesn't kill you builds character" declarations definitely fit Debbie in this "ride of her life."

Well, I'd better get on the move with trips to town, lawn mowing, packing, house cleaning, watering, etc.  A busy day lies ahead, as does an exciting Love/Tingle family adventure.  

Happy Wednesday.