The wild Mayberries

. . .have been so abundant this year. They're also known as huckleberries, but Mayberries says when they arrive and that seems right. We have tons of wild blackberries, too - but the kudzu spraying means they are off limits this year. I lobbied hard for goats to eat the kudzu, but there's no government cost sharing plan for goats. Maybe some day.

Anyway, there's just something magical about the Mayberries and I can't get enough of picking and eating them. . . . . and they just grow - without any interference on our part! I know Paul would have thought they were really cool, too.

The past few mornings there's been a lot of moisture in the air - but no rain. And we are desperate for it, even as others are flooding along the Mississippi following the terrible storms and tornadoes. RB put a cistern on the trailer and trucked in water from his aunt's for the garden and orchard.

I think the fruit trees will live but was dismayed to see all the persimmon blossoms on the ground. Our raised beds have been hit & miss so far - but they will be successful when we get the soil built up. Trial and error - learning as we go. The cabbages didn't make heads and don't know what that's about. The strawberries look great, but we had to put down landscape cloth to kill the hay seeds (tried to use it for mulch) and has kept the runners from spreading properly. The blueberries are hanging in - the plants are strong and the Mayberries have more than made up for them this year.

Thank goodness for those great, reliable Earthboxes! Tomatoes and peppers are looking good.

So, after watering everything I was pooped and took a break. Played in the worm bin adding the 3rd tray to our new Worm Factory 360, using dirt from an old planter, wet cardboard, a bit of pumice, some wheat bran and goat poop (starter worms and goat poop courtesy of Mr. John Harrelson, 'the canjoman'). Topped it off with wet, shredded phone book pages. Each tray is a little different, but worms seem to be thriving in their new home.

Cleaned the kitchen and made banana bread with wild Mayberries. Supper included day-before chicken from the crock pot with sides of cabbage and orzo cooked in onions and chicken broth. After dinner we took the dogs for a ride - they run, we ride - in the Polaris.

All in all, a very nice day in Boston, Alabama. 5/11/11

Perception blurs reality

I generally feel pretty good about myself - until I see pictures that leave me wondering "how could I have gone out of the house looking like that?" Adding insult to injury, any pictures of me generally get taken when I've made an extra effort toward my appearance. Just not photogenic? Camera adds ten pounds? Whatever. As a result, I avoid cameras when possible - I prefer my perception to the reality of what I see.

Now it seems I have to add MIRRORS to the mix. We have so few in our house - one on the medicine cabinet and a full length one behind a door - so I seldom think about it until I'm confronted by a large expanse of mirrored wall somewhere.

The thing is - everyone else always looks 'right' to me in pictures. So why does my image look so different than my perception? Just once, I'd love to see myself in someone else's eyes.

Jumping to Conclusions

How many times have you jumped to a conclusion about people or events and acted on that conclusion, only to realize later that you were mistaken? Did you own up to it and apologize? Now think about how many times someone else has likely jumped to the wrong conclusion about you.

Think about how many times you've likely jumped to the wrong conclusion and acted on it - but never found out you were mistaken. You see, hear, or read something - draw a conclusion on the information at hand and act. A careless conclusion can be benign, but can also - unintentionally - cause great harm.

Most of us would like to believe we use sufficient due diligence in matters of great importance to us and others, but how do we know? And how many decisions do we make daily without knowing how harmful the wrong conclusion might be.

It's probably not good to spend too much time thinking about stuff like this. I mean, where does it end?