Woke up to a Blackberry winter…

Woke up to a Blackberry Winter this morning by cracky. That occurs after a mid-Spring warming trend is confronted with a few days of cloudy, cold disagreeable weather sometimes with a light frost. So says the WEATHER ALMANAC for May. People also refer to it sometimes as Dogwood Winter.

I read this piece with interest as when I grew up; we had a dogwood tree in our front yard up on the hill. One didn’t mess around much with that tree as my mother was particular about it.

The WEATHER ALMANAC says the dogwood trees are unique in their own way as legend says the dogwood provided the wood for the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. The once strong, tall tree, the legends tell us, was ashamed for its role in Christ’s suffering and begged his forgiveness. Christ absolved the tree of guilt and altered its shape so that forever after it would grow slender and twisted, wood unsuited for a cross of crucifixion. To remind all of the dogwood’s suffering, he formed the tree’s blossoms into a fourpetaled cross with a central “crown of thorns” and petals stained with red.

Sure enough the blossoms on that old tree back in Georgia had what looked like bad spots on the end of each leaf.

Interesting reading in the Almanac, I like it anyway.

My neighbor was walking with me this past week around back of my house and he jumped backed. “There’s a snake,” he said pointing towards the ground and over a bit. I looked immediately and saw one coiled up black with yellow specks on it. “It scared the heck out of me” he said.

He had a piece of pipe in his hand before I knew it. I asked him not to kill it as it’s a King Snake and they eat other snakes. It’s the only snake I will not kill except the grass snake. Have not seen the snake since that time but I do look for it now when I walk back there. The King Snake will not hurt you but will make you hurt yourself.

I don’t want to be picking blackberries and reach over to get one and there’s that snake. I’ll never pick another berry. Speaking of, should be ready to pick berries next weekend. I’m ready to start canning again. Might do some pickles this
year. Having made bread and butter pickles one year that was enough for me. Dill pickles are supposed to be easier.

Gathering up pint jars, a case of pints now cost eight bucks or more. Going to try the seed extractor we picked up in Canton, Texas. It’s a V shaped funnel with a rounded piece of wood used to crush and strain the berries through the sieve.

The month of May marks the 10th year of Two Cents Worth. Surely, I have made somebody smile.

Adios.