Monday, June 4th, 2007

Well, as you can see, I've been in the berry patch again, only this time, its not Blackberries or Red raspberries, but from my Gooseberry bush. And, I mean I've really been in the bush, as the scratches on my arms will attest too.

This has been a very good year for the berries, I would guess that this pile, which weighed 20 lbs, and was about 4 gallons would make couple dozen pies, if I was so inclined to make them. However, I think I'll only make one pie, and maybe then keep it to several tarts. Will freeze most of the good ones, and use them later on. I knew a year ago, that something would get into them, and they would have spots on their sides which made me throw them out.

Well, the man at the garden shop told me what to buy, but I didn't do it, and so this year, over half of what you see above, are in a bucket being smashed into what I'll call Gooseberry cider. We don't drink wine, so it won't be wine, but cider. Told my good friend Russell that I hoped to see him later on this fall, and for sure next year, but if the drink is too strong, I may not survive to see him.

And, speaking of Russell, he is one of my dearest friends, a retired Luthern minister living in Wisconsin, he is out here for his grandson John's high school graduation. I worked with his daughter Kathy for over 6 years, and he would come and visit, BUT during his visit last year, we invited him to our house, and we spent some wonderful times playing the harmonica's together. When he was a lad, he wanted to play a musical instrument in the school band, but it being the depression years, his dad informed him they didn't have money for such foolishness.

Russ had a paper route however and did earn some money so he bought himself a harmonica so he could make music, and has been playing it ever since. I have made tape accompaniment tapes of some songs that I play to, for him and love to share with him. He has so much spiritual insights that we can sit by the hour and share. Well, his time was very short with the high school graduation etc, but Saturday morning we did get together for a couple hours of playing our harmonicas. He had a list of hymns that he wanted us to play together. After playing through with both playing the melody, the second time through I would play harmony and I think we made beautiful music.

I do love to play the instrument. Can't help but think that David would have had such a musical instrument to play when he was tending the sheep before he was annointed King by Samuel. The bible says he played a harp, and I don't invision a large harp with 64 strings across it, but a mouth harp, more like a recorder that he played on. He would have been a very good harmonica player, I'm sure.

Last night, I was watch Classic Arts Showcase on T-V, and a piano player was playing Joplins song "The Entertainer", and it was in the key of C, so I grabbed my mouth harp, and played along with him. What fun.

Besides the gooseberry picking, my week has been full. Think I've already mentioned cleaning off the back porch, and now I've wiped down the walls, and this week will scrub them down to get 26 years of dust and accumulation off, then I'll start on the floors and get the crack against the house foundation sealed off. Seems its a good place for ants to live. Have already changed the lattice work at the end of the porch, and in one corner. Put in a new corner post, so we can lean on it, without falling into the yard, or pulling it loose as we could before. Also decided that another post had to go, and what fun to sit out there in the early morning, read my bible and read the paper with a cup of hot coffee to start my day.

I also find it nice in the evening to sit there and play the harmonica, must have been there two hours last night playing anything that came into my head, and sadly there are some songs that just won't play right in the key of "C", so think I'll need to keep another harmonica in another key handy.

Well, this is long enough for now, so will say cherrio for the present

gpa howard