The sweet reward...

We pay our dues all winter long. When the dreary, cold, sunless days go on and on and we wonder why we live in Michigan. But now, the sweet reward...the sweet, round, delicious, blue reward...BLUEBERRIES!!!

We went picking as a family last night. Our first stop had me a little worried that we might not find the blue treasures we were looking for. The bushes were full, but the berries were tiny and not so sweet. So, off we went to Blueberry Hill. Maybe they should rename it Blueberry Heaven. I have always found great berries there in the past, and this year rewarded us with the same treats. (Wasn't our first stop because we thought you had to be done picking by 7 p.m.)

The bushes were so loaded that the branches couldn't hold the weight. Lift up the branches and ohhhh, sweetness! One for the bucket, one for me, two for the bucket, three for me.......

Sage had to be confined to her stroller, so I made a feeble attempt to entertain her with some cereal. That lasted about five minutes before I heard, repeatedly, 'uh-oh', 'uh-oh'!! She was either attempting to plant 'Alphabit' trees or knew there was better goods to be had and was making room in her tray! Once she had a taste of those sweet little treats, she didn't want to stop. If one of us wasn't within 5 feet of her (thus close enough to share), we heard about it.

Regan didn't take long to master the idea that the big one's are the sweet ones. She even managed to get a few in my bucket for the stash to take home. She enjoyed the idea that she was the perfect height to sneak into the bush and find all the big ones that are hard for the grown-ups to reach/find.

This morning we enjoyed the fruits of our labor with breakfast. For Regan, that means oatmeal with blueberries. One of her favorites, especially in mid-winter when we pull a few from the freezer.

Oh, how we love the sweet treats of Michigan summers!