Blackberry Time Here in the Mountains

I read Tipper Pressley's blog, The Blind Pig and the Acorn every day. I subscribe and it is delivered right to my Inbox. She is a friend but also, I enjoy her posts. Today she reminded me of my childhood on the farm where blackberries grew wild and where my sister and I were often sent to pick them. Mother made blackberry pie or cobbler and she also made blackberry jelly. I can still taste that jelly on one of her soft delicious biscuits. I have never found any jelly in a store as good as that my mother made. Tipper has generously given me some of her jelly at times and it is delicious as well. Now if I just had Mother's good biscuits.

Mother and Daddy in front of the farm house where I grew up.

I am sharing a poem from my book, Now Might as Well be Then, about my blackberry picking.

Blackberry Patch

Mother's voice rises above my bawling.

"Stop pitching a fit and get your bucket."

I plant myself on the top step

bare feet refusing to move.

My dread lies coiled deep in the brambles.

He slithered out when I thrust my hand

in to grab a plump one.

Fear-prickled, I danced in terror

then streaked home screaming.

An ominous cloud shadows the sky.

Fat raindrops plop in the yard dust.

Reprieve. Blessed reprieve.

           -- Glenda C. Beall

To Facebook or not to Facebook. Is that the question?

At the urging of my friend, Tipper and another old friend, Sue J., I decided to check out Facebook. I'm not sure what the purpose of this site is other than connecting to each others whether it is old classmates or old friends trying to find each other. I am sorry to say that I spent far more time than I have to spend, trying to go through all the menus.

I can see how this could be addictive, just as the Blackberry has become addictive. BB has a Blackberry and it is on and with him at all waking hours. At first I scorned this little phone gadget that cost so much money, but heck, now I am asking him to let me check my e-mail when we are traveling. He set it up with both my email address and his email address so it is like a secretary for both of us. The only problem with it as far as I'm concerned, I cannot type on it. So I phone instead of returning emails when we are away from home.

While trying out this Facebook thing, I tried to think of someone from high school I might want to hear from again after all these years. Only one person came to mind. Claudia. We went to the same college and kept in touch for many years, but have not corresponded in fifteen years or more.

Lo and behold, I put in her maiden name and there she was in Portland Maine, the same place she had been when she sent the last Christmas card. And also on her list of "friends" was Jen, her daughter, now grown up with family, and I think her son was also among the list of friends attached to her name.

I'm sure there are some tips I should have known before I signed up for Facebook. Mainly that I should have used my maiden name if I wanted my past to catch up with me. I have mixed feelings about that. I'll go to Facebook now and see what is going on. I'm not sure what benefit I'll get from it, but I'm curious and like to see what is happening.