Summer Blueberry Memories

These blueberries brought us much laughter this past weekend.

Our campsite had a wonderful little petting zoo which included horses, a young calf, ducks, pigs, chickens and a mama goat with her two kids.

We were feeding the animals alfalfa pellets purchased on site from old 25 cent candy dispensers, along with bags of apples and carrots we had brought with us.  One of our containers of blueberries was beginning to become over ripe so I decided to bring it along too.  The goat was less than enthusiastic when she tried gathering the rolling globes off my daughter's palm, but she was curious enough to persevere.  

The blueberries were difficult for her to grasp as the blue marbles rolled alongside her muzzle. She was frustrated with the amount of work it was taking to get them into her mouth.  That is, until she tasted one of the berries.  Her demeanor changed instantly as she lunged for my daughter and the rest of those blueberries.  She couldn't gobble them up fast enough.  (It was at this point I felt a strange connection to mama goat, and I'm not sure why?) You could tell this was a new taste sensation for her and she was going to get every last one.  (Ah yes, that was it... she reminded me of myself when in the presence of chocolate.)  The peels of laughter and shrieks from my daughter brought everyone running. 

Her young kid however was not able to manage grabbing the globes off of my daughters hands and so she was fed one little blueberry at a time.  She seemed to be trying to chew, moving the blueberry around in her mouth until finally she stopped, turned her head to the side and spit it out with great vigor.  

My daughter laughed and laughed over the obvious disdain the goat felt for this marble of a fruit she had been given. The girls told the story of the goats and their blueberries many times over on our seven hour drive home; laughing as they explained and re-enacted the goats blueberry reactions.

Summer Blueberry Memories.

I want to freeze them ... and then pull them out again some time in November.


After the snow has fallen.