Strawberries and Blackberries

To me, no other fruit means summer quite like these two fruits. Except maybe dewberries/raspberries. Watermelon also has its place. But strawberries and blackberries seem to carry all the sweetness of summertime, with the tartness that (to me) mirrors the sting of the sun during a Texas summer. What brought that up?
I just ate a plate of strawberries and blackberries for lunch...and it was wonderful! Driscol fruits are amazing.

It made me remember when I was a kid, and my little brother and I would go pick blackberries and dewberries from the vines that grew on the back of our fence. Now, behind our fence is a neighborhood--manicured lawns, beautiful houses. The wild berry vines don't grow there anymore. And the trees we used to picnic under so we could get out of the house have pretty much all been cut down. Some still stand, but they are no longer part of the woods we'd ride our bikes through on exploratory trips to the bayou. Now, our childhood summers weren't the summers of our parents and grandparents...but they were pretty neat. We'd stay outside all day. We'd hang out together, but little brother would also go play with his friends and I would go up in our backyard fort with a book. Not a whole lot has changed in that respect lol...I'd still rather go hole up somewhere with a book!

It's nostalgic, thinking about how much has changed where we grew up. And how much has changed in the world in general...parents today wouldn't dare let their kids go for an unattended bike ride through some woods leading to the bank of a bayou! I hope our kids will be able to have a childhood that incorporates the outdoors and summertime. That said, I'm glad it was another time when we grew up...it gave us lots of great memories.

They are fun memories. I guess the combination of the blackberries and the fact that my little brother rolled his car this morning in Colorado brought them back. He's fine, the car's not. He's mad at himself, but only bruised up a bit with one cut. Thank God. I believe everything happens for a reason, and that what's meant to be will be. I'm just glad little brother walked away. It's funny how much we've grown up, and how much he will always be the little brother I want to protect and take care of...even when I know I have to let him make his own decisions and mistakes. But I'll always love him.

Later today I think I'll go buy some more strawberries and blackberries...that way I can still taste summer even if all the rain is keeping us indoors.

Anyways, I was just thinking.