I've lived in the Payson, AZ, area for several years now. Love the hiking and outdoor activities here. Being surrounded with 3.9 million acres of National Forest you had better like it.
But I missed the blackberry picking that I used to do on our "back 40" in Northwest Florida where I grew up.
Well, I finally hooked up with some ladies in our area who knew where the berries are. So last Saturday we went out, early I might add, and found the best patch of raspberries I have ever seen. Since I was a rookie at picking raspberries the gave me a rash about the big gallon bucket I brought along to pick in. Looked about the right size to me, cause I knew I was a berry picking fool! Secretly, I snickered at their tiny little buckets and boxes. Some of them were even home-made! What amateurs.
We arrived at the "patch" about 8:00 a.m. and picked for about 2 hours. During that time I managed to fall into the brier patch only once. It was the careless placement on my left foot that caused the accident. It didn't hurt as bad as I imagined it would as I did a sad dance of weaving and bobbing over my waterloo, trying all the while to catch my balance.
And I DID NOT scream as I rode the thorny bushes three feet down to the ground! I could see that getting up was not going to be easy as my head was pointing downhill and my feet were uphill. After checking for broken bones I realized I was structurally sound and that no one else had seen me fall. Only the tale-tale streams of blood dripping down my arms revealed my secret. Really, it didn't hurt bad until about 12 hours later. By that time I had picked out dozens of thorns. They are designed like a fish hook and just tear flesh as you try to pry them out. Ouch!
But I don't care. I got to make 7 pints of the best raspberry jam you ever tasted! And all my friends gave me much sympathy for my wounds. All in all, I picked the most and I think I enjoyed it the best.
One word to the wise, when you pick raspberries on the Mogollon Rim watch out for stones that can turn under your feet, and take a big bucket!
Sandra Scott
Four Seasons Realty, LLC
Payson, AZ 85541
928-978-9047
email: MyRealtorSandra@hotmail.com
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