I was a Bad Child

Eating healthy is damn expensive! It also takes a lot longer to shop when you take the time to read all the labels. Did I mention how much I hate to go grocery shopping? Thank goodness it's almost summer. My mother is a Master Gardener and grows all sorts of stuff. This time I'll even tell her I'm there to mooch.

Years ago, I was having friends over for dinner. It was spring, asparagus season. I decided that asparagus would go well with what I was serving. You guessed it. My mom used to grow the best asparagus. For the few days proceeding my dinner I stopped in to visit my parents daily, unheard of for me. I don't remember the excuses I used for visiting so often but I'm sure they were bizarre. I always parked next to the asparagus patch, window open. I would pick the new shoots, toss them into my car, and then go into the house. Dinner was a success and the asparagus was as tasty as ever. The next time I visited, a few weeks later, my mother mentioned her frustration. For the first time ever the local critters that wandered out of the woods were nibbling her precious asparagus down to the ground. Every day too. But only when they approached picking size. Normally, I don't confess my transgressions until years later but she was so outraged I couldn't help laughing. I told her. In the middle of her tirade my dad came out to find out what was going on. He saw the humor in it instantly. It took her a while longer.

I've been forgiven for that one probably because I now share the strawberries from my yard with her. And she actually teases me about it these days since I show up picking basket in hand. She even plants sugar peas just for me.

Strawberries...yep, time to weed around them. They're blooming all over the place. Hm, I've already done an awful lot today. There's a chance of showers later. Perhaps it's best if I wait until tomorrow. With the ground wet the weeds will be so much easier to pull. Sounds like a plan to me. What are you up to this weekend?