That’s the sound of a summer morning spent at picking blueberries – although of course, dropping them into a Pyrex dish or recycled yogurt container doesn’t produce quite the same noise, and fortunately there were no bears to interrupt us or distract the small children.  Unfortunately, I was too busy stuffing my face and filling my containers to get out the camera.  Rest assured that the kidlets were a laugh and a half – making up silly animal names, discussing the methods of the Blueberry Monster (which they hastened to assure me was entirely imaginary), and whether we would run into any bears.  The youngest child stowed some berries in her pocket, and took frequent snack breaks while walking to the park afterwards.  It was, all in all, exactly what a summer morning ought to be.

I feel like I’ve seen a few conversations online lately about favorite summer books, or books that evoke summer.  Blueberries for Sal is definitely in my top five, especially since blueberry picking is usually a major feature in my summers.  Another one is Tasha Tudor’s fantastic Becky’s Birthday – I haven’t seen a copy of it in years, but it was a favorite as a child.  I loved all things old-fashioned, plus I have a summer birthday, like Becky.  The peach ice cream!   The picnic!  I wish it were still in print – I might have to make a trip to the downtown library to take a peek at their copy, which doesn’t circulate.