Strawberries

Darcey and I have been trying to figure out how to get the family out in public more often. It's hard to do much more than go on a walk around the block because of my work schedule and Darcey's school schedule. We look forward to our weekends, but usually end up trying to reconnect as a family and are reluctant to share ourselves with anybody else because of it.

We worry that Leah, like Daisy, won't get enough socialization outside of her little circle and it makes us nervous. I know it sounds strange to compare the upbringing of our daughter to how we raised our dog, but those of you who know Daisy know exactly what I'm talking about. She just doesn't do new people and we want to avoid that with Leah as much as possible.

So yesterday we went on a little adventure to the strawberry patch. We had done a story on strawberry season at the paper and some benevolent reporter brought a gallon of fresh strawberries back to the newsroom which I enjoyed. So out the door we went in search of fruit and new friends.

Once we were in our row, we started to give Leah an idea of what we were doing. I would pick a strawberry, hand it to her and ask her to put it in the bucket. This worked for about half-a-dozen berries before she put one in her mouth. From then on out, Darcey and I were on our own picking and depositing while also trying to make sure Leah wasn't eating stems or unripe berries. By the time we had filled our containers, Leah had become an expert picker but had not mastered the art of getting the strawberries into the basket.

As Leah and I waited for to Darcey to pay at the store, she was waving to people coming in to the farm as well as people leaving. Leah laughed at the farm dogs wandering the property. We made friends with a mother sitting with her newborn in a rocking chair on the front porch. It was a perfect way to spend a morning as a family.

Mission accomplished.

-Sefton