Berry Picking With Addy-Mai
Today my Mom, Dad & brothers took me berry picking. I don’t remember going last year so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Usually Mom tells me I can’t pick or eat the berries I find on bushes so this was new and exciting! Dad explained to me that I should only pick the ripe ones and then he showed me what a ripe one looked like, gave me my own big bucket and off I went!
At first I ate a blueberry after I picked it. It was good but I wanted to save all my berries and bring them home. I refused to eat another berry after that until we got home. Instead I focused on finding the perfect berries, cleaning them up and placing them in my bucket.
Not everyone had this same strategy. After all our hard work, this was my brother’s berry bucket:
The purple lips were a dead giveaway. Once he even stole a berry from MY bucket and there was hell to pay, let me tell you. I made him spit that berry right back out and then I picked it up off the ground and put it back in my bucket. That’ll show him!
I did a very good job at picking the most purple berries. Some slackers in my family were just throwing anything with a blue hue in their bucket but I went through everyone’s berries and took out the ones that weren’t perfect. I examined each one.
And I picked out leaves and pulled off stems. Every berry must be perfect or why bother at all? I gave all the little nasty bits to Mom.
Suddenly we spotted something much more interesting than blueberries. Can you guess what it is? No? Ok, I”ll tell you! It was a DUNG BEATLE!
He was working harder than all of us! He was moving this pile of, um, dung to somewhere far away. Watching him work was very entertaining! Only MY Mom would take pictures of beatles and poop!
Finally Mom declared it was time to go home. One look at me and you’ll know why:
It was so so hot and my unorganized parents forgot to bring drinks. So we headed out but I was not so easily convinced. I wanted to stop at every bush along the way and check for stray berries that called my name.
At the end of the day, I was so so hot and sweaty but very proud of all I had picked. See how perfect and purple my berries are? That is dedication, I tell ya!
My family picked a lot too. Don’t let my brother fool you - he didn’t pick all of these berries himself! Everyone but me combined their berries but he did pick about half that bucket! He told me his secret is not to eat them until we get home JUST LIKE ME! When I grow up to be big like him I’m going to fill my bucket that big!
We sure had a fun morning picking berries! I love blueberries - they are DELICIOUS!

















June 7th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Wow Addy Mai! Will you accompany us on our blueberry picking trip? We could use your expertise!
June 7th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Man! Can she get any cuter?? Love the blueberry narration!
June 8th, 2008 at 5:58 am
that is too cute. what a little perfectionist. sweet addy mai and all of her blueberries!
June 8th, 2008 at 6:57 am
I just love Addy! She’s such a big girl in so many ways — wise beyond her years. Every day it seems that she adds some new talent to her long list of talents. Today… primo berry picker!
June 8th, 2008 at 7:02 am
what fun!!! I love her dedication!
June 8th, 2008 at 7:22 am
LOVE the part about Noah’s “returned” berry- So funny! Sounds like a really fun day!
June 8th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Addie Mai–I too go blueberry picking and let me tell you(which You already found out)is hot. hard work. I much prefer strawberry picking–the pail fills up FAST.I use my blueberries to make jelly–lots of jelly. And they freeze really well too.Blueberry/Lime jam is the best.
June 8th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
That is some seriously impressive berry picking, Addy-Mai!! And I am sooooo jealous that you actually have ripe blueberries to pick… ours don’t get ripe until late July. Sigh.
June 8th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
She just amazes me every. single. time. you write about her - such a hoot!
June 9th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Love these. Addy is so cute and my faves are of Noah with the purple lips.