If you should be planning to move to Lane County Oregon any time soon, it is important to know that picking your share of wild blackberries is practically the law here.
Of course I have been known to exaggerate before — and this just might be one of those times. But there really are a lot of these berries around. And pretty much everybody who lives here does pick at least a handful during the season.
These are Himalayan Blackberries and they are actually an invasive species here. But I don't think they are ever going to go away entirely. The ones here are growing along the Lake front where our RV is during the summer. Oregon is also famous for growing Marionberries, a domestic offshoot of the wild berry — those berries are bigger and far less seedy. But the wild ones are free!
When we lived in this area and had a houseful of growing children, we used to pick tons and tons and tons of them (see exaggeration statement above). They do freeze well — and of course there was jam and ice cream syrup …. but we don't do those anymore for just the two of us. I take a little dish with me sometimes on morning walks and bring back fruit for our morning cereal. That's all. But that's fun too! There is something wonderful about using the fruits of the land!
The other and infinitely sadder thing about our area is that we are living in a smoke-filled world this week. We are completely safe, but the many many fires in the Pacific Northwest and certain weather conditions are sending smoke into the Valley where it is expected to hang around until at least mid-week.
So it isn't a very nice time to be outdoors (they are advising that nobody walk outside and that older people stay indoors).
It is very much — very very much – worse for other people in other parts of the Pacific Northwest. (And that is NOT an exaggeration at all.) We count our blessings and hope for better news on the fire and weather front.
(The sailing regatta pictures above were taken from our yard early last week (with a long lens) before the smoke moved in to the degree it has now. These races are held on the other side of the lake near the local yacht club. The water there is a bit deeper than it is on our side. )
Linking this post to: OUR WORLD (thank you to the team: Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy, Arija, and Gattina); to MOSAIC MONDAY (thanks Judith); to NATURE NOTES (thanks to Michelle); TREES and BUSHES (thanks Monica); and to WEDNESDAY WATERS (thank you Gemma).
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