Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush...

Dawn posted about her husband and kids finding mulberries on the trees near their campsite, which reminded me of my own mulberry story (don't you have one, too?). It's a story of birthdays, and self-sufficiency, and disillusionment, all rolled into one.

You see, mulberries are ripe here at the same time as David's birthday; so, many years ago, when he was a baby, Theo and Anna and I picked some and saved them for a couple of days so we could use them to color the frosting for David's cake. I was crowing with pride over my resourcefulness as we mashed the hand-picked wild berries (free! not artificial! Just like the pioneers!) into our all-natural confectioner's-sugar frosting - yes, I was practically overcome with the ingenuity of it all, until I noticed several minuscule worms (worms!) (teeny-tiny worms!) crawling in the bowl.

This discovery would not have been quite so traumatic had I not had a spoonful of said frosting in my mouth at the time.

Alas! This occurred in the dark ages before blogging and before digital cameras, or I most certainly would have gotten a picture of that frosting, in all its freshly-hatched larval glory. After I had stopped gagging and spitting and generally retching into the kitchen sink, that is....which scene was probably photo-worthy itself.

So, have a great Fourth, y'all! Just make sure to look at your food before you eat it, okay?