The Signs of Summer

There is no doubt that summer has truly begun in my corner of Virginia!

A small carnival has come to the town where I live.

The nest of Eastern Phoebe's above our living room window will soon enough get their wings and leave the nest.

I also caught a glimpse from the window of our resident fawn. I didn't see "Bambi's Mom," but I'm sure she was somewhere nearby ...  I hope!

~Bambi?~

One of the joys of our property has been the wild black-raspberries that grow alongside our long driveway and the edge of the woods. Each year the dogs let me know when they have ripened, and this year wasn't any different. They love them as much as we do!

~Josh (left) and Sheba~

Generally we're able to pick several buckets full each year ...

~Sheba exhausted from supervising the berry picking~

Which provides enough for a cobbler or two like the one I made this morning along with a plentiful supply for snacking out of hand and a few to freeze too.
 Cobbler recipe here

The cold and snowy winter we suffered through was tough on these old berries.  But it hasn't stopped the long canes from being full with the plump, sweet black-raspberries that we adore.

~Sheba, my berry-picking assistant~

Even CarrieAnne felt well enough to join us yesterday.  I am so grateful and relieved that the lump is slowly shrinking in size.  Your prayers and good vibes have made a difference -- There is still a ways to go, so if you don't mind, please keep them coming for her!

Another sign of summer was a harmless black snake on our porch this afternoon.  He was curled up on the back of the old chair.  For some reason, I wasn't as afraid seeing a snake as I have been in the past.

But he quickly left when he was disturbed.  However, it's still a sign I could do without!

I hope you've had a good weekend too!