Sunday, April 27, 2008

raspberry canes

The Writer’s Shed is not even in the most formative stages of construction yet and still I feel the need to roll up my sleeves and do my part to improve the land where it is to be built. And so I head out to Ed’s farmette to weed, prune and chop.

Initially, I set my sights on clearing the huge raspberry patch of dead canes. There are more dead canes than live fruit bearing ones and so it seems like a worthwhile task.

It is certainly an unpleasant task. The canes scratch. Some of them crack at a snap, others are dead but stubbornly clinging to their pod. It’s all a terrific mess. But, I am to be part of this grand landscape and so I pitch in.

I watch Isis, the friendlier of the two Ed cats, move out of the canes and towards the still to be removed shed and I think – buddy, you have one easy life.

017 copy


Right to the side of Ed's raspberry jungle, Cha and his wife are engaged in their own farming challenge: the planting of new raspberry canes.


024 copy


Such grueling work! I want to say -- here, just harvest Ed’s berries!

But I know that this would not be helpful. Ed's berries, in their uncontrolled habitat, could not support what this family needs --a bounty. A harvest that will pay their bills.

And so we continue. I destroy dead canes, they plant new ones. We pause to exchange Sunday greetings and then resume our respective chores. Snap, pull, discard. Dig, plant, pat down.


029 copy

1 comment:

  1. We live in S. Idaho and I just took my NH tractor and tore ours out. They were a variety that did not do well in our harsh environment .. as they tried to produce it was too hot and the fruit dropped off. I am taking care of my wife now plus farming and I do not have time to "baby" anything. I loved watching my wife weed the berries and the kitten we found in a rock pile and it followed us home thru the hay field .. jumping from footprint to footprint to "get through" our hay .. was swatting playfully at her hands and occasionally jumping up on her back and sticking his nose in her ear.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.