Softball, Bees,and Berries

It's the unofficial start to summer.

We have had two pool parties already.

Many more are on the horizon.

Please, if you are reading this then you are invited to come over.

It's the season of cookouts, baseball, and apple pie.

Where in our little corner of the world that really means it's the season of cookouts, softball, and black raspberry galettes.

Zoe has been a hit on the softball team.

Hit as in she actually does that every time she has the bat.

Chad and I have both declared that we don't know where she gets it from.

I think it's one of those skipped-a-generation traits that she got from grandpa.

Grandpa used to play on a Staley Men's Softball Team way back in the day.

Now Chad.

He's a different story.

We took him to a batting cage once and that nightmare still gives me the willies thinking about it.

We will NEVER let him do that again.

NEVER!

Anyway, Zoe is turning out to be a mighty fine player.

She even got to play 1st base last game.

Holla!

Her team sponsor is The Winery.

A bar near Millikin University that has a juke box, booths, dark lights and a dirty grill that serves greasy burgers with chips.

The back of the shirt says "had a Winery burger lately?"

I think it's hysterical.

It's that time of year for picking black raspberries.

Actually it's a month early for picking black raspberries.

We usually gather these in early July.

Never at the end of May.

But a gathering we have done and I made a black raspberry galette today.

And the bees are out in abundance.

Fat and buzzy and I really love these bugs.

So do the dogs.

Dumb dogs.

Always try to eat the fat bumblebees.

They are going to regret that one day when they go after the wrong flying and buzzing bee and get a sting on the tongue.

I'm just sayin'.