A Great Day For Strawberries.

The Heat continues as Cheryl and I prepare for Tomorrow's Farmer's Market.   Thursday's Market did not go quite as planned, so we are left with a bunch of high end brownies and cookies to dispose of.  I'm thinking that the heat kept most of the people away.   There were also the arrival of the Amish, and they have a loyal following.  So...  Who knows?  Cheryl does not want to continue to lose money on  a market if no one will buy anything.  Perhaps the Farmer's Market has lost the "new" feeling.   It is quite the puzzle. 

So that makes the Kalona Farmer's market that much more intense.   Will we have a repeat of last week?  Will the heat keep people away again?   Are people bored of Farmer's Markets already?   I guess we shall find out.  Or at least gain more data that we will be unable to decipher.  Honestly, I don't know how anyone is successful at Business.   It will continue to be a mystery to me. 

But yesterday was not all bad.    They had a "Chalk The Walk" in the park area yesterday Morning.   It was too early for us to get there while it was going on, however, we did manage to see the results of a hundred kids with lots of chalk at their disposal. I snapped a few pics. 

Not wanting to be left out though,  I tried to quickly get some of my own designs down in the limited space available.   I will say the obvious first:  Bricks do not make for a good chalking area.  It didn't seem to stop the kids though.  In fact,  so of them seemed to have fun just coloring the bricks with bright colors.  

If my drawings look a little more polished, it is simply because the kids did not have access to charcoal.   The black outline and shading really helps make things pop.  When we go again, next week,  I will add some more if I have time before the set up. 

Today,  we ran in Iowa City and saved Monarch Butterfly larvae from being squashed on the sidewalk.   I had a pet one long ago when I was in Grade school.   A friend and I had two of them and would get them out and feed them as much milkweed as they could eat. However,   My Mom did not want "BUGS" in the house.  ( could have fooled me!  We had ants, moths, and flies buzzing around all the time..)  So she forced me to keep it outside.  My caterpillar had already formed a chrysalis and was preparing to become the butterfly we knew it would be.  But... it rained.  And the jar I kept it in filled with water, despite being under the eaves of the roof.  My butterfly drowned in a half inch of water.  I was crushed! (Especially since Scott Hulst managed to hatch his butterfly out a few days later.  His parents took pictures and cataloged the event for everyone to see.)   I still remember that "excellent parenting" from my Mom. She was willing to destroy the heart and soul of her son, rather than having a harmless caterpillar in the house.   It's the little things like this that  remind me why I say the things I do when I talk about her. 

While running in the heat,  the lake was like glass on another windless day.   ( A rare thing in Iowa) The Swallows were very friendly and I think the young ones are hatching out.   There certainly seems to be more of them flying around now. 

And that brings me up to title.  Strawberries!   The "You Pick" place is open for business and we could hardly wait to get our 7 lbs worth.   I asked about the heat, and the guy says the strawberries will "shut down production" if the heat gets too bad.   But there were plenty of ripe strawberries on the vines today.   I'm happy we managed to get in on the first pick.  Last year we had to go for the second brood, meaning we had to work harder.   Kids seem to only pick the big ones and leave many still on the vine.   So it is a little more effort to get a bucket full.  But not today!   I can hardly wait for Shortcake!

We also picked Some June Berries while running in Coralville the other day. ( Never had them before!)  They have a very mild flavor... similar to blueberries.  They also have a similar texture.   Usually, the trees near the parking area are picked clean by other people or Cedar waxwings, but this year we got a chance to sample a few before they were gone.  Mulberries are right around the corner as well!

Unfinished!  Due to Rain! Kind of....

I did a little chalking in the park today, but a thunderstorm rolled in and chased me away.   Just enough rain for me to chicken out.   But after a few minutes,  the skies cleared up and the heat returned.   By that time, I was home and loading the car for the show tomorrow.   Looks like I will have to finish the mural tomorrow.  

Hope everyone is having a fine Friday today.   The Weekend is upon us!  And if you have a job,  this is your time to relax.  If you don't have a job...like us.... This is your time to get out to the Farmer's market and make a little money.   Hopefully.....  Unless the heat keeps people away again.  Wish us luck!