The Treasure Seekers!
I’m starting to wonder if there may have been pirates skulking around the branches of our family tree at some point. That might account for the fact that I’m such an avid ‘treasure seeker’! I passed three garage sales yesterday and I was barely able to hold the car on the road. I don’t go looking for anything practical at such places – It’s the obscure little gems among the obscure little treasure chests that I love to uncover, items that no one else but me, with my super keen eye, might notice.
The treasure hunt doesn’t end at garage sales: Strawberry season is upon us, and my first taste of those luscious red fruits took me back to old Padgeberry Farm and the fun times I used to have scanning the ground amongst the tall grass in the untilled part of the farm. These little mini hunts led to a peaceful refuge, a Shangri-La – a place where bluegrass, daisies, buttercups, sorrel and yes! - wild strawberries were in abundance. I joined my children and became a little kid again as we dropped down on our knees and filled our hands and mouths with those tiny delicious treasures, our chins dripping the tangy red juice.
Here in our new abode, I have discovered my very own patch once again, at the side of the property. Shiver me timbers! There they lie, just waiting for a little more sun before coming into fruiting. Next to those wee ones is another treasure chest: our mulberry tree, and there we are: myself, a hundred or so hungry birds and the extended squirrel family – a line-up of treasure seekers just waiting for the ‘ripe’ moment. Avast ye lubbers - Let the race begin!
Of course the real treasure is not the prize itself or even the finding of it – It’s the joy you feel when you are sure that you are going to find something exquisite – I think they call that hope!
On that delightful and more realistic note, there is the promise of new hope about to be gifted to our family in the form of a baby granddaughter, ‘Brenna” - a true wonder that this treasure-seeking Nan can’t wait to meet!
