Daddy's Watermelons-- Sweet ans Juicy, Well Not Yet

Y’all know I love Monday nights, this week (last week really) was no different, if anything it was better than most. Angela invited one of our cousin’s daughters over while her mother finished working on a set for the children’s play at church Sunday night. Notice how much she resembles Charlee.

When her Gigi arrived to pick her up, she ran to the car and proclaimed to Gigi that she just had to come smell the kitchen. Angela had fixed the most amazing chicken ‘n rice and green beans with new potatoes. I stewed and fried squash plus fried some chicken. So yeah, the kitchen smelled pretty righteous. After a little begging, Gigi agreed to stay. Aunt Bernice also dined with us. The meal was wonderful. Gigi and Anna had to hurry home with a plate for little brother at home with Grandpa.

After we had finished our countryman’s feast, dad mentioned he needed to go start the pivot and he would take the grand girls for their usual tour of the melon field.

I insisted that we all “load up” and go. Aunt Bernice of course, wanted to clean the kitchen first, but I persisted that the dirty dishes would not go anywhere while we were gone.


Dad wasn’t too sure about all of us loading up in his truck. Really I think he didn’t want to clean out the front seat of the truck (or embarrassed) nor did he want to unload the back of the truck.

Dad fretted over the junk in front and I moved the sharp objects and barbwire out of the back.

Consequently, we decided that the kids could ride with him and the older women could ride in mom’s car.

Even the dogs loaded up for the adventure to the watermelon patch. Each time the truck would stop another dog would jump in and sometimes one would jump out.

When we arrived at the patch the children bailed out like clowns out of a circus beetle bug. Dad cranked the irrigation motor.

Waiting for the motor to gain rigor, dad and the grand kids walked through the corn field.

Papa talked to Katie about his corn crop. He explained to Katie that the planter skipped the two middle rows… which in the end will affect his yield. I hate that, because I love to mix field corn with my sweet for the best cream corn ever.

Finally it was time to hunt for a ripe melon.

Even though dusk was on us, dad had a flashlight to help illuminate the way. Charlee and Papa found what they thought could be a ripe juicy melon.

All the kids, 7 to be exact, plus 3 dogs and 1 older woman (me) hovered over waiting the first taste of summer. Daddy carefully cut the melon as mouths started to water. The moment had finally arrived; dad cut a small piece of the heart for Charlee, and the other kids.

The kids took a bite out of their slightly pink, crunchy slice of watermelon.

Some mouths thought they were eating manna from heaven while others--- well didn’t care much for the bitter sweet delight.

Needless to say the melons still need a few more days in the hot sun to ripen and get a little juicier. Hopefully, next Monday we’ll have red juicy melons.
Tuesday, I noticed another sign of summer---blackberries.

Now every afternoon, we have to stop along our driveway to pick blackberries.

Saturday, Grandma prayed asking for rain to help the blackberries grow so Charlee and she could make a clobber.

Here are some other pictures taken at Meme and Papa’s. The big kids decide to race on their bikes to the second cattle gap. Miss Charlee thought she would go too, only she had a little problem.

She took it upon herself to walk through the cow pasture (where a bull who likes to play tag lives also. As I was washing dishes I noticed a speck --- All the kids made it safely back in the yard.