If we were having coffee, I would tell you with a gleam in my eye, that this week marked the end of an era!
I have won the Battle of the Blackberries. Yes, it was a bitter war, fraught with injury: the cut on my nose, the thorns under my nails, the blisters on my palms, the hotspots on my heels from several weeks’ worth of non-stop steal-toed boot wearing. My husband, in an act of pick-axe-welding exuberance, even dug the roots of the darn beasts from the soil. It was plant carnage on a grand scale and I loved it. Of course, there is now talk of us needing a chipper, and yet it was all worth it. Two lovely fruit trees stand in the sunny spot where the cursed vines once held dominion. I also lost five pounds, and toned up my arms big time. Just the thing I needed before swimwear weather hits.
The down side: I knocked down a ton of those red berries that are poisonous and my cat, Miss Marbles (pun intended) AKA The Calico Fur-ball of Wonder ate them.
48 hours of constant observation for signs of distress followed that. She is fine and we hope she never does that again.
I would also tell you I’m reading a ton of books. More of the Net Galley influence on my life. Those guys are awesome. I love getting free ARCs. I just finished my 8th book of the year. Not bad! And I’m sticking to my commitment to the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. For once in my life, I just might finish a yearly reading challenge in time to start a second reading challenge.
Lastly, Heather and I finalized our Blogging A to Z theme. You ask me for a hint, but of course I’m not telling. I just smile and tell you to wait for the March Theme Reveal. 
However, we did divide the letters today. I have Y and Z, again. Ugh! Last year I was forced to be very creative with those letters. Y was The Yeti Inside My Brain, and Z was Zippos, Zippers and Zeppelins. Not as exciting as it sounds, it was all a clever ruse: the post was about using trademark protected names in fiction writing. I recommend the second post to you as a must read, and not because I wrote it. I just hate seeing fellow writers get sued for including things in books or on covers they shouldn’t have.
Long before the goodies are gone and the cups had cooled, I would apologize and tell you that I have to cut today’s visit short. I’m hosting a dinner party tonight. One of the benefits of buying a great big house is everyone wants to come hang out, eat, watch TV and play games. I’ve had more company and parties in the last four months than all of last year! It’s awesome.
And just wait until we finish installing the patio fire pit.
The kids want this one shaped like the Death Star. Granted very cool, but we are still in negotiations. I want one I can cook on. Either way, it’s going to be a fun outdoor party season at my house and you’re all invited.
If We Were Having Coffee is a blog hop inspired and run by the lovely and talented Diana at Part Time Monster. Please drop by her place for coffee. You can also see what other bloggers are up to by checking out her hashtag: #WeekendCoffeeShare on Twitter.
I am in favor of the Death Star design..others are just too tame
Hi Pamela,
Looks like I’m getting out voted. : ) Thanks for stopping by for coffee share. Robin
I’m looking forward to the big A to Z Theme Reveal!
I love the theme reveal day. A few people will have fantastic ideas and I’ll be so…… Why didn’t I think of that! It will be a huge day from blog visits. Thanks for dropping in for coffee share.
I hope your blackberries don’t come back. We have them here in the yard. Twice in three years I’ve had to pay someone to come and get rid of them and spray the area so nothing grows there and twice they have come back anyway. I guess that’s what happens when you live in an area where they pop up on their own…wild…wild berries.
The fire pit looks neat but I’m more into the practical side of things, like you. You’ll have to let us know what you end up with!
Hi Corina,
I’m not going to poison, but we did dig out the roots as far back as we could. I’ve got my fingers crossed that I can keep them under control at this point. I may have a few more volunteers in weeks to come, but at least it’s not a six foot wide hedge. : ) Thanks for dropping by for coffee share. Robin
The Death Star firepit is the coolest thing I’ve seen all week.
Glad you liked it, but I take no credit for it’s brilliance. Some handy grandfather figured it out for his own grandchildren and is now selling them on Etsy. I just noticed the link to Death Star wasn’t working. So I put it in the photo caption.
Thanks for stopping by.
Oh, taming the blackberry bushes can be awful! They grow really well around here, but sometimes they’re not where you want them, and then it’s a right pain! lol Glad you got that taken care of, and here’s to the fruit trees doing well in that spot and Kitty Dearest eating no more bad berries.
I finalized my A-Z theme this week, too, and I was so excited that I had to tell someone, so Gene’O got to hear me crow about my cleverness. I’m sure that when I sit down and try to write out my list and get to Q, V, Y, and Z, that I’ll be annoyed with myself instead. lol
By the time we were done we must have had a few dozen in tact root balls. I could have started a blackberry farm! I did keep a few thorn-less berries I found in the back corner of the yard. I do love berries, just not thorns.
I hated Q! I had that last year. This year Heather is stuck with it. There are so few Q things to talk about.
The A to Z themes are so hard to figure out, and you just don’t know if you have hit or misses until you reveal and by then it’s too late to change. I was talking about this with Melissa Barker-Simpson a few weeks back. Maybe we should do a super secret roundtable discussion and bounce themes off each other to see if we have winners picked out.
I gotta toss my vote with the kids too. An option to consider is to split it in half. Then you can rip the top off and make a cooking grate to fit it. Best of both worlds, and still one heck of a conversation piece.
Good Luck and thanks for the coffee
It’s so hard, I do want to be fun mom! But being practical (and frugal) is a good skill for my kids to see me observing too. When we finish the pit, I’ll make sure to post a photo so everyone can see our final choice.
Thanks for stopping by. Sorry we didn’t have any cake. : )
The Death Star fire pit has got to be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen – I’m with the kids…you have to get it! Whatever you decide it all sounds like tremendous fun at your house, and I love hanging out – so may the parties continue 🙂 I’m glad Miss Marbles is okay, and that the battle has been won! Enjoy your victory and your fruit trees 🙂 Thanks for coffee.
Hey,
Yes, the Death Star is awesome, but pricey. I’ll need to think about it a bit longer. Glad you dropped by, I’m heading around to read the other coffee shares as soon as my coffee cup is recharged.