Where are the Berries?

It was a quiet July 4th at 7:30 am. We drove down the winding road to the super secret organic blueberry patch. We chatted happily, saying what we would make with all the blueberries that were in our future. We looked at the countryside, we looked at the cows grazing, and we had a giddiness about us. We finally arrived to the green blueberry bushes, and we got out of the car. We then were struck with doom. No, this could not be true. Blueberries bloom late in the spring, and I thought we were safe because the blueberry bushes would bloom after the freeze. I was so hopeful that the drought would not kill the blueberry flowers because we have has some rain recently. But that was not to be. Bush after bush, there were brown, burnt, and dried-up flowers that could never become a blueberry. Oh, the pit in my stomach grew quickly.

If you recall last year, there were more blueberries on these bushes than people could pick. The birds, the insect and us humans had enough to satisfy ourselves for the rest of the year. That situation is not to be this year. There will be no blueberries this year. There will be no berries for the birds. There will be no berries for the insects. There will be no berries for me.