Sun King

Full sun all day through, more planes flew overhead than clouds. The temperature stuck in the upper 70Fs-- but the sun was hot.

Pulled in a little early to find all the guys setting up the store. The foreman was out front sweeping, he caught me up on his car problems-- it was nearly totaled, he's driving a rental for now. Newport and Gizzie were inside sorting through the tomato display-- I laughed and shook my friend's hand-- damn, not 10 minutes in and he's already made himself useful. I took Gizzie down to the storage/workshop in the barn and we loaded up a tray with Purple Cherokees, Striped Germans and Japruce Truffel (my spelling is off here). We filled up the store and then met the boss out back.

The storm hit the fall raspberries-- the canes/new buds were fine, but all the developed berries were falling apart/soggy/molding/roughed up. Gizzie and the boss dropped off kitchen buckets in the far hilltop field (where I weeded alone way back in early April), they picked up the corn and got ready for market. The foreman had to spray the young corn. Newport and I were given a long day in the raspberries.

We joined up with Bah's group and Old Rudolpho's family-- then we got picking. Everything was going into the jam buckets. Time disappeared and we just picked. Newport and I joked around. Old Rudolpho taught us some more Spanish and used the words to tell us about taking his little grand-daughters to the beach to fly kites. I called up friends on their breaks and chatted around. Big Jay-Jay has been real chummy ever since I gave him a lift last week in the van (the rain came down hard and suddenly while the crew were out getting berries/corn, I came around in the van just as the downpour started)-- Big Jay-Jay waved to the women joggers going by and gave me a wink when he saw someone he really liked. Lunch happened, we ate it in the shade at the field's edge. Back to work.

The bees were out in force today. The bumble bees and honey bees were after the bud's pollen, the wasps were after the rotted berries. The big ones zoom around and sometimes crash into you, then either shoot off or start circling your head. The honey bees mind their own business. The wasps look for a fight. I counted three wasps climbing around me at one point: one on my arm, one on my bare knee and one climbing up my shirt. In the morning I was panicky and got bit a few times by the wasps, by the afternoon it was a matter of course. Constant smoking really helps--1. it keeps you occupied/relaxed from the bees climbing/buzzing around your head, 2. the smoke/smell shoos off even the most furious wasp. So I kept a light cigarette going, even when I didn't want it.

We didn't leave that field all day. Closing came around and we all packed up for home. I called up the boss to check on Gizzie's progress-- all good, all golden. Where did the day go.


I'm getting real excited for this weekend-- going to see Darlin and friends for a long weekend of relaxing. Friday can't come soon enough, but there's good stuff to tide me over: going for a drink with Gizzie in a few minutes, and going to work the Thursday market with him (hehehehe, we'll see if the boss lets that happen twice). Here's the sun king and he says: all is good.

Take it easy.