STRAWBERRY PICKING
By Mary Anderson-Boyd
Mary, Howard and Fred Anderson |
Mr. Delbeck, a neighbor of ours, had a big strawberry patch over on top of a great big hill. One Saturday, my two cousins wanted me to go with them. Their names were Fred and Lloyd Anderson. We got 18 cents for picking a 6 quart tray. The first one I picked, I pulled all of the stems off. Mr. Delbeck said, "Mary, you are suppose to leave a 1 inch stem on each berry." I had never picked strawberries before for anyone. Then on the way home, I got sick and could not cross Crane Creek on the foot log bridge, so my Cousin Lloyd carried me across. I'm sure glad it was not Cousin Fred. He probably would have dropped me in the water. I then got part of the way home and got too sick to stand up and so my Uncle Henry took me home in his car. Home was about a mile away. I must have eaten a stink bug. I didn't make much money that day. Mom, Ella Sanders/Anderson, had gone to the store at Crane with my Brother Milford, and Sisters Ruby, Doris, and Peggy. They brought me a bag of candy, which made me sick to even look at it and as much as I like candy, I couldn't eat it. |
© Mary Anderson-Boyd 2003