Fresh Baked Blackberry Cobbler

Boy Oh Boy, there never was anything as good as Mama's Blackberry Cobbler. You see, she climed a bob-wire fence at the top of our lot and went way over the hill and through a pasture to pick blackberries. They were free and with seven mouths to feed it just made sense to go to all that trouble to pick the berries. Mama thought so anyway, the rest of us weren't so sure. Any of us kids that were home when she was ready to go had to go with her. She said she didn't have time to pick them all by herself plus she wouldn't be able to carry all of them home.

I liked the adventure of going just not the thorns I got in my hands and arms. I say I liked the adventure until one day when my older brothers were told they would be going. Mama said Jeanne, my oldest sister could stay home if she would wash up the breakfast dishes so Mama could prepare the berries for a cobbler to have for supper dessert. Jeanne was more than glad to stay home cause she wasn't a tomboy like me and she sure didn't like that bob-wire fence.

Mama handed out the buckets and off we went. I saw Jeanne grab a magazine and plop on the couch. I thought "boy she will be in trouble if she doesn't wash those dishes. Mama climbed through the bob-wire fence followed by Joe and then Bob. I yelled, "I can't get through this fence by myself." After all, I wasn't very old but Mama left Jeanne home with my little sister so I guess she thought Jeanne couldn't handle two of us. After getting through the fence I was pretty happy til Joe asked me if I had heard what happened at an old run down vacant house we were passing by. I thought I was going to hear something good, Bob snickered back at Joe and Joe said "hush Bob". I told Joe to go on with the story. Well I was very young.

Joe said that some years earlier a family lived there. Everybody in town was afraid of the old man. He beat his wife and the kids all the time. Sometimes the kids didn't come to school for weeks at a time and the wife was hardly ever seen. Joe told me to run fast past the house if I heard a loud moan coming from the house when we passed. I said "maybe we will see the kids and can play with them". Joe and Bob laughted to themselves and said "we'll tell you why you had better run for your life if anybody comes out of that house."

Mama said, "boys, stop all that whispering and come on. We don't have all day to get to the berry patch." "Ok, Mama" yelled the boys. We were a far piece behind Mama. "But Joe" I said, "you have to tell me." Joe continued on that one day the Mama and all the kids were murdered in that house and you could still see the blood on the floor. Bob made a moaning sound behind me and of course I thought it came from the house. I screamed and run hard to catch up with Mama and stayed real close to her. The boys laughted and talked to each other as we arrived at the patch of berries.

We picked what seamed a long time and I had my little pail full except I kept having to pick a few more to replace what I ate along the way. The boys yelled out loud, "there's a snake on the bush." Sure enough there was. Bob said, "I'm going to kill it and take it home to scare Jeanne." Mama told him in no uncertain terms that he was to leave that snake alone and fill his bucket.

Needless to say, the boys didn't mind Mama. Joe got two good size sticks and put one over the top of the snake and one under the branch it was on. I was sure Mama would hear the smacking together of the sticks but she had her head stuck down to the ground picking berries from the bottom of the bush. Joe hid the dead snake and made me swear I wouldn't tell Mama and I didn't.

We started home and had almost reached the top of the hill when I heard Mama scream, "Run for the fence fast." We looked back and a big black bull was gaining ground on us fast. Mama held the fence for us and we went through that fence like it didn't have a single barb on it.

I was sure glad to be home, with the scare of the murder and the rageing bull I just wanted to feel safe again. We entered the house before Mama and Jeanne was washing the dishes. I knew she wouldn't have them done. Joe stepped ever so quietly up behind Jeanne and held the stick out over her shoulder and said "Booh!" Jeanne looked around and saw that snake on her shoulder and screamed louder than I thought was possible. A plate went up in the air along with a lot of soap suds and came crashing onto the floor. In comes Mama. You can guess the rest, or maybe you can't. Mama asked Bob if he knew Joe brought the snake home and he lied and said no. When Mama asked me. I was afraid to lie so I said yes.

Now do you know the end of the story? No? Well Joe got yelled at for bringing the snake home. Bob, of course, didn't know he brought it home, and me? Well I got spanked for not telling Mama Joe brought the snake home.

I still can smell Mama's good Blackberry Cobblers and long for them, but I have never gone berry picking again.

Man, TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS!