Most years, after the squirrels and birds have taken their cut of the bounty, tiny chumley is lucky if he harvests one, maybe two little malformed red strawberries, but I am always charmed by how he pleased he is with his little irregular finds, gobbling his treasure so quickly that I often wonder if he tastes them at all.
This year, I was almost certain he'd be able to harvest something respectable, a juicy red berry shaped berry that was, well, berry sized. We'd been checking on his future prize all week, ooohing and ahhhing every morning at how big his nicely formed strawberry was getting before hiding the growing greenish white berry beside a white flat rock. Tiny chumley's hidden treasure. The secret in our secret garden.
But much to both our dismays, secrets always have a way of being found out. Yesterday morning we checked by the white rock and found a berryless nub. And I found myself in front of a very disappointed little boy.
We foraged around in the pot. There were other little miscroscopic berries forming, but none were as close to being ready for a little dachshund's tummy as the one we had been nurturing. Little rain clouds were forming over mister happy's tiny noggin. Hmmm, I thought. I guess it's time to make our own rainbow.
Baxter was still foraging around in the pot by the time I came back from inside the house, one hand slightly behind my back. "Ooo, squirrel!" I declared with fingers crossed, and leaned over to work some magic while the little kielbasa scanned his backyard.
With no real squirrel threat to address, Baxter's attentions quickly refocused on the strawberry crime scene.
"Oops, false alarm. Sorry baby dog. But hey - what's that - right there, under the leaf? Is that what I think it is? "
oooooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooo!!
"Oh no jumping! Here let me get it for you..."
o yummy!! mom, how did we miss this one? boy do we need new glasses!
Hee hee, yep baby dog, I guess we do. :)
