Here at Bailey’s Berry Patch...
 
It is mid-March and the plum and pulot trees are in full bloom. This is really a beautiful time of the year. We see different things blooming each day. (OOOps – 4 more inches of snow since I started this newsletter. No damage to the blueberries and blackberries. It will take a few days to determine what blooms were lost on the pulots and plums.)
Pearce ordered 2 “quads” of bumblebees this year. A “quad” had approximately 1,000 bees in it. They were delivered by Fed Ex last Thursday. I can only  imagine how the driver felt with that many bees in his truck. He seemed very happy to set them in our carport. We usually have honey beekeepers bring bees in also, but due to several problems this winter; everyone seems to have lost the majority of their hives. Bumblebees work in the cold and in the wind while honey bees won’t come out if the temperature is low or if the wind is blowing like it does this time of the year. Bumblebees do a much better job of pollinating the blueberries. The bloom of a blueberry is shaped like a trumpet and the honey bee has to work each bloom 6 or 7 times to get them pollinated while the bumble bee can pollinate each bloom on 1 trip. This is your “nature” lesson for today.
Seasons Change - and so do we all....
As most of you know, we have had Bailey’s Berry Patch for sale. We do now have a contract on the farm and will close on April 30th. A really nice young (much younger than we are) couple are going to be taking on the exciting task of running and growing the Berry Patch. Jeannie and Eric Duarte are really looking forward to this coming season. Pearce and I will be training them for the next year. We have already made all the mistakes that can be made and we want to save them “the opportunity”. Pearce is working hard right now getting everything ready for a wonderful berry season.
Here is an introduction the Duarte's wanted me to send to you:
Now more from ME – The (Older) Berry Lady -
FYI – Pearce now has his own namesake. All of you probably remember that Lenda and R. W. High named the little baby miniature donkey after me. I sent all of you a picture of “Awesome Annie” in the last newsletter. There is another new one now – his name is “Pearce Arrow” and is pictured at right.
Jeannie has already started working with the some of the things that will affect the farm. Gaela, Jeannie’s sister has set up a FACEBOOK page that I know you will want to look at. You can get there by clicking on the word "facebook" above or by doing a Facebook search for 'Bailey's Berry Patch'. I know that Facebook and Twitter are very popular now and I am really glad that they can do it for all of you.
I had a birthday last week and Pearce and I got into a long discussion about how we have seen so many changes in our life time. We love our cell phones but they seem to be getting more and more complicated. We still haven’t figured out our VCR and have no idea how to use either facebook or twitter. In my opinion, rather than have ratings on things for children, all electronic “stuff” should be rated VD (very difficult) for people 65 years old and older. This would be as important as or maybe even more important than senior discounts at restaurants.
Pearce and I are really excited about the Duarte’s buying the farm. We have prayed and prayed that God would send somebody to us who would have the energy and imagination to find ways to “GROW” the farm. I know that they are looking for vendors for this summer. Jeannie is getting the entertainment together for this summer and I know that you will appreciate whatever she is planning.
For those of you who are wondering, Pearce and I bought a 2 acre lot in Grayson County between Sherman and Denison. It is a beautiful corner lot and is on the corner of Harmony Loop and Melody Lane. Since I sing in the church choir, I feel that this is really a good omen for us. Pearce and I have prayed and prayed about finding a buyer. If any of you really know Pearce, you will realize what a perfectionist he is. When we built the house that we are in now, he was working just south of DFW airport and was driving 75 miles each way (a total of 150 miles a day). Every night he would come home and sweep all of the sawdust, etc. off of the slab. When the builder’s superintendent went behind Pearce’s back and changed something that Pearce had told him to do, Pearce fired him. Thinking about this, Pearce has decided to act as the builder on this house. He is in the process of getting his own subs right now. (If he drives anybody nuts, it will be me). Oh well! I should be used to that after 25 years.
I do want to continue the recipes for you. With this newsletter, I am going to send you recipes for a Blackberry Swirl Pie and a Blueberry and Banana Salad. Both of these are really simple. By the way, the blackberries should be ready sometime around June 1st and the blueberries 10 days to 2 weeks later. This should be a wonderful year since we have had so much rain.
If you would like to send any information for Jeannie, please send them to me right now at info@txberry.com and I will pass them on to her.
Hugs to all of you –
Ann Bailey
The (Older) Berry Lady
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