Cherries in the backyard

On the North side of our property there is a neighbor's overhanging cherry tree that was ripe with fruit. The robins adore cherries and every day I watched them devour them happily while I stood on the ground longingly.

Saturday morning arrived and everyone was grumpy and hot. Nothing sounded fun, so we ended up staying home (rare for a weekend morning). Finally I convinced E to pull the ladder out of the garage so I could pick a few.

A few turned into a handful and a handful soon turned into me requesting the bucket.

The kids were in heaven. We let them take turns climb the ladder and pick as many as they could reach.

And once the branches were bare and the bucket was full we plopped down in the shade and taught them out to get the pits out themselves.

Somehow handful after handful of cherries in their bellies cheered everyone up. Such a perfect way to celebrate the first official day of summer.

Juliet's dress was once mine. It is among my favorite things she owns. Luckily, all the cherry juice spills came right out. Phew.