While I have not had the particular pleasure of mowing those "Lord of the Ring" -esque fields this year, I have had the particular pleasure of picking berries.

See? All the berries, in nature's own cruel joke, are on prickly vines or located closely by. To get to the berries, you go through the prickly plants. No pain no gain? Is that what they say?

Momma has been working the boys righteously - so much so, in fact, that they have no energy, and are not even woken from their slumbers by something so annoying as a flash, for example.

Bad Stepmom, BAD!

I distinctly remember last summer writing a whiny post about the gray weather. Well, I am sorry for what I wished for, because these last few days it has been around 100' in the shade. Yesterday I was lucky enough to slip away but today? Hi ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go. So while those of you who are gainfully employed are sitting in your air conditioned offices at your nice desks with the shiny computers or in your cool, cool houses, say a little prayer for me.

I may be the first person to die of heat stroke on the reservation.

The highlight of my day, yesterday? Last night in bed with dh, when he was telling me that one of the clan mothers referred to him, C.D., and O.E.O. (bow), as "Alex's Men" to Momma - as in:

"I see you had Alex's men out picking berries Tuesday morning. You need to have them on the rez more so people get used to them."

Matriarchal societies are always a jolt to people who are not used to them. I only hope that O.E.O. (prostrate) keeps his colorful vocabulary in reference to women under wraps. If he called one of these girls a ho, they wouldn't hesitate to take him out, I'm sure of it. Hopefully this will be a positive learning experience.

Time for work.