Wednesday, June 18, 2008

ABC Wednesday: V is for Value

I never win anything, which is why I very seldom buy a lottery ticket. I might as well send a dollar or two each week directly to the State Treasurer's Office rather than waste my money on any kind of chance drawing. You can imagine my surprise then when a couple of weeks ago, Jane Marie of Thyme for Herbs notified me that I was one of three winners of a new pair of Burpee clogs that she was giving away on her blog, courtesy of Burpee.

The clogs arrived on Monday--a lovely shade of green, don't you think? If I take them off and accidentally leave them in the garden, I should be able to find them without any problem!


They fit perfectly, and, just as advertised, they're very comfortable. The insoles feel cushiony, which is good for my finicky feet. Burpee sells them on their website for $14.95, which is a great Value for that price. They're lightweight, washable--even in the dishwasher, the ad says. (Who washes their shoes in the dishwasher??) They are just perfect for the summer time instead of my old sloggers below.

I won't be throwing these away, but you can tell I've had these awhile. Three years, to be exact--I know because of the tell-tale chew marks. Coconut was a puppy when I got these; his first year with us he ate more shoes than dog food. These are also great paint shoes, as you'll see from the specks of white. (Please ignore the feet inside--who knew I had wrinkles on my ankles as well??!) So I'll keep them for the really dirty jobs, but my new pair of clogs won't make my feet sweat, er perspire, during the hot days ahead.

I hated to get the new clogs dirty, but I decided to break them in today anyway. It was such a beautiful, sunny day with mild temperatures and a cool breeze, that I decided to pick some strawberries. I don't have a strawberry patch, but a neighbor down the road has a small truck farm and sells U-pick strawberries. I spent a little over an hour on my hands and knees, but in my new clogs, picking strawberries. I came home with almost 13 quarts of fresh strawberries, not bad for an hour's work.



As anyone who has ever grown strawberries knows, the "store-bought" variety just can't compare to home-grown strawberries. They are so sweet and full of flavor, it's hard to resist eating them while you are picking. I made a double batch of strawberry freezer jam and then froze some sliced strawberries as well. Of course, I saved quite a few back to eat fresh. I fixed strawberry shortcake with whipped cream for dinner tonight--yum! Daughter doesn't like strawberries and my husband fell asleep watching the Cubs game before eating any, so I decided to eat his share, too. But strawberries are so good for you, right? I'm already thinking strawberry pie tomorrow . . .


Thanks again, Jane Marie, for the lovely new clogs. And by the way, she is offering another give-away from Burpee, this time a gardening cap. So visit her before Friday, June 20 for a chance to win.



ABC Wednesday is sponsored by Mrs. Nesbitt; you can see other ABC posts by visiting her.

24 comments:

  1. What a great post and a great story to go along with. I remember my mother making strawberry jam and taking my own children to U-pick nearby, coming home to slave over a hot stove making all things strawberry! And no matter how you fix them, it's a fruit serving! ;D

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  2. Yes, value is very important...
    And those are delicious looking strawberries -- I don't even buy them at the supermarket because they always are so tasteless -- those look great!

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  3. Great looking clogs with a gardening accent to go with themand I love the 'summer green' to accent the season.

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  4. What a great prize to win. Fate was obviously waiting till the right prize for a gardener came along; after all, what could you do with $5,000,000 if you won it?!

    Call those shoes worn and nibbled?! Let George have them for 5 minutes ...

    Washing shoes in the dishwasher?!!!

    Yum, strawberry shortcake. I'll have some please when I come to visit.

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  5. Leslie, My mother has a strawberry patch, and when I was young we ate fresh strawberries every way imaginable for weeks. Thanks for stopping by.

    Aphotoaday, Well, I was stretching a bit on the V. Trust me, these strawberries were delicious!

    Me ann my camera, I liked the neon green, too. Thanks for stopping by!

    Liz, You're right; I wouldn't know what to do with 5 million dollars (but I'd like to try...). I'm sure George could have done a much better job on the old clogs. Coconut is small, so he just nibbled enough to ruin a shoe and then went on to the next one. He usually preferred older daughter's more expensive shoes to mine.
    If you come to visit, I'll be sure to have strawberry shortcake!

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  6. What a lovely shade of green for your clogs. You are a lucky lady. Those strawberries look yummy. Strawberry jam is my favorite of strawberry delectables. Yummmmmm

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  7. Rose, as I said before-they are definitely green! But the color is very 'in' right now. The shoe gods must have know you needed a new pair.

    Those strawberries look so good. I might have to stop by and pick some for the weekend!

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  8. I have a navy blue pair. I like your green better.

    Those strawberries look delicious. I have to find my Bisquick short cake recipe.
    Marnie

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  9. It's wonderful to win a prize you can use! And this is very useful. These clogs are very much in demand here in Holland and my Australian daughter wears them all the time. The strawberries look delicious!

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  10. Hi Rose, congratulations for winning your lovely clogs!

    I wonder if Liz has seen tham she needs some new footwear!!! ;)

    V for value, I hadn't thought of that one! I have spent hours trying to post photos today. I don't know why it won't work (very cross!)

    I can't wait to have time to pick strawberries, I love making jam too. I have never made strawberry pie, is it like a French tart?

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  11. I 've just noticed Liz has already been!

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  12. Lisa, I am definitely going to make use of those clogs. Strawberry jam is my favorite, too.

    Beckie, Like I said, I'm not going to misplace them! I was told they'll have strawberries for another week or so. If the weather stays this nice, this is a great time to pick them.

    Marnie, My mother always made a shortcake that was more like a white cake. I took a shortcut and just made a small cake from a Jiffy mix. It was still good!

    Reader Wil, Welcome! Yes, I like prizes I can use. I won a set of small swan figurines in a local library contest last year--they're still sitting in a closet somewhere.

    Suburia, Hope you can work out the Blogger problems. I had already planned to write this post when I remembered it was Wednesday. I had to stretch to think of a "V" word that fit:)
    Strawberry pie is easy--you buy this packet of glaze, then pour it over fresh strawberries in a pie crust.
    I knew Liz could relate to the chewed up shoes. I'm always laughing at the antics of George!

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  13. I will be making jam with our damsons very shortly....weather permitting! LOL!

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  14. Strawberries look delicious! I've managed to salvage a few tiny strawberries before the bunnies get to them. I have to pick them when they first start to become red or they're gone.
    I love the green clogs too.

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  15. Great story:) I never win anything either;)

    Petunia's ABC

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  16. Rose, what a lovely post. Thank you for the mention. I hope all of your readers will pop over to enter the new contest. There's still time.
    I'm glad you like the clogs. Mine have had a LOT of use already and I still love them.

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  17. Lovely story a to accomoany those wonderful sytrawberries. eat value post.

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  18. What great clogs! and I can relate to the puppy ....Clancy is a year and a half and still eats most anything that is left out on the counter but has given up on the shoes....thanks heavens!

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  19. Mrs. Nesbitt, Thanks for sponsoring the ABC posts.

    Weeping Sore, I'm sure if I'd grown the strawberries myself they wouldn't have turned out so well.

    Petunia, Thanks for stopping by!

    Jane Marie, I wanted to take a picture of them while they were still new. I know they're going to get a lot of use.

    Babooshka, Thanks for stopping by!

    Neva, Yes, we went through a lot of shoes Coco's first year! Now he's just settled on his "blankie," thank goodness.

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  20. Hi Rose...what a lovely prize, brand new green clogs. I love the old ones to, they tell a story. And as for the wrinkles around the ankles, join the club, fun getting old eh???

    The strawberries look delicious and yes they are good for you....enjoy and eat as many as you want.

    Have fun in those clogs.....

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  21. Those clogs are great. They'd get lost in my garden (you know my chartreuse obsession). If you think washing clogs in the dishwasher is weird, how about cooking food in it?

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  22. Ohhh - fresh strawberries! Love to pick them and eat them too! Gee, too bad your husband didn't get any. LOL.
    Isn't it the way - when you get new shoes you don't want to put them on and "diry" them? I thought I was the only adult who still did this.
    Scrumptious post! Oh, and I do love green. And that's an especially pretty shade of green.

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  23. It is great to find value in anything. My DD got me some plastic clogs for Mother's Day. I have lived in them since. Even considered wearing them to work, but the are hot pink. I did wear them to work after school was out the other day, but found I had difficulty keeping them on on the stairs for some reason.

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  24. Hiya Rose,

    It takes character to laugh at oneself and admit to failure. Bird and insects are beyond me and I don't even try. Last night I came across a clutch of abandoned fledgelings, wobbling about on our terras. I ran for my camera and they were virtually sitting on my hand. Could I get even one decent picture?
    Sadly, we never found the nest, to put them back in and I doubt that they lasted the night with so many neighbours' cats about. I kept watch and chased some cats off, but after putting the birdies back in the tree where I noticed them first, I had to leave them to their fate.
    No sign of them this morning.

    BTW, I noticed that some good bird photographers use a separate telescope in front of their camera. That might be an answer.

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