Blackberries . . . Trio Mocotó, Não Adianta

I shared blackberry pictures with personal friends and was happy to hear their stories of picking blackberries when they were growing up. One noted there seemed to be more blackberries “back then” than there are now. And, I supposed, that is true. But for its minor urban environment, sprawling Florence has plenty of blackberries in so many woods and streets with empty lots and no sidewalks, which (for me) is the charm of Florence--its near emptiness and seclusion long before COVID-19

"Whatever we want
whatever we love
life is giving it to us
Trio Mocotó - Não Adianta (It's No Use)

I remember there being plenty of blackberries (and juicy plums we spent eating for hours) in San Francisco urban hills like the top of Sanchez Street above the Castro and in the bushes on the cliffs above Land's End beach.
 
I can remember, as a kid, when my grandmother would make blackberries and dumplings out of freshly picked blackberries we had picked or the from the ones she canned  for winter.  I loved eating blackberries and dumplings back then, but figure they wouldn't taste the same that grandmother used to make.

Meanwhile, I am having a problem with fleas and insects in the park; they bite, sting. Fighting them ...it's no use.