Yes, It's a Shoe

I suspected all along that they were out there.

When I awake with the first sunbeams through the Maple trees, I sometimes hear the distant whistle of a teensy tea kettle somewhere in the honeysuckle.

If I peak cautiously through the window shades, a flash of color disappears beneath the rosebush. Those leaves shape into fine little tubs to catch the spray from the sprinklers. Maybe the older ones enjoy a nice soak. The rest of them are familiar with the watering schedule and most likely take pleasure in a brisk but satisfying shower.

While weeding beneath the Viburnum I hear them talking; I recognize the sound, but you might mistake it for crickets. My innocent smile denotes my pleasure in the cadence but does not alert them to my clever discernment.

Sometimes it is frustrating to reach for what appears to be a perfect tomato, only to discover that they drilled into it during the night and hollowed out the ripened flesh.

Nothing in my garden is safe from the little marauding thieves. There are leaves torn in my basil and chunks removed from the ripest strawberries. The little trails through the beets and the carrots indicate the foraging is a daily routine. Sometimes the missing portions of the leaves in the bean and squash appear to be specific designs. The patterns are ideal for their impish hats, trousers, and skirts.

Then yesterday, one just barely escaped me!

A sweet craving sent Kim and I on a late evening forage of the small strawberry patch. I walked to the opposite side as she began pushing aside the greenery for a closer inspection. There were many plump berries available, and Kim’s fingers grasped the closest one.

That is when the little one made his self known. He jumped right out of his boot, left it securely in her grasp, raced away, under and through the camouflaging plants and dived under the fence.

“Oh look!” Squealed Kim, “A Little Shoe!”

I, of course, took a photograph!

Comments

Whippersnapper said…
Given that you tend to get, like, 856 comments per post, I feel pretty special to be the first one on here! Love the shoe strawberry, reminds me of that wacky lady who went on Johnny Carson with her collection of potato chips that looked like famous people. I don't know if you've ever seen the clip, but as she was in the middle of showing off her collection, Johnny took a big crunchy bite of one and the old lady jumped about five feet out of her chair. She thought he was eating her prized "Richard Nixon" chip, but of course he had a bowl of his own chips hidden under his desk and was just trying to give her a shock. Oh jeez, it was funny.

(Note: I THINK it was her Richard Nixon chip. It could have been her Humphrey Bogart chip, now that I think about it.)
Susie said…
Loved this post. I'll be watching my garden more carefully to see if they leave a shoe behind here too :)
xo
Anonymous said…
That is the cutest thing! Will you eventually eat it?
Gattina said…
I already have seen a strawberry in heart form but a shoe never ! Strange things are going on in your garden ... Ours just has grass and bushes and besides cats and sometimes a mole or an hedgehog there is nothing other in there, lol
Anonymous said…
I NEED some shoes like that! Can you catch another one? They do stretch a bit, don't they?
Pamela said…
whipper: I haven't seen that clip. But I saw a potato chip that looked like jimmy durante
Masago Berry cool
Susie believe me, it won't fit you!
Kailani Not after it's been on his foot,no (:
Gattina creative little people aren't they
Min you can make them stretch farther with sugar and cream
Jeanette said…
Hi Pamela, firstly ty for your kind words on the loss of my dear brother.
Now a pair of those strawberry shoes just might be what i need.Congratulations on baby Dinkum he is so adorable sending big hugs to him.
Beccy said…
Will you be able to find the other shoe to have a matching pair?
Anonymous said…
I love it!! It almost makes me want to grow a garden!
BarnGoddess said…
what a wonderful and enchanting post!

and the photo made it even better.

too cute :)
katy said…
poor thing now he has only one shoe! great post thanks
Carla said…
That is just the cutest! I hope it tasted especially sweet.
Shelby said…
a strawberry shoe! :)

I love it!
PAT said…
Cute boot and fun post!

Pat
Debs said…
That is too cute!!
theotherbear said…
I sure hope I find some of them in my garden.
I suspect, however, that you need to have a strawberry plant first...
Kila said…
LOL, Beccy!

Pamela, how fun! I loved your post and photo. Good luck finding the owner of that shoe. Your own Cinderella hunt.
Anonymous said…
heh heh heh --

Do you remember when I told Amanda where they lived? We've known all about them for years.
Heather said…
We planted strawberries this year but only harvested a few. A few very tart ones, i might add.
AngelConradie said…
oh my word thats adorable!
Carole Burant said…
Heyyyyy have my faeries escaped to your garden???? lol You do realize now you have one running around with one shoe on and one shoe off!! Loved this post:-) xox
Anonymous said…
What an enchanting post! Such description. Love the little strawberry shoe. :)

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