Give Thanks...Growing Raspberries

 Does thirteen plants constitute a ranch?

Okay, I know...ranches are more associated with the raising of animals, but yesterday we planted thirteen raspberry plants on the northern side of our lot. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, ranch has three definitions:

ranch

rănch

noun

1. An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised.
2. A large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised.
3. A house in which the owner of an extensive farm lives.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

So, I suppose it may turn into a raspberry ranch one day.

Before we moved in, our builder asked if we wanted a rock retaining wall between our property and our neighbors. I love rock walls so of course, we said, "yes." We believe that this was a win-win for the builder. He didn't have to pay to haul off the boulders. I also suspect every rock came from our lot. After our neighbors put in a beautiful cedar fence, we were left with a shelf, maybe six feel wide running the length of the backyard. It was my wife's idea to plant something there...grapes, or perhaps, raspberries.

Yesterday, my son and his wife called to see if we wanted some raspberry plants. Her father was thinning his stock and we jumped at the idea. A few shovel turns, a few rocks removed, and we had our field. Thanks to some rain during the night, the starts should be on their way to growing strong and providing years and years of plentiful fruit.

I'm thankful we have others looking out for us. They didn't have to call and offer the plants, but they did. It was a nice thing to do. Now, we just need to keep them alive so they can come over and enjoy the bounty.