Apparently, it’s a tree that really likes our land, as we have quite a few of them. They’re not unusual, and they grow all over the eastern U.S. However, I’d never heard of them–either they’re not common in the suburbs of Ohio where we used to live, or I just never noticed them.
I’d been wondering what the trees on our land were with the spearhead-shaped leaves, but wasn’t able to find anything conclusive in a search with that generic description. Then DH and I were walking one day last week and noticed one of these trees was full of berries. That gave me something else to go on, and I quickly found the Hackberry–and more specifically for us. the Sugarberry.
The Sugarberry is a species of Hackberry specific to the south, and is mostly differentiated by its leaves being narrower, with less serrated edges. And yes, the berries are edible and sweet, though they’re barely larger than peas and contain a good-sized pit so most people don’t bother with them these days, though the native peoples did eat them. Deer and turkeys love them, so they’re welcome here, even though some people consider them a trashy tree. The berries don’t get ripe until fall, so we’ll see then if I decide to try them myself!
Other than that, this has been one of those weeks where not much has happened. Which is fine, because it was also one of those weeks where I didn’t feel like I got a lot of writing done, but when I looked over my wordcount, I actually did!
What I’ve Been Reading
I’m enjoying a novel that I noticed something very special about, but I’m not yet finished with it, so I’ll share next week.
What I’ve Been Writing
My goal this week was to spend at least 1/2 hour a day, five days, redrafting a scene. I did not finish the scene yet, but I did spend the time and got six days in–and to my surprise, added 2500 words. I also deleted a lot but that’s OK. So this week, we’ll stick with the same–at least 1/2 hour, five days. I want to finish this scene, then continue on with fixes.
My learning goal was to finish my online workshop on how to study fiction. I did that. So this week I want to start a new one, Emotion in Writing. This is something I’ve studied before, but it’s also one aspect of writing I find the most challenging. I’d like to complete the first week’s videos and assignment.
What about you–have you ever heard of the Sugarberry? Or the Hackberry? Ever have one of those weeks where you didn’t think you got much done, only to find out you had done quite a bit? What’s been keeping you busy lately? And how are you doing on whatever goals you might have whether writing or otherwise? Please share in the comments–I’d love to hear from you!
Jennette Marie Powell writes stories about ordinary people in ordinary places, who do extraordinary things and learn that those ordinary places are anything but. In her Saturn Society novels, unwilling time travelers do what they must to make things right... and change more than they expect. You can find her books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, iTunes, and more.