Strawberries

     Last night I found a ripe strawberry on one of my strawberry plants and brought it inside for Clara.  This was after she had pussy-footed around a bowl of Cheerios, hid a bunch of cheesy noodles between her thigh and the side of her booster chair and made an elegant, paisley-like design on her booster tray with ketchup.
     While she ate it, she nodded enthusiastically and did a little shimmy with her shoulders.  This is her way of showing appreciation for food.
     Which was great, except that it was the only strawberry I had.  My garden's strawberry yield has been less than spectacular thus far.
     "Hey, do you want some cantaloupe?" I asked, trying to head off the on-coming gastronomical breakdown.   
     "Nope.  Beh-yee." (Berry)
     "Uh, that's the only berry I had."
     "Nope.  Beh-yee."  Firmer, this time.  Resolute.
     "Hey, look at what I found!  A banana!  Naner, naner, naner, I found you in the bowl." (sung to the tune of "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel").
     "No! This, this! Beh-yee! Nanew! Nanew!" ("I want to," or, "I want another.")  She pointed a tiny finger in the approximate direction of the garden.
     "Honey, I don't have any more.  You know I give you all the strawberries from the garden when they're ready!  You get them all! I promise!"
     She flung her head back and her shoulder's sagged while her dirge filled the kitchen.
                               
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     Clara has always loved strawberries.  When she was first trying solid food, a little over a year ago, I gave her a strawberry.  Her little pink mouth puckered with delight and her toes curled under.
     This spring I planted six strawberry plants.  My first harvest, a few weeks back, was five or six berries that, while very tiny, were also pretty sweet.  I washed one and gave it to Clara and put the rest in a bowl on the patio to wash later.  I went inside for a minute and, when I came back out, all the strawberries were gone.  Clara had a smear of mud on the side of her mouth.
     She habitually wanders over to the strawberry plants and nonchalantly rifles through the leaves.  There are berries on them now, but they're still a little green.  I hope I can manage to keep her out of them until they ripen up.