Anyone have a Big Bad Wolf?

So, today I made my first, official, I'm a Country Girl now, purchase.

I originally went into the local hardware/farm equipment/misc store to buy a shovel--yes, you might be thinking to yourself that this qualifies as a country purchase, but no, I know people who live in the city, suburbs, on boats for that matter, who have shovels, so it doesn't count. As Freya & I were wandering the isles, gazing appreciatively in the fishing isle at the live bait (yes, I fished and loved it as a child!), looking questioningly at the animal killing isle (mouse, rat & mole trap/poisons) and I, drooling down the jam making isle (yes, an entire isle)--and hoping that sometime in my near future I make a friend who is a jammin' expert because I know all of nothing about it...other then that I don't like fruit chunks in my jam...., and Freya sniffing her way down the dog food isle hoping against hope that a morsel of food escaped the confines of a bag, to be found by her....I rounded a corner heading for the garden section only to see.....
a 'panier aux fruits rouges'...red fruit basket...such a cute, little, useful basket! If I put on my red-hooded windbreaker and skip around the champ I might just BE a fairy tale...ha ha ha. And no, the fruit did not come with it....that is the result of Freya & I's evening walk around the property to collect today's ripe goods...and put into use my day's purchase! (and in case any of you were wondering, I did buy the shovel, but it is no where as cute as my fruit collecting basket!) The little plums you see on the left are Mirabelles--also known as a Cherry Plum and they are sweet & delicious....I just discovered we had them yesterday as I waited for Freya to dig yet another taupe hill over by the cow pasture...and shazam, my wandering eye spotted a fruit-like object hanging in the tree above me...I promptly picked it & plopped it into my mouth...delicious!

So, now our daily rounds will include the gazillion blackberries ripening all around us and mirabelles! I had a tarte au mirabelles once....any other suggestions out there for using them? Thank god for Google is all I can say. And my handy new panier....skip skip...This is my fruit guard dog...pfft...more like she's pretending to sleep and when I turn my back she'll pick out the best, she loves black berries??....yes, only my gourmet pup :)

Now, it's been a hot day here, and I must go enjoy my refreshing lemon-lime beverage with sprig of fresh mint you see in the basket (another abundant greenery at la maison M-J...siiiighhh.....)