Gleaning

definition: Gleaning is the collection of leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been mechanically harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest.

We live in a small rural town within 4 miles of "town" yet surrounded by farmers fields.
In the back, there is a partial Parcel (say THAT 5x), of woods in which a momma dear and her two doe have been all summer. I've enjoyed watching them devour the farmers crops around the woods.
Well...Fall is here, and the farmer harvested last week. One of the fields was beans. Black beans specifically. I had not been out to the forest recently, and decided to sneak out there one night when Hannah Montana was blaring from the tv. You'd think I'd KNOW by now, that the sound of a mother sneaking is enough to broadcast LOUDLY to each of her children!!
OUT came the two girls. IGNORING shouted questions, I continued in my journey.
OUT came the girls with their shoes on. OUT OUT they came to the field. I was on my way back and had started picking up the left over plants, "gleaning" them. I had a little handful.
The girls asked what I was doing. YES!! A PERFECT moment for learning! ...Welll ...I started...remember the story of RUTH in the bible.....and how Boaz took care of her...even telling his workers to leave a Few extra handfuls out for her also. umm.>Yah..I didn't get into the whole Wife buying thing....
THEN
we have been sitting on the back deck splitting the pods open for getting the beans out. How cool is this?