Oh, I am such a terrible, horrible mother. The worst in the world. I took the screamers in to the Doc (nice fella that's just 2yrs older than myself, therefore not entirely set in his doctoring ways...damn I got lucky) for a checkup and to get the oldest checked over for a possible chest infection (I DO NOT want a repeat of last winter's fun of being stuck inside with all the lovely snow outside). All is good, just snot. Go figure. Not that I wanted more, just that dang, that was a waste of time. At any rate, it gave me time to reflect while the screamers were chatting up the Doc for some flavored tongue depressors (yes, my children are strange creatures...I admit it).
I ran over the "waste" post in my mind. It was a gripe, it still is. I probably should have written it when I was full of angry indignation, but I didn't. So here goes, slightly less angry but still pretty ticked.
Our impromptu trip to KY gave me insight on how folks are doing with gardens and such. I gotta tell you, I wasn't impressed. I know, I know...it's late, gardens are done, blah, blah, blah. The unimpressed comes from seeing tree after tree still so loaded down with apples, pears and rotting peaches. Yep, virtual orchards going to rot, with no one planning to glean that plentiful harvest. I stopped at THREE different houses, knocked on the door and asked if they would mind the screamers and myself picking some apples. After initial looks of "this chick is nuts", I got the go ahead at all three places followed by "they're just going to rot anyway". Bet you can't guess what everyone I know is getting for Christmas!?! Heck, maybe even apple butter for the next 3 years for Christmas...shopping done, check.
But it was that waste, the blatant disregard for the HUGE bounty sitting in the front yard that they had to do NOTHING for but pull it off the tree, that made me ill. I would give my left pinky toe for an apple tree in the front yard. Well, maybe not. Those are the ones you need for balance, right? Anyway, you see what I'm getting at here (I hope), the prepper in me wanted to yank them off their overly large rears and put them to work relieving those trees of their burdens. All of them, the trees that is, were so full the branches just hung there, like a 2 year old pouting...all limp and unable to do a thing to help themselves (though that could also describe the people who were all fairly young and looked very capable of picking an apple). It pissed me off I tell ya. The good news is that when things go good and south I know that yes...there are people out there that will not be doing anything to help themselves, therefore leaving me and mine with more of nature's bounty to fill our tables.
Morbid, yes. True, yes. How can I say that's good news? Because it means that some of the poison that has entered into mankind (extreme lazy, letting the boob tube rule ya and "I don't have to do that" attitudes that I see everywhere) will (hopefully) slowly begin to leech out. Survivor on a large scale. Survival of the fittest, smartest and those most willing to do for themselves.
Okay, gripe done. Off to mix up some buttermilk pancake batter for the screamers' breakfast tomorrow...little snotheads!
6 comments:
Don't ya know they are for the pretty blooms!
I think I would eat an entire peach tree. I like peaches. I hope to get one in the ground this winter. They like being planted in the cold from what the internet told me. I still think that sounds mighty odd.
I am not keen on apples but I like apple pie. I also like cider. So even I would have a use for an apple tree.
Just remember many people do not have our type of mind set.
Great post and great sentiment. Grumpyunk gave us a bushel of apples this Fall and I loved them. And we have applesauce and dried apples and all kinds of goodies to munch on this Fall and Winter. The mental picture of you knocking on the doors and asking for the fruit was priceless. Very well done!
Michael
Jennersen~ so very true! If everyone had our type of mindset I wouldn't have the apple and persimmon bounty I have hanging about! There is a bonus to the sloth I suppose.
Micheal~ you have no idea how hilarious it was! The screamers were both squealing, climbing the trees and plunking down the biggest of the apples before one lady even got the entire "sure, I have no problem with it" out of her mouth. We did make it a point to leave a wally world bag full at each door when we were done. Whether or not anything was done with them, I don't know.
I had a really similar morbid delight while bicycling across Canada earlier this year. You see, on average, about one person gets killed attempting the trip each year (out of maybe 100-200 riders who actually attempt it).
Every now and then, I'd encounter another rider (sometimes we'd ride together for a while) who'd be wearing an iPod or somesuch and, as much as we might've gotten along, I'd still take a little delight in the thought that their deafening themselves to the sounds of traffic around them was a good sign that I wasn't going to be this year's fatality.
Well, I don't pick the acorns from my oaks in the front yard. I leave them for the squirrels and the deer...... Heh heh heh....... POW!!!!
It does make me sick to see what folks throw away, or let go to waste.... My neighbor has a grapefruit tree that hangs over my fence. I don't like grapefruit, but I pick them for folks who do. The fruit on their side of the fence drops to the ground and rots....
I really hear what you're saying, this spring I thought of asking a neighbor if I could pick their left to rot rhubarb but didn't then this fall I saw a neighbors tomatoes going to waste..again I didn't but next year I definitely will! I did get some left over tomatoes from my son and a bag of apples that some one had left at my door. Being newly equipped with a canner, dehydrator and other equipment, next growing season will be different for me.
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