Apple picking

I don't know why I find it so intensely satisfying to be picking my own veggies and fruit. Or someone else's, in the case of the fruit. I went to Apple Annie's in Willcox today to pick apples after eating some tasteless ones I bought in Tucson last week. No surprise, those poor things had travelled all the way from New Zealand. Is it not apple season in the northern hemisphere?


Anyway, there is just something special about standing under trees laden with fruit and just reaching up and grabbing a perfect apple, without waxy coating. There may even be an insect on it ... It was very quiet in the orchard after Labor Day, and I am always shocked at the amount of fruit that is under the trees. No doubt some people pay no attention to knocking off a dozen while they try to pick the perfect apple, but even Ma wastes a lot. While I was there all alone I could hear apples fall off right and left. Apparently this is due to our warmer than usual night temperatures. Orchard keeping is so very nature dependent. Scary, but good. I wonder if our trees will ever be laden with fruit like this. Perhaps, if we live long enough :-).

Dan and Emma worked on their conditioning and scaled Blacktail Hill again. The puppy was pooped because it was warmer than last week, but Dan poured water for her at the top.