Fall Pleasures: Pictures!!

[stitcher2ficcer]

Hello, F-list! I've been so inactive on LJ through the summer and so far this fall that I figure it's about time I let you all know I'm alive and well and--predictably--busy as usual. Ron and I traveled less in September than we have all year, but we kept ourselves really busy doing a ton of yard work, barn cleaning, repairs to the house, and some

Comments

[i_am_zan]

Nope...THERE IS NEVER EVER enough time...*cries* it just goes and goes and goes too quickly!

[stitcher2ficcer]

I hate to tell you this--and you've probably heard it before--but that phenomenon seems to get worse and worse as you and your children grow older. I thought time might slow down again once the kids had flown the nest and Ron and I were responsible only for ourselves and our own activities again. But nope! Whole YEARS seem to slip past us in only a few weeks!

[xparrot]

...you have that many apple trees?! I thought there was, like, one ^^;; I want piiiiiiiie!

We're really looking forward to you coming! ^_^

[stitcher2ficcer]

Yup, eight trees, at least two different species... although because they're so old and we don't spray them, a couple don't set blossoms, so produce almost no fruit--at least last year; this year all but one produced at least a few apples. Two have produced ridiculous quantities of fruit this year, although most of it dropped off one of them well before it was ripe enough to eat. The bulk of the apples in these pictures came from a single large tree that had so many apples on it in September we could hardly see leaves--and which is so old and worn out that the entire two-foot diameter trunk is HOLLOW, with a ten-inch gap the full height of the trunk; if the trunk was just a little taller, I could climb inside and stand up in it. It survives and produces ridiculous quantities of apples on a two-inch thickness of bark and wood all around! Quite amazing!

[i_am_zan]

And I forgot to mention that the photos as Ro's are extremely wonderful! I love those autumn colours...and...

One wonders what you are going to do with soo many apples???

Can you make applesauce in bulk and give it away or sell it off...or toffee apples..at a country fair??? ^__^

I would love some PIEeeee! >.< Wish I could be there!

[stitcher2ficcer]

The trees are the remainders of a very old, small orchard that was behind this house some decades ago. Because they are very old and we don't spray them, some of the fruit is unusable either from insect damage or core rot. What's in the pictures was only what was good enough to use. Because we can't reach most of the apples to pick them, we let them fall and take it off the ground, so most of it is bruised and not great to eat out of hand--although we've had enough good ones that Ron and I have both been eating apples every day for weeks now. The rest? We've given whole boxes away to a few of our neighbors. I've made huge batches of applesauce three or four times and canned nearly two dozen pints to give away; my best friend helped me with one of the batches of that, and eight pints went to her church for their annual fall festival. I've been making lots of apple things. And I've sent bags of some of the bruised and insect-damaged ones up the hill to one of my neighbors for their horses. We're still getting rather a lot, though, and I

[ainbthen]

Ooh, it really is lovely, the colors are so bright! New England is amazing in the fall, I'm so glad I got to see it!

Your backyard has pretty flowers and tons of trees, how can you go wrong with that?

And yay for leaving soon! You're going to have so much fun, I'm looking forward to your report upon your return!

*huggles*

[stitcher2ficcer]

**Huggles** back to you! I miss talking with you. I thought the chat we had a couple weeks ago was going to be a new beginning; it just whet my appetite for more conversations! (Not to mention some writing together!) I miss you!