The Apple Harvest
Dad and Mom came over today from their home in McMinnville for a great lunch and the great apple harvest. Sara cooked a bodacious meal, a whole chicken handrubbed with an elixir of spices, basted with butter and cooked with carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, potatoes, garlic, and whole jalapeno peppers (we lived in Santa Fe, what can I say). After that, we waddled out to the apple trees.
You need to know a little bit about these apple trees. When we moved here the apple trees were scraggly and seemed destined for the chain saw. We’d agreed on that, in fact. But before said chain saw made it out of the barn, Sara was “told” to leave them be. So they did and that was that.
The surprise was that our neighbors told us before we moved here these apple trees didn’t produce. Now they are so prolific that you walk under them under your own peril in October. So off we trundled to the upper field to do just that. And what a bounty. We barely scratched the harvest and stopped at four boxes worth.
We brought the booty inside and sorted them. Pristine and not-so pristine. The pristines got wrapped in newspaper, gently placed in cardboard boxes and one went with Dad and Mom and the other to our cool storage room. The not-so pristines were queued for more immediate eating. And apple pies. Which Mom can crank out like Marie Callenders.
Dad, Mom, Sara and I hope you enjoy the photos.
It looks like ya’ll had a fabulous time. I’m so glad that Sara listens. I miss Otis terribly and I’m happy to see that he is well and happy. Love to all!
Hi Melissa,
Wonderful to hear from you. We hope Anthony, your family and you are doing well and loving life. Dad and Mom are going through adjustment. I think they thought they were just moving. But it really is a transition on multiple levels. And as hard as the physical move was, the psychological move is even bigger. But I am proud of them. They are finding their feet. I still can’t believe I get to see them at least once per week.
We are having some beautiful non-rainy (right now) autumn weather, so they have driven over to the coast for three days. They love the out-of-doors, and rented a nice place Sara and I have stayed. They even have a fireplace.
That’ll warm their souls.
Much warmth,
Otis