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Oct 26th, 2006 - 15:59:49
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The Travels of our First Webmaster
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Voices of Spencer Creek
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| The old apple tree, photo by Edie self |
Just west of the southwest corner of my house stands an apple tree I have named the "Northwest Bloomin' Useless." It's an old tree--probably as old as this house, built in 1928. It earned the name after several years of trying to find something the copious supply of apples might be good for. The answer always turned out to be--nothing. No good for sauce--too mushy and bland; no good for pie--too mushy and tasteless; no good for cider, even, with so little juice as to be negligible at best. They don't even taste like anything fresh--the apples are just plain useless.
The tree, however, is something special. It has an old, gnarled trunk that closely resembles a person's back. Really, an admirable backside. The trunk tells the story of years; my son's ladder to his tree hide-out, hollows of old lopped-off branches, feeding holes of woodpeckers and red-headed sapsuckers. The leaves, covering well the strangely shaped, seldom-pruned skeleton, provide shade that helps make my home livable on even the hottest days. And in spring--oh, the blossoms! They are simply spectacular for at least a week, more with good weather.
This year the weather was not so good for apple trees. The blossoms came and went in a flurry of storms that left very few of them pollinated. Therefore, there are fewer apples. Hallelujah! Less apples to toss, kick or otherwise return to under the tree. Less apples to attract yellow jackets and other potentially painful company. Less apples to turn the air winey with the scent of apple decay. Less chance of turning an ankle on a cleverly hidden apple just about the same color as the grass.
I'll miss the apples that grow on my other tree. I'll miss the plums that didn't set on at all. But the lack of apples on the Northwest Bloomin' Useless is a blessing to be appreciated for the next several weeks, and fondly remembered the next time it bears a bumper crop!
Edie Self
August, 2005
Copyright ©2005 by Edie Self
Ms. Self, an occasional contributor to these pages, grew up on the sunny side of Spencer Butte and is a member of the Spencer Butte Writer's Group. Visit the Joy of Life stories and poems by Edie Self at West By Northwest.org:
Today I Saw the Sunshine Dance by Edie Self
Curtains in the Wind by Edie Self
One Early Harvest
Wash Day for Robins by Edie Self
The Sunnyside of Spencer Butte: Two Winter Tales and Birding on the Butte by Edie Self
Summer at Grandma's by Edie Self
© Copyright 2000-2004 by West By Northwest.org
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