It's cold, raining, and threatening to snow. I'm outside with loppers, frozen hands, smarting cheeks and a runny nose doing manual labor.
Rewind a week.
I was inside, snuggly warm, sipping hot tea, gushing over the hundreds of fruit tree varieties in a new, crisp, brightly colored mail-order garden catalog.
"Five apple trees, 4 pears, 2 peaches, 2 nectarines, 2 plums, 2 apricots..." I merrily hummed the order as I highlighted each appetizing selection. "Hm.. I need kiwis, honeyberries, sea berries, cranberries, elderberries, gooseberries, quince... a variety of nut trees... a few dozen each of raspberry, blackberry and bluberry bushes..."
It didn't take long before I'd highlighted myself into an $890 corner (before taxes, shipping and handling).
Burn.
I furiously schemed how I could raise the money for my fantasy farm in time to place an order, at least for next year. It took a little finagling of the budget, but I know I can do it.
Fast forward to the frozen scene.
What am I doing? Helping my husband prune a tree. A semi-dwarf fruit tree. One. Uno. A single tree. And it's hard work. And it's cold. Did I mention my frozen fingers?
"You mean I'd have to do this on 32 trees? Every year?"
Who wants honeyberries anyway?
I miss you! Go for it, once you are done with one and you're numb you won't feel the other 31!
ReplyDeleteOh man! That puts things into perspective! I hope you get to have *at least* a couple of trees that are LOADED with yummy fruit and that require minimal pruning. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe arrival of the first seed catalogs are fuel for my gardening fantasies every winter. After the first year's massive (and expensive) crop failure, and the second year's squash bug infestation, I learned a big lesson about biting off more than I can chew. Now I keep it simple, a few raised beds. But I do still love flipping through the pages, imaging the bountiful garden and orchard I'd have if only planting, tending, harvesting, canning, and freezing weren't so much work!
ReplyDeleteLOL! You MAY have convinced me ;).
ReplyDeleteOh, how to select?? I want them all!! :-D
ReplyDeleteKinda disheartening, isn't it? I spent so much on seeds the first year and was utterly crushed by the puny harvest. The next year I didn't buy any and wasn't sorry, but the third year I wanted back in. Each year our garden gets a little better, but my garden fantasies are always bigger than the reality :).
ReplyDelete