Subj : Towing the Line                                          [1]
To   : Dave Drum
From : Ruth Haffly
Date : Fri Jul 26 2024 09:55:19

Hi Dave,

 DD> We're tlking about druggies, derelicts and other free-lance anarchists
 DD> here.

 RH> They don't frequent our part of town.

 DD> At least not the obvious ones.

True, may be some but well hidden.

 RH> time it's left alone, no matter how long or short a time. We don't have
 RH> a handicap tag (yet) but will probably end up with one eventually.

 DD> I've had one for years - and they do make it convenient. Especially as
 DD> the curbside spots are usually ramped. And I have trouble with curbs -
 DD> both up and down - unless I have my cane or there is something to hold
 DD> on to to keep me steady. This getting old lark is not for wusses.

 RH> Meanwhile, our fig tree is beginning its summer time bonanza out put.
 RH> I'll probably make some preserves again this year; we've been giving

 DD> My grandparents had apple, cherry, apricot, paw-pae and crabapple
 DD> trees in the back yard of their town home. And a regular orchard at
 DD> the farm
 DD> with more apples, peaches, cherries, pears and blackberry brables as
 DD> well as raspberries on the other side of the orhard. Gooseberies and
 DD> May apples were available in the woods.

So putting up was a big production in the summer. Steve had a bowl full
(about 2 1/2 quarts) in the fridge so yesterday he pulled out the
dehydrator. Dried them down to maybe about 2 cups. We'll probably do
another batch or 2 in the dehydrator before the tree ends production, in
probably early September.


 DD> I'm 82 years old and I have never had a fresh fig. I'll have to
 DD> correct that lack ..... I've only ever eaten Fig Newtons from a store
 DD> bought pkg.

 RH> They are good; a Newton will give you a bit of the taste but nothing
 RH> like eating one fresh off the tree. Rinsed but still warm from the sun.

 DD> I'll ask the folks down Jeffries Orchard farm stand about the
 DD> availability.

Do so, it's an ancient fruit; I think more popular in the southern US
than the northern. Fig preserves and a brie type cheese on a cracker
make a nice nibble. Last year when we took some preserves out to our
daughters, I told the grand kids that these were special, for their
mothers,(mom was to share), not to be used like regular jelly/jam for
pb&j or whatever.


 DD> I had a cherry tree in my front yard until the derecho winds hit last
 DD> July.

My parents had one for years, until a storm did it in. It happened just
before we came up for a visit so Steve saved some of the wood for his
smoker.

 DD> A quick trip to the search engine tells me that fiss will not
 RH>  dowell DD> in my groqing zone without lots of special help. Which may
 RH>  'splain DD> why they're not common around here.

 RH> And we're in a great spot for them. Steve planted another tree to be
 RH> last year so in a few years we'll have a super abundance of them.

 DD> From my research they aren't huge trees like maples or oaks.

No, more like a bush. BTW, I was informed that the 2nd tree didn't make
it so we only have to one, but a very prolific one.


---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


.... Is this a Kodak moment or a Maalox moment?

--- PPoint 3.01
 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)

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