I drove the lawnmower and the white pickup yesterday.
I never left the Lovestead.
At long last, came one of those days where nothing besides staying home, doing what I wanted and when I wanted, was on the schedule.
And, when the October day turns out to be another beauty, I just couldn't complain.
Twas a day when no specific hour on the clock was guiding me in what I had to do and when I could do it.
On most days, what you have to do at home in order to fit in with a prescheduled responsibility, noted on the calendar, has to be carried out on a tighter schedule than usual.
That's okay but I also like occasional days when the clock doesn't interfere with my enjoyment of ongoing projects around the place.
Yesterday offered that opportunity, and I took full advantage. I raked, hauled leaves, mulched leaves and took pictures of leaves.
I walked dogs a few times (dog walking is important when one dog is blind and needs to be guided by a leash).
I also picked more apples, this time driving the white pickup to the tree. Bill brought me his new step ladder, purchased from Costco, so I could get into the pickup bed.
Age says climbing into and out of the bed of trucks without some aid is no longer an option. So, the new step ladder made that process easy.
What was not easy while picking apples with my apple picker was my closer proximity to the apples and having too many skinny and stubborn tentacles grabbing hold of the picker and refusing to let go.
In the "too close" department, one apple directly above my head hit the bullseye smack dab in the middle of my chin as it zipped downward like a projectile.
My chin saved the poor little apple from crashing onto the hard surface of the pickup bed. So, I guess that was all right, and the apple eventually went into the bucket.
The other problem of unruly tentacles usually resulted in apples falling all over the place as I tried to get those tiny limbs to let go of my picker.
I guess that was okay because I was not purposefully shaking the apple tree, as I've been known to do in the past, with no one looking, of course.
In spite of the obstacles, I added two more buckets to my winter supply. Some will be used for jelly, often given as gifts. I may dry some of the apples as treats for the horses, and I'll peel the bigger ones for applesauce.
Besides my use of the tree, the deer continue to be frequent visitors, and with so many apples of all sizes and varieties falling to the ground, the deer will be enjoying flavorful sustenance for quite some time.
Lots of apples are still left on the tree, which I'm hoping to pick and take to the food bank.
My apple tree adventures remind me of Robin Wall Kimmer's serviceberry bush.
Abundance for all, including horses, birds, deer and peeps.
Part of my at-home day yesterday involved reading the final chapters of her book The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance.
Though her serviceberry bush and my apple tree provide the basics for that economy, she still thinks that big entities in general (corporations) could adopt some of the principles many of us regular folks already follow: if you have abundance, share it rather than trying to make your commodity scarce for the sake of profit.
After purchasing it in Ireland, I became immediately immersed in the book because , over the years, both Bill and I have watched the show for several weeks as our huge serviceberry bush provide treats for cedar waxwings, robins, juncos, chickadees and other birds.
Plus, if I wanted to make serviceberry jelly, I could join in on the harvest.
The book reflects the way many of us rural types already think and act. When we are fortunate to have an abundance, we share anywhere and anyway possible.
The author, as she talks about her serviceberry bush economy, points out another trend we would like to see in more abundance: people making long-lasting connections with other people through their sharing, as opposed to an economy where often very little human interaction happens. When a product is purchased, that can be pretty much the end of the human connections.
I really like this book and hope the author's mission to influence our system of economics will have some impact because of her writings.
Within her short but profound chapters, she also includes a few sensible guidelines we humans can follow in regard to giving, taking and sustaining.
Know the ways of the ones who take care of you, so that you can take care of them.
Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for a life.
Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.
Never take the first one. Never take the last.
Take only what you need.
Take only that which is given.
Never take more than half. Leave some for others.
Harvest in a way that minimizes harm (don't shake the apple tree!😏)
Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken.
Share.
Give thanks for what you have been given.
Give a gift of reciprocity for what you have taken.
Sustain the ones who sustain you and the Earth will last forever.
🍎🍅🍎🍅🍎🍅🍎🍅
Fun and important stuff to think about, especially while you going through the tedium of picking an abundance of apples.
In short, I enjoyed abundance yesterday. In my case, it was time. Contrary to the principles of the book mention above, I did not share my time with much human interaction, 'cept for Bill who left me to my projects and went fishing.
It was selfish, indeed, but also much appreciated.
It was a very good day.
I heard this song this morning and tried to find the Sugarland version for the Dolly Parton special but decided this version was pretty nice too.
Enjoy.
Looks like we're getting a little rain, which will add a nice tough to the landscape and maybe a dose of abundance.
Happy Friday.
