You know how sometimes one thing can be a portent of something unexpected? I think we have all experienced it at some point. Even those who will not admit to being "superstitious" will still deem something an omen if the event following turns out a particular way. C'mon. You know you've done it.
So... let's just say that one lovely afternoon, while enjoying a light Refreshing Adult Beverage (RAB), the conversation took an unexpected turn that eventually provided the subject matter for this post.
We had dropped by Faux Auntie Jo's place to drop off her order of Stonewall peaches that the spousal-unit had picked up on his recent trip to Segovia. This prompted the discussion to turn to fresh fruit relative to what one can do with it. (There is a fresh peach trifle that has been promised if the peaches were provided!) This happens to be the time for figs in this area so fig preserves are being put up in many homes. If you will allow me a digressive moment, my brother and I were picking figs from one of the four or five HUGE fig trees in the back yard on July 20, 1969, when my father came out to hurry us back into the house as Neil Armstrong was about to walk on the moon!! We dropped what we were doing, rushed inside, and we all sat amazed at what we witnessed taking place. You can't get a 15-year old to stop anything these days to watch a shuttle launch or return. Technology has become commonplace.
Okay... So... at some point during this conversation, Faux Auntie Jo commented that a friend of hers had a big pear tree in the front yard and that she had noticed LOTS of pears on the ground under the tree and that she was just AMAZED that her friend was not taking advantage of these pears. Her friend (we'll meet her shortly) even confessed that the "yard man" simply runs over these pears with the mower!! Well, Faux Auntie Jo appeared to be taking this rather hard as she mentioned she had tried to retrieve some of the pears from the tree but was not terribly successful. At that point, I could no longer bear her distress. I immediately offered to join her as a "Pear-Pickin' Party Partner" if she would like to attempt to retrieve more of the fruit!! She seemed pleased and advised she would confirm it would be alright for us to move forward with our plan and let me know.
Later that evening, the call came. Faux Auntie Jo had confirmed we were welcome to retrieve all of the pears we could handle. Her friend, Helen, had given her blessing. I was told to arrive at Faux Auntie Jo's at 8:30 a.m. the next morning for the event. I was also told that another friend, Marty (you remember... my FAMOUS neighbor!), had provided Faux Auntie Jo with a "pear-picker." What? I don't believe I have ever heard of one of those.
The next morning, I headed out to retrieve Faux Auntie Jo who had offered to provide plastic bags for bagging our bountiful harvest. The spousal-unit had made a comment he will likely regret soon when he mentioned he would "put up some pears" if I retrieved enough to make it worthwhile. Sounded like a challenge to me, folks.
We arrived at Helen's lovely home. She very graciously greeted us then told us to move forward with our party!! (She would remain inside, sipping coffee. Smart woman.) We toddled out to the heavily-laden pear tree to begin our work. This is how it started:
Faux Auntie-Jo, dressed "to the nines", as usual, armed with plastic bags AND the amazing, incredible "pear-picker!" (I'm wondering if Marty got two of them for the low, low price of $19.95... BUT WAIT... act now and we'll send you a pear-polisher?) Okay. Kidding. Marty received the pear-picker as a gift. At any rate, I am looking at this thing with some skepticism. It is essentially two pieces of narrow PVC pipe, one piece sliding inside the other to allow extending the pole for those pesky high-hanging pears. There is an orange, heavy-plastic item that has the appearance of a crown kind of like the Burger King wears. Attached below that is an orange sack. Hmmmmmm. Let's see. If I take the pole, place the "crown" up to the little branch the pear is attached to, shake the pole a bit to jostle the pear... HOLY COW!!! It WORKS!!! Folks... we had a system going in no time. I would jostle a pear or two into the sack, drop the sack down directly in front of Faux Auntie Jo who would reach in and retrieve the captive pear(s), placing them into one of her MANY plastic bags! We were totally on a roll. Nothing could stop us now!
So... after far less time than you might imagine, we had a plethora of pears which Faux Auntie Jo proudly gathered around her.
After such a "pears of plenty" morning, we had to thank Helen for her graciousness in allowing us to harvest from her tree. She had had time to complete her coffee by then and even stepped out for a photo opp.
After reiterating our heart-felt thanks, Faux Auntie Jo and I piled back into the Suburban, turned the A/C on, and discussed what we felt was our incredible good fortune. There was brief mention of a sales booth at the local Farmers Market but that idea was rapidly squashed. Remember... there was an offer to "put up some pears" at my house! (I'll let you know if and when that takes place!)The next time you are sitting around having a conversation about something that seems inane at that moment, just remember that a casual conversation can quickly turn into an EVENT to remember!!
Until next time, Blogging Pals! :)
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