NO BETTER DAY, THAN THIS!

"Patience - in time the grass becomes milk."
Author - unknown


While I was waiting for it to warm up a bit yesterday morning, I took my coffee down to the sun room, closed my eyes and pulled a book from the shelf.  The book I held when I opened my eyes was a little book called "Apples Of Gold"- a small book of quotes by unknown authors compiled by Jo Petty  and published in 1972.

There is an inscription in the front cover dated 1976.  It reads:

A Tribute and Thanks for 12 yrs of Explorer Duty.

Signed:  Lee, Gail & Jean.

This little book was given to my mother in 1976 by three of her closet friends who also were co-leaders of the Explorer Group in our Church.  I was an Explorer as a child and later became a leader  myself.  Explorers were a Christian Group for girls aged 6-12.  It was the pre - CGIT group, sort of like the Beavers were to Brownies...

My mother was the head leader for 12 yrs.  This book must have been given to her when she retired from the position.

It is full of really great quotes - I could have sat all day reading them - but I had a date with the outdoors so I read a few pages - but I didn't put the book back on the shelf.

The quote at the top of this post made me smile.  I will share more with you in the coming days.

But then it was find the work clothes and head outside.  I have been waiting for the moment when I could get outside and work in my yard for 5 months!  Nothing was going to stop me now.

I intended to rake, but when I went to the south yard where my fruit trees are, I suddenly got the urge to work on the over-grown plum tree.  It was a matted mess, and last year only produced 4 plums.

I forgot to take a picture of it before I started to work on it - but you can get an idea how overgrown it is by this picture, taken in December.

Every article I read and every video I watched on fruit tree pruning stated that a properly pruned tree should resemble the shape of a wine goblet and the center should be open and airy so the sun and the air can move freely through it.

So I got the ladder and my loppers, and climbed up into the gnarly poky mess of my inherited Plum Tree.

Three hours later I had this...  and a sunburned face!

 The bottom half is now looking like the experts say it should - but you can still see how the top is overgrown.  Trouble is - I have no way of getting to that top bit... I will figure something out, but the weather is supposed to turn cool again, so I might have to wait a few days.

I am committed to improving the lives of my two fruit trees starting with this much needed hair cut, followed by some good earth at their feet and some nutrients for their veins.  They might not reward me for my efforts this year, but hopefully they will eventually understand that I mean them no harm.





 Here is what I removed...

I also pruned my very small Saskatoon tree, and the Lilac bush...

 

And so I had the best afternoon working in my yard on this lovely March day... unheard of in these parts - but it was a true pleasure for me, for sure!