Neighborhood Field Trip

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Across the street, the house is for sale. Mrs. Barker has been gone for quite awhile now, enjoying the comfort and convenience of her new surroundings. That being said, as I stood outside, potting some rosemary, I couldn’t help but gaze at the depilated state of her home. The obvious signs of neglect and emptiness reverberated through the property: overgrown shrubs, tightly drawn draperies, and haphazard, sporadically growing weeds.

I love houses, particularly old houses, full of stories and talking walls. I often wonder who the next owner will be and how they will love, change, and nurture the existing structure. There’s just something special about an old home.

But as I gazed upon her home and lawn, my eyes landed upon her small orchard of apple trees. “How long have they been here?” I wondered.

Planted along a split rail fence, the apple trees remind me of something from another era- a time when women wore aprons and gathered their harvest in the parachutes of billowing gingham fabrics.

Somehow I ended up under the apple trees, camera in hand, gazing and wondering and snapping photos. I’d like to collect some of these delicious wonders and whip up a batch of lumpy, homemade apple sauce.

And then, I noticed this little critter. Rest assured he kept a close eye on me, watching my every step and move. No doubt he’s not only guarding the house, but also his bounty of juicy gems.