Dear Editor,
On a scale of one to ten, this issue does not necessarily rate as a high priority, but I would sincerely like to find out who it was that helped herself to all the apples from the tree in my back yard on Wednesday, August 28. My bumper crop of apples was picked completely clean that morning and no one, it seems, can help me resolve the matter.
According to my neighbor, who came over to check why his dog was barking, the lady in question claimed that I told her she could help herself to the apples and hoped he didn’t mind. Why should he mind? Maybe she should have asked me that question first!
Not knowing any different, my neighbor made no further inquiries or further checks as to her identity (although he did wonder why I would even offer such a thing, knowing how thrilled I was with the size and number of the apples this year!)
Now I know there may be some misunderstanding somewhere and I would settle for that, if there was. But I was eagerly anticipating picking those apples and making my annual stores of applesauce and pie filling preserves for myself and my family. I would never have offered ALL the apples for anyone else to come and pick.
What I really question is why this woman would show up on one of the mornings that most people know I am regularly away, as a vendor at a local farmer’s market. Why would she not notify me first that she was coming? Or leave a thank you note, or some idea that she had come and gone? All I find a day later, to my utter surprise, is a barren fruit tree in my back yard!
As an 82-year-old senior, it disturbs me that some would do that. Someone not only took my full apple harvest, but more importantly, they robbed me of the pleasure of making my preserves, as well as the joy of gifting those preserves to my children and grandchildren.
As I stated before, it seems a trivial concern, but the underlying principle of someone coming to my home while I am away and ‘helping herself’ to EVERY apple off my tree, without so much as a word, just has me peeved.
Disappled and disappointed
Rieki Rondeel