You Missed One!

  Here it is March and we are still getting fruit from the citrus trees. While this seems delightful for us, it is probably not the best thing for the trees.  A few are already budding.  Those last lingering fruits needed to be picked.  This is far easier said than done.  While picking the satsumas, lemons, kumquats and navel oranges is relatively easy, the picking of the grapefruit presents quite the problem.  Since the trees are a good forty feet tall, getting to the fruit is quite the ordeal.  Son usually has to climb the tree and then use an extension pole rigged with a hook.  The fruit comes tumbling down and often splits when coming in contact with the ground.  This makes for problems.  The fruit then has to be eaten or canned immediately.  I can only do so much.  The two trees bear over 500 huge fruits.

  At the beginning of this month, Mark took the extension pole and just shook the branches.  Fruit was flying everywhere!  Dozens splatted on the hard ground making them unusable but twice as many bounced and never received a single bruise.  Once again, the kitchen was filled with citrus fruit.  I needed no more.  The jars were already filled canned jams, jellies and marmalades.  Gallon jugs were filled to the brim with dehydrated slices.  Quart jars held dehydrated and pulverized peels.  What was I to do with more fruit?  It was given to any unsuspecting visitor to the Little Bayou House.  

  Then, when we were out on our hike, we spied the Evil Grapefruit!  One large fruit still clung to a limb high in the top of the tree!  I cannot rid myself of these things!  There it hung as if mocking me all the while gleaming in the morning sunlight.  When I saw it, I had to start laughing.  "You missed one!" I told Mark.  He just looked at me in disbelief and murmured what I hope was "It seems that way."