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Thursday 5 September 2013

The Protected Pear

Outside my office window is a pear tree which looks beautiful in the Spring with its delicate blossoms and in the Fall of our first year living here, it was heavy with ripening pears. So heavy, in fact, that it attracted the deer that usually hide out in the ravine behind our house.

Alas, with the current bans on spraying chemicals in the City of Toronto, our poor pear tree has rust on its leaves and has a hard time producing any fruit at all. Last year there was no fruit what so ever. I was very disappointed. BUT, this year, I have seen the odd pear hanging between the leaves and the squirrels have also noticed them. I have caught them scurrying along the tree limbs to collect the meagre meal.

There is one pear left on the tree, as far as I can see and it hangs right in front of my window. I have been protecting that pear from the squirrels for weeks now in hopes that it will grow big enough to make a tasty treat for me. I'm sure it is hard for the squirrels to get because it hangs right at the end of a small branch and they can't get to the pear without falling off the branch before they reach it. The branch also hangs too high for the deer to reach. So far, so good.

The pear has grown to a size that I think will offer me a delicious desert when it ripens and so, I'll  not tempt the wildlife any longer and pluck that prize today to finish ripening indoors. I'll let you know if the wait and close monitoring was worth it.

And.....here's a little glimpse of my progress on the Summer Landscape Quilt.


1 comment:

  1. My mouth is watering. I can taste that pear myself. Yummy. The canoes have come out in full view now. Looking pretty awesome.

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