Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

Our apple and persimmon trees are spewing out tiny hard fruits that are totally unedible. Eventually, in a month or more, we will see a decent sized fruit in both trees, but only a third or less of the original fruit. I was trying to explain to my daughter and grandson that picking these tiny fruits gives room for an apple to grow to a reasonable size, but of course, I cannot reach any upper branches to do this. I especially love the persimmons, as they are perfect oval shapes and when ripened inside, are sweet and with none of that aftertaste. So every morning I pick up these green pellets and compost them, as there is enough wildlife around here to make trouble for me if food is available. Rats, racoons, opossoms, grey foxes, as well as the ubiquitous squirrels scout for tasty morsels, though from the look of it, not too zealously. This task is mine, as my husband ignores the back yard, but I have a studio out here, so the reminders are automatic. Gardening by pruning, an underrated skill.