The Fruit of Our Labor

For the last 2 days Peg and I have been wandering around the yard poking holes in it.  We have finally completed our annual fertilization chore, which includes lugging a big heavy hole puncher around.  The thing is made from an old axle and has a T-bar for a foot brace.  When ya jam it into the ground, wiggle it in a circle it makes a hole that a lb. of fertilizer fits into. (We use "triple 13" or 13-13-13, which is best for our citrus trees.)

I lugged the heavy hole puncher around sticking it in the ground, hollowing the hole out and pulling the thing out again with a "smuck" sound.  Peg kept up with me pushing the wheelbarrow and pouring a red Solo Cup of fertilizer in the holes, humming, "Let's have a party...when's the party gonna begin?" and laughing.  While we were at it we looked over all the trees carefully and did some pruning where necessary. The "hes's touching me!" twigs and branches.  100 lbs of fertilizer; 1 lb. per hole and ya can see why it took awhile.  When it was all said and done we stood hand-in-hand surveying the yard and ya couldn't tell we had done anything.  I told Peg, "Sheesh all dat bending, toting, lifting, poking, squatting and pouring, and we got nothing to show for it". 

She just smiled and pointed at the grapefruit tree we were standing by and said, "When ya can walk out into the yard and reach up and pick Ruby Red grapefruit that big and fresh and sooo sweet, take 10 steps and pick a navel orange that is even bigger! Them's the fruit of this labor.

 

She didn't even mention the amazing Meyer "lemon monster" that lives at the end of the row 'cuz...... you guessed it...(thats another story.)