The Land Baroness

Darling Sister-In-Law (DSIL) has become a local land owner, a Local Land Baroness, if you will. She has purchased a lot in town here. Both the location and price were right so she took the plunge.

She likes the small town we live in and wants to retire here in a few years. Now that she has the lot she is starting to decide what kind of house she wants to build eventually.

She also wants to plant some trees on the lot. She would like to plant fruit trees now so that when it comes time to retire, build and move in, the trees will be mature and producing delicious fruit.

The gentleman who owned the lot before her had planted fruit trees, but back in 2004 hurricane Charley destroyed many of them as well as the house that was there.

There is a tree that is still alive and producing fruit; it is a tangerine tree.

DSIL gave The Colonel and I permission to pick the fruit (by the looks of the tree some of the neighbors had been helping themselves to it as well).

The ripest tangerines were higher up in the tree (apparently the neighbors could not reach them so they tree-ripened longer which made them sweeter). The Colonel and I used a ladder to pluck the upper tangerines.

We must have eaten two or three each as we plucked away. We ended up picking about 40 of those little orange balls of Florida sunshine. We gave half of our harvest to our friend Louise who said they were so good she might not share them with her husband.

I don't have a fruit tree in my yard yet, so it sure is nice to know someone who does and is willing to share the fruit. Being related to the tree owner helps too. Thanks a bunch DSIL.