A sign of insanity perhaps

I grew up in Eastern Nebraska, when I was in highschool, I worked in an orchard. I spent time every spring, planting hundreds and hundreds of apple and sour cherries. The rest of the year was spent tending them and their older brethren. It was a great job. A few years after I started college, the orchard was sold, and the majority of the trees I planted were bulldozed to make way for vineyards and research plots for the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

The trees were destroyed before the ever bore fruit.

In college (at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln) I worked for the Horticulture department. My job was to help plant and maintain several research vineyards around the eastern edge of the state. (including those at the aforementioned orchard) We planted thousands of grapevines hundreds of raspberries, blueberries, goosberries, asian pears, and currants.

I graduated before most bore fruit, and I don't know how many of those plots are still kept up. I know at least a few were abandoned.

In college, I also planted a small orchard of heirloom fruit trees (20) and small vineyard (12 vines) at our family farm. for five years I fought an uphill fight against deer, eating the buds and raking antlers on the bark. Flooding and poor drainage, drought and grasshoppers (no joke, the year of the drought they were horrible) I put in two electric fences, ran irrigation lines, and improved the drainage. Everything grew slowly, eventually the trees reached 6-8 feet. Then Dad died last year, and to make a long ugly story short, we had to sell the farm to my shallow, stupid, evil, greedy, psychotic bitch of an aunt (Dad's sister) She removed the fences and I'm sure that whatever the deer haven't destroyed has been choked by weeds or debarked by her ham handed attempts to use the weedeater. I'll never go back.

I got 3 apples and a handful of grapes.

At the first house we bought after we got married, I planted 8 grapevines and put in some serious perennial beds. We sold the house and moved to the current one. I drive by once in awhile....nothing but weeds and overgrown vines.

I got a handful of grapes.

I've spent 15 years planting stuff and watching it die, getting very little for my efforts.

Today, I found myself in the backyard, planting fruit trees. It felt good, and very familiar. I smile every time I look at them. I can't wait to pick fruit with my Niece.  Esopus apple, an heirloom variety was Thomas Jeffersons favorite, he planted some at his estate. Bavay's green gauge  plum, is bright green and looked interesting. Kieffer pear was Dad's favorite, I had planted 2 at the farm for him, today I planted one more for him. Chineese apricot, small and sweet, one of my childhood favorites. I have room for 4 more trees...

I'm an optimist....or a slow learner.