The Apples of Fall

Buying something in a store is one thing, but seeing it develop from scratch to finish is something different. Few people in today’s society have the opportunity to watch their food develop from beginning to end. Watching our apple tree for an entire season made this happen.
Our Haralson apple tree has been interesting to watch. It is located near the garden and any change on the tree was quickly noticed. The tree seemed to be sending us a message at each stage of its summer of production. The year started when the small buds of winter on the limbs began to change. They started opening and beginning leaves began to show. Many pink-colored blossoms came next. Our bees which are in hives a mile away somehow found them. We could watch as the bees moved from blossom to blossom. It was something special to watch them come and go. The apple tree was already providing for others.
I mow the lawn under the tree each week. I could see something changing within the blossoms. This was the beginning of The Apples of Fall. I have even authored writings about how much I have enjoyed eating green apples. These writings spoke of how I began picking small green apples from a low branch “on the go” while mowing under the apple tree. The apples began getting larger in size each week. This continued for the entire summer.
I remember the week when it happened. Suddenly the apples were no longer green and sour. They were now crispy and tart. Anyone with a love of green apples knows the difference. They were becoming The Apples of Fall. The apples continued through the green stage of development. Some started to show some red in their color.
Yesterday was a special day! We started picking The Apples of Fall. It was a day with the feeling of accomplishment. We could witness something of perfection. The apples were many in number, uniform in size, without blemish, and meaningful to hold and see. This meaning came from our being able to watch them develop from early spring to the harvest time of fall.
The apples will now be shared with the many who do not have the opportunity of “being there and doing that.”
Written by
Darwin Anthony
September 21, 2022