Peach Poaching

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The house behind ours has been vacant for months and months.  It languished on the market for ages, and finally sold back in April.  As far as Robb and I could tell, nobody had set foot in the place until the recent July 4th holiday.  While Robb and I were tidying up for our backyard party, workers were smashing glass, demolishing walls, and throwing the debris out the second story windows. Every smash made me flinch, not because the workers were making so much damn noise, but because they were trashing what little historic charm that poor house had left.

Hours of destruction on a national holiday was followed by ...  nothing.

Nobody has been back to clean up the mess.  This gigantic heap of crap has been sitting unattended for the past two weeks.  The gaping windows are uncovered, no doubt inviting all the local pigeons inside.

I have a foolish sympathy for older homes. I have this idea that they have a spirit, and need people to love them.  This poor house is not getting the love it deserves.




So, today, Robb and I pried off a few fence boards, and I snuck into the back yard.  I'd been there  before, when my bees swarmed into the neighbors' fruit trees. I'd returned wayward dogs, on more than one occasion.

And today I did one of those weird sentimental things, that are so typically "me."

I collected all of the fallen peaches from the back yard.  It just seemed so sad to let them spoil on the ground.  It seemed disrespectful to the tree that worked so hard to produce the fruit, and insulting to the person who planted that tree, many years ago.

Because I'm frightfully shy, most people mistake my sober reticence for lack of feeling.  But in fact, I'm a total softie, about things like neglected orchards, unloved houses and scraggly kittens.

Blog readers please have mercy.  Stop me, before I morph into some maudlin character from a forgotten Chekov play.

And don't let me fail to cook those peaches.






If you're interested in seeing what other folks are harvesting, mosey on over to Daphne's blog for the weekly round-up.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Collecting those peaches before they attract rats is self -preservation. I know what you mean when you talk about the "spirit" of older houses. They have real charm. Sadly, neglected and abandoned charm.... Detroit was full of them, until trees grow in them and eventually destroy whats left of them completely and they actually fall down onto your car parked in the street... Its why we work so hard on ours. We are breaking down and getting our original wooden window sills covered with aluminum this fall, as 150+ to 200 year old wood rots away into oblivion, replacing it constantly is really expensive, since we cant get the original wood anymore, and the weather becomes more and more unpredictable around here. We wont be able to hang the shutters on them anymore either after this is done, like I intended, but as I have witnessed them go flying off in bad storms on my neighbors homes, I wont worry about it any longer.I bet your new owners are letting the place rot in time so the demo will take less time. Be alert if the place collects lots of rainwater in storms and seeps into your own lot. Maybe as they demo you can ask if there are parts of the place you can have, like original moldings, etc.

Annalisa

Annalisa
Mel said…
Ugh, so sorry to hear there is nothing positive going on with that place. :( I applaud the rescuing of peaches!
Sallysmom said…
Good for you ;)
K said…
Peach rescue! Ha ha. :) This proves there is nothing you can't do.
Dave's SFG said…
It wan't sentimental, it was a very practical thing you did. Those peaches were just calling to be made into peach pie and preserves. Ooh, how about peach cobbler, too.
Anonymous said…
I think you did a wonderful thing. Why should we waste perfectly good food? I've been guilty of that many times, so it's good to get a reminder every now and then.
Jenny Rottinger said…
Completely with you on the charming old houses and lost peaches - no fruit should be lost on the groun IMHO.
Anne Bonny said…
Why do people feel the need to destroy old houses? So many people have lived and loved in these houses, why not honor that and build new memories instead of new walls? Old houses have a soul or a spirit as you say. Old houses deserve love, they've earned it.
Lisa said…
Why do they do it? Two words: rental properties.
Anonymous said…
Were they workers or vandals?

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