Aunt Courtney's Apple Tree

We pulled up to Courtney's house and parked under the tree

my old lady remarked that she could eat one of the fruit

although the pile under the tree was not appetizing

sure enough towards the top, they looked plump and inviting

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upon returning from the liquor store I parked under the tree

Brian said, "these apples are a pain in the ass"

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I was dressed for Alice's wedding, setting up the car for extra passengers

Casper hobbled down the driveway

he was old but told me that I looked like a businessman right off the bat, and won me over

he wanted the unwanted fruit from the tree, but wanted permission from the homeowner. I took down his information.

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back inside the homeowner had a hearty chuckle. She had met Casper and granted permission already.

Brian very literally tore up Casper's information that I had written down.

Casper had told them that those apples were in fact pears.

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the next morning we were hungover and my old lady went outside to have a pear for breakfast.  the rest of the group was not impressed but I was and took a bite.

the fruit was tolerable but needed something more.

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on the drive home my old lady said "If there was a pear tree in our yard we wouldn't ever buy fruit again"

we rapped for quite some time on pear jelly, pear pies, pear liquors, and other pear things I cannot now recall

Inheritance

I have inherited many wonderful things from my Mom

long flowing locks are up the top of the list
looking at the Danvers High 1975 yearbook one would give my Dad partial credit in this department
Scientists might chalk the mop up to my grandparents (and Science)
but anyone who has seen my mom & I standing next to each other knows where my hair comes from

better than the 'fro though,

is the magical effect that the 1975 album "Fleetwood Mac" has

once it reaches a certain volume

it creates a Zen like trance

by the time the A side is ready to be flipped the house is brighter and cleaner
fresh bedsheets that smell of lavender
clean dishes drying on the rack beside the sink

the need to play the record while cleaning
(the need to clean while the record plays)
feels genetic

Trashy Thoughts

it wasn't until moving to Gloucester that I became Aware of my trash

because the city's trash program is that they only collect bags the residents purchase

which seemed weird and communist, at first

something like five dollars per purple bag
which probably held the same 20-30 gallon your standard black trash bag holds

(Editor's Note: $2 for a 33 gallon bag)

we soon realize the city also has a recycling program

now all the items that qualify are staying out of the purple monster

instead, kicking into the recycling bin

we recently considered creating a compost pile and created a third bin for food trash

and I realized that on average:

a third of our trash can be recycled
and a third of our trash can be compost

Food Is Good

We took the "Salem Food Tours" this afternoon

*disclaimer for journalistic integrity* my old lady's brother's wife's sister runs it (well)

underlined are highly recommended restaurants,
also worth noting:

-Chef Tony at 62 taught us that ravioli is plural and raviolo is singular

-Comida gets the Terminator award (i'll be back)  

-Life Alive had an alarming combination of Meatlessness and Deliciousness

-locally sourced, all natural ingredients are oh-so-tasty

-Chef Mike at Brodie's Seaport made a perfectly seared scallop

and every that time happens an angel gets it's wings.