Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Homegrown gifts...

My father in law stopped by the other day. He called and said he'd forgotten to give us some stuff the night before when we'd gone to dinner and could he stop by.

"Sure! Come on over! But I can't guarantee the condition of the bathroom...!"

Well, about 15 minutes later he showed up...with these:
Gorgeous nectarines from the tree he and his wife planted in the backyard of their new home last summer. Aren't they pretty? And the smell....ohhh...the smell. We've already eaten half of them...they will NOT go to waste. That is for sure.

But, that's not all he brought. He also brought these...little baby Japanese maples. My favorite tree in the whole world. Their neighbor has a Japanese maple...and it drops seed pods all over their grass in their backyard. And Kelly, my father in laws wife, is constantly battling them, killing them, plucking them out of the grass in an effort to get RID of them. In their yard these little seedlings are nothing but a nuisance.

Well, when I heard that she was ripping them out like weeds I said, "Are you CRAZY?! Grow them!" But, she went a step further than that. Rather than ripping them from the ground and tossing them, she gingerly dug them up with plenty of soil and a firm root ball and placed them in little pots...for ME.

Is that not the sweetest thing ever?! Oh my gosh...what a gift! There are nine of them. Nine little baby Japanese maples. They are the sweetest things...and so is Kelly. Thanks Kelly...you rule!

Now, all I have to do is keep them alive. Gulp. Wish me luck!

4 comments:

Nancy said...

Love the nectarines! They wouldn't last long on my kitchen counter, that's for sure. Mmm. Hope the juice runs down your chin!

I have a (miniature) Japanese Maple in our front yard. I love it. Enjoy yours.

Anonymous said...

yep, i have two miniature Japanese maples too. I know nothing about taking care of them. Those are the best types of gifts of all.

Wren said...

Great gifts! LOVE your Japanese maples. We have one outside the bedroom window.

Anonymous said...

ooh, you lucky lady!

enjoy every juicy bit and blessings for your little maples! nothing better than gifted plants!