Picking Persimmons

 My Hachiya persimmon tree has provided an amazing harvest this year.  For the last few years, I was afraid the tree had died.  During the last several seasons, it didn't produce.  I'm not sure why, since it's a mature tree.   I fed it some compost tea and straw mulch, and what a difference!  The whole tree came back to life.  I have picked at least 150 persimmons so far...it's  a thrill. They are lined up in long rows on the counter, the windowsill, the dryer and the kitchen table.   I love growing fruit; it's so rewarding.

I gave some to my neighbors, and dropped off a bag on the porch of  the woman who runs our co-op in Wrightwood.  She uses them to make persimmon cookies.  I will leave a bag in the mailbox for my mail lady.  She is always so appreciative of homegrown fruit.  I also gave some to the lady that sells produce at our local fruitstand.  Her eyes lit up and she told me that she loves persimmons.  I will take her some more tomorrow.  

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A New Vinyl Fence

 

Yesterday I had a new white fence put up at the cottage.  The old one was sagging, the paint had chipped, and looking at it completely depressed me.  I think it had been there since the 1940's.  It was so distressed and beyond repair.  I settled on a ranch style vinyl fence.  I had some mesh wire put on the inside to keep Lula in, and deter  any coyotes or other animals. 

 After about  an hour, the two workers accidentally hit a pipe and broke it.  I showed them where the water shut off was, and they turned it off and repaired the pipe.  They had the glue, replacement PVC pipe and tools in their truck.  It happens fairly often, from what they told me.

I don't care for solid vinyl fencing because it looks too plastic to me, but I do like the design that I chose.  I studied other choices around Santa Clarita before deciding.   For some reason with three slats it almost looks like wood.  Vinyl doesn't chip, and it should last a lifetime.  I love that I can hose it off to clean it;  it's so convenient.  They  added a small gate and now Lula  has a dog run in the driveway.  She doesn't understand the set up, and stares at me through the mesh, confused.  She sits sideways, and doesn't even watch the street, she is completely fixated on me.   I thought she would act like a guard dog,  but she just looks wistfully at me, as I rock in my glider. on the porch.  "Can I come in?" her expression says,   I think she thinks she's being punished.  As always, she adapts.  When she used to lean at my side  she would become covered with mulch.  I would have to vacuum each time she came back  inside the house.   That's not my idea of relaxation.  

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Planning For Your Future As an Elderly Person

 I recently got a phone call from a woman I used to know. She was in a local knitting group that I attended.  She had sent me an email saying that she was leaving California because she could no longer afford it.  She  is having a home built in an over 55 retirement community in North Carolina, where her brother lives.

I remember visiting her house.  She invited me for a delicious homemade meal of chicken salad and fresh bread, and we sat on the couch and knit.  The home seemed very large for one person, and it was in an area where all of the houses were brand new.  I asked her what she meant about the costs, and she told me that her property taxes are now $16,000. a year!  They will continue to rise.  She is 75 years old, and has been there for seven years.

My little cottage is far smaller than those homes, but it suits my needs.  The neighborhood is working class, and we used to be on the outskirts of town.  That has changed.  The area is more developed now, with newer housing.   I love having a spacious  backyard, and the  fruit trees that I planted save me   money on groceries.  I pay $1,600. in property taxes each year.  I have been here since 1998, and plan to make this my retirement home.  (unless  a developer buys us out, and they decide to tear all of these houses down, which I hope they don't!)

She plans to sell her home, invest a chunk of the money, and buy a smaller home outright.  This will give her a large cash cushion as well.  For those of us who have lived in California for decades, it is much less expensive than  the people who bought in the higher end areas.  

She pointed out that the price of gas elsewhere is far cheaper, as well as many other costs.  It was very eye opening to talk to her.  People used to make fun of me because I would take the bus, ride my bike  from the bus stop to the cafe, and just order bread and water,  That's all I could afford at the time.  It has all paid off in the long run, though.  

Where do you see yourself in twenty years?  

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Peter Gennaro "Halloween Dance" on The Ed Sullivan Show