An Orchard (Of Sorts)

A normal afternoon at the Heavenly Household can quickly turn into an adventure.  One minute we're sliding and giggling in the sparkling sunshine.

The next minute, we've stumbled across a patch of fallen apples down the street.  These tiny jewels are no bigger than a nickel; perfect for collecting.

Perfect for dramatizing.  Mia became a storyteller, elaborating about the fruit treasure she'd found in the neighbor's 'orchard.'  (He politely shook the tree branches for us, promising that these fruits were entirely edible.  Crab apples, he said.  We were delighted with the knowledge, but declined to taste the windfall.) 

Collecting the small, colorful gems was enough for us.  A re-purposed snack cup full of red and yellow and pink and orange and green -- all the shades you could hope for on an Autumn exploration expedition.  (We made a mental note to bring bigger collecting receptacles on our next adventure.)

And though we've never been to a real orchard, this single tree down the block inspired our creativity for hours.

Of course, we had to determine whether or not the baby apples could successfully be initiated into our Backyard Club by means of a harrowing trip down the slide.

They could, and they did.  Gathered faithfully by their tormentors, the apples made several trips down the slide that day. 

By the end, I feel quite sure that they were begging to merely be chopped or peeled or baked, but those honorable fates weren't in their futures.

And how could they assume otherwise, really, with a curious toddler such as this one poking and smashing them?  A few brave apples were crushed to smithereens before Lauren abandoned their juicy stickiness in favor of one last hurrah on the swings.

Those poor apples never saw this one coming. 



Write Pink! is still going strong; this week, Hyacynth is hosting several guest writers along with some great giveaway opportunities!  Be sure to stop by Undercover Mother to learn more about ways to Prevent breast cancer.