Yes, I know this is an apple tree. That’s not the mystery object though they are a little mysterious in that the tree used to have only small green crabapples and now has decided to go whole hog this year and become a fully fledged, actual apple tree. I even made apple sauce out of a few of the big juicy ones to try them. Delicious!
They are rather like Macouns or Cortlands, but I am calling them simply “those darn apples.” Because now the whole ground is littered with them. I can’t stand waste, but who can eat that many? I put a bag in my pantry a week ago. Those apples are still waiting to be peeled and turned into pie. They have become a tremendous chore weighing on me. And the wasps and bees are out there buzzing around the ones that are rotting on the ground. Even the dog has taken to snacking whenever he wants. It’s apple madness!
Meanwhile, speaking of the dog, the other day he was barking his “I’m a little frightened of something new where it shouldn’t be” bark. I know the bark well. If a bag blows into the back yard, I hear it. If I move a garden chair and he doesn’t know about it and sees it at dusk, lurking out there by the darn apple tree, I hear it. God forbid a trash can rolls somewhere strange. Bark, bark. I hear it.
So, in the early morning, with my first cup-of-tea-stroll around the yard before I start writing, I figured his bark indicated another nothing burger, as they say. As I got closer to the dog, barking and doing his little hopping movements of WTF, WTF, WTF, and saw the strange entities at the far end of my yard, I slowed down. What the heck? Were they hedgehogs curled up sleeping? Did I want to get closer? Maybe I should let the dog handle it after all.
Tell me if you can guess WTF this is. I have taken the photo next to a tennis ball so you can see the size. It was solid and heavy. I chucked its three compadres into the pond. (Sorry ducks and turtles, hope you’re ok with that.) I did NOT touch them with my hand. And the dog was perfectly right to bark his frightened bark because they hadn’t been there the night before. Twelve hours and, bamn, four of these crazy things. Never before and not since!
Next post, we’ll see who knows what they are, or I’ll tell you. Potatoes, maybe?
Keep guessing. Happy Fall!