Planting apple trees

Apple tree

The namesake of the Lutheran Church, Martin Luther, once famously remarked that if he knew that the world were going to end tomorrow that he would plant an apple tree today.  While it is easy to become anxious about the future, one of the best antidotes to this anxiety is to live faithfully and courageously in the present.

My wife and I purchased Honeycrisp and Zestar apple trees for our yard yesterday.  Truthfully this purchase didn't require all that much faith or courage.  The trees were discounted 25%, so that it only required a visit to the nursery and about $80.

Hawthorne stump

I had to cut down an aging Hawthorne to make room for one of the trees. This was the most difficult part of the experience.  As advertised, Hawthorne trees have large thorns, which easily pierce the skin.  So while planting of the apple trees was a painless process, I spilled blood during the preparation work.  Like so many efforts it seems that the preparation is the most difficult part of a successful experience.

PS  The white corrugated tubes on the trees are to keep the deer and rabbits from eating the bark.