we love our garden
and spend countless hours
tilling soil
dead heading roses
training vines
adjusting drip lines
repairing bird houses
and
tending to our bees
however
we are in the mountains
which makes our
season
really short
and
slightly tenuous
snow seems to fall at its whim
scorching blossoms
with a cool blast
as a result
what we harvest
is
revered
i prepare and preserve
everything
very little is wasted
speaking of wasted
this year
we are trying something new
liqueurs and elixirs
are
one of my true loves
lucky girl that i am
my other true love
humors my every whim
which is how we found ourselves
on a beautiful spring day
perched on ladders
wiring
bottles
to our pear tree
we picked through the tree
like it was a rummage sale
for the perfect
barely formed pear-on a just the right size branch
once discovered
we removed the leaves
gently plied the bottle up the branch
and
tied it off
and crossed our fingers
if all goes as planned
a beautiful pear
will grow
in
each bottle
it will then be preserved
with pear soaked brandy