Some Must Be Sacrificed......

So others can get bigger! Those of you with fruit trees might get the drift of that! I had asked Mom about thinning out the grapefruit, as on our tree they tend to cluster greatly. I did remember enough to know that thinning them helps preserve the branches, which can break from the weight of the fruit. Also that it allows the remaining fruit to get larger. Some of the clusters had 6-10 grapefruit, so you can imagine how crowded they were! I think she said you can take out every other one, and I did think about doing that, but it is still slightly wrenching to pick off the poor little things, blighting their meager existance. However, yesterday evening I girded my strength, and picked about a third of the fruit in the clusters. In some I took half, and some I didn't bother at all, as there are some places where there were only 1-3 to start with and they didn't look at all crowded. I picked the littest ones whenever I could, as you would guess! In all, I picked 38 grapefruit. Just a note, last week when we had a lot of wind, 4 grapefruit fell off the tree. So, that makes the total removed, one way or another, 42! I would guess that there are easily two times that many still on the tree, if not more. Assuming we don't lose fruit to hurricanes this year, a lot of people who love grapefruit are going to have to come visit us! I don't think Mike will be able to eat that many!!!!!!

Anne worked yesterday and works today, then is off till we get back from Ohio. She will be really glad to have the break from work, etc.

Not much else going on. We hope the shuttle launch goes off as planned tomorrow! I made an appt for an oil change for my car, and made it for 9 a.m., so it would be done in time for us to get closer for the launch, if Anne wants to go. I will let you know what happens!