botias | I have a shopping list (Reply)

It's been storming for a few days now. Lots of rain and cold wind. But, apparently it is also Spring. The cherry trees are just beginning to bloom; my daffodils are popping up all over and so are the crocus. Two of my asparagus plants are sending up shoots, and the new crop of slugs and snails are ready and waiting to devour their favorites.

I've had a shopping list for a few days now, but haven't done anything about it. The list is new, but most of this stuff I've been putting off for many moons already. I practice an apathy style of frugality.

smoothie blender (maybe) my current one looks like a rocket ship, but is 10 years old and sounds like it's blending rocks, but then it always did
kid hair clippers
new tennis shoes
hamper for boys
birthday present for 7yo
my fave perfume before they quit making it again
car that includes the following features:
1. stick shift
2. gets more than 35 MPG
3. seats five
4. drives like a sports car
5. costs less than 15K

Not on the list is fruit trees. I think I've gotten enough of those. Apparently, I am over my tree buying anxiety. I got four more bareroot fruit trees just before the storm hit, bringing me to a total of 7 trees to plant once the ground stops being soggy (hah!). It's not as huge as it sounds. I will be planting three or four trees in the same spot, about 18 inches apart, and not letting any of them get taller than I can reach. The trees produce less fruit than if they were allowed to get 15 to 30 feet tall or if they weren't planted so closely, but they produce plenty for a family, and the idea is to choose different varieties so that they ripen at different times, providing fruit over a long period. The earliest variety I have (Anna) ripens at the start of July, and the latest variety (Rome Beauty) continues into November. Partly through luck, and partly through planning, the other varieties ripen more or less in succession in between. I'm all set to get thoroughly tired of apples, but that's OK, there's a food bank down the road. This is all theory and hearsay and YouTube videos made by fruit tree salesmen at this point, of course. They could all DIE. But I think they won't, and I'm excited. Two of the trees had multiple varieties grafted onto them so I now have the following varieties:

Apples: Anna, Winter Banana, Red Fuji, {Fuji, Gala, Mutsu, Jonagold} Rome Beauty
Asian Pears: {Hosui, Shinseiki, 20th Century}
European Pears: Warren

I might try to grow some Pluots. It looks like they grow well around here, and they routinely win taste tests in multi-fruit smackdowns. Anyone ever tried a Plout? My summers are too mild for most peaches and sweet citrus, but I may try a specialty peach or some grape vines.