This is Pete. He might not look like much now but he is a survivor. When I bought my home 28 years ago, the back yard was an overgrown mess. We could not even see the fence. At the time, I was 6 months pregnant with my first child and my back yard was not my priority. It took us a couple of years to get to that fence. We cleared out everything except Pete…

Pete is an apple tree. Back in 1995, I thought Pete would die on his own. He was surrounded by a bench box that had seen better days. I imagine when Pete was planted circa 1958, the bench box was a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the sunshine. I removed the box and the dirt surrounding Pete. What was left was a sad looking tree with what looked like a sucker shoot that had grown into a full second tree but was hollow and full of bugs. After cleaning Pete up, I assumed he would just die a quiet death.

Twenty-eight years later, Pete still stands tall. He is not much to look at in the winter but to my amazement, Pete produces an abundance of apples every year without fail. I say “to my amazement” because I do not take care of Pete…at all. Remember, I thought he was on deaths door. So, over the last 28 years, I have not given Pete even one drop of water, no fertilizer, no nothing. Yet Pete survives…

In the summer, Pete is filled with apples. They are not the tastiest apples, but they are there. With some sugar and cinnamon, they would make a decent pie. Maybe… I am not sure what has kept Pete alive. It is the leaves from the pecan tree next door that fall in the yard every year that I do not rake up. It is truly a mystery. This year, I raked all the pecan leaves around Pete in hopes that they would provide Pete with some compost eventually—I do not know. I just hope Pete does not go into shock from being noticed…and die. Long live Pete!!