apples

The essence of fall is...
...red sumac against gold cornfields
...trees ablaze with turning leaves
...and, always, apple picking

Elanor and Kaya Laurë joined me to go pick apples at friend-of-a-friend's countryside place. What a gorgeous Southern Minnesota autumn day. Picking delicious, crisp, apples for free is among the best things in life. Juicy, non-mealy, mostly sweet and just slightly tart apples. Here are a few tips to enjoying this delightful fall activity:

Bring along someone to hand apples to - preferable someone adorable.

Be sure to eat a few to keep your energy up.
The nice thing about apple picking is that shade is built-in.
Just watch out for falling fruit.

Feed the bruised ones to the neighboring cows.

Take time to study the jet trails that streak the sky.

Most importantly of all, smile. Life is so good sometimes. Yes, sometimes it is very, very hard and devastating and broken. Sometimes the apples are wormy or have bird poop on them. Sometimes there are no apples. Or maybe sometimes there is just one apple, and it is all the more precious. But if you look diligently enough, or wait long enough, or hope hard enough, you will find apples. Because they are real.

And whatever you do, when you pick your apples, remember to bake them into a crisp for your Love.