Picture of the day - July 30, 2008

Mom's pear tree birdhouses

Photo by Rick Rouse. When mom and dad moved into the home where they would spend their golden years, one of the first things they did was plant a pear tree in the front yard. Dad had always loved fruit trees, and every time they bought a piece of property he was quick to plant a few. He always had great luck with his fruit trees, and it usually didn't take long for him and mom to begin enjoying bucket after bucket of delicious fruits of all varieties. It soon became apparent however that the great looking pear tree dad had planted in the front yard was not going to be another in his long string of successes. Although it quickly grew tall and strong and produced a yearly crop of very large pears, they always turned out to be as hard as a rock - and about as tasty as an old oak plank! The tree itself was quite beautiful indeed, but every fall the front lawn became littered with bushels of useless pears which only the hornets and yellow jackets seemed to take a liking to. Well, last fall mom decided that she was fed up with that old pear tree and the messes it generated, so she asked me to cut it down. Down it went, but I left the four "trunks" standing to a height of approximately 8 feet so we could mount birdhouses on them. My brother Roger attached a house to the top of each trunk, and this spring new branches sprung up all around them. The result is the scene depicted in today's picture. Although dad and mom were both deeply disappointed with that old pear tree, it ended up serving quite nicely in another capacity: as a home for several of their fine-feathered friends!   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"