When we bought Debtor's Prison, I told a friend that the yard had a plum tree. "Ah," she clucked, "start learning how to prop up branches."
Well, too late.
It is now exactly seven days since we moved in, the plum tree is in full plummage, and already a branch -- a fairly hefty one -- has broken off under the fearsome weight of its fruit. On the upside, there's a start to our compost pile!
Every weekend from now until the end of time, I think, will be dominated by some minor project or another. K's project for the weekend was going to OSH, getting a pruning saw and pruning paint, and repairing the damage.
As I have grumbled about on my personal blog, every day seems to demand a trip to OSH. Which means that every day involves an encounter with stunning imbecility. I prefer to patronize OSH over Lowe's or Home Despot, but I swear they must have a corporate policy of hiring only the thickest bricks -- luuded-out cashiers who have to search for the TOTAL button on the register, recalcitrant teenagers who insist that OSH doesn't carry wood glue, old men who don't know what crown molding is.
Before I break down completely and start going to Lowe's, are there any independent and/or Ace hardware stores near Pomona that anyone can recommend? I long for the Parker Brothers Hardware Store of my hometown, where they still remember me if I stop by with my mother, even though I left East Tennessee in 1979.
Oh yeah: And if anyone has any suggestions on what to do with hundreds of plums, don't hold back. (Jam and tarts we've got covered. And I'm thinking about experimenting with Japanese umeshu, which is ordinarily made with greengages.)
3 comments:
I'm working on tracking down that Slivovitz recipe for y'all...it may require a still or something like that, but that's what all the space is for, right?
First off, welcome to Pomona. Are you in Lincoln Park? There is an old fashioned Ace Hardware in San Dimas that you might like. It's on Bonita in the middle of their made-up-western-themed downtown (surrounded by antique stores). It's on the corner on the north side of the street if you are traveling west on Bonita. I've been able to find several old house items for our craftsman that are not carried by Home Depot.
AS for the plums, I say put them in trader joe's bags and give them to your new neighbors.
Thanks for the link to my blog, Goddess of Pomona. I will reciprocate.
GoP: Yup, we're in LP. Thanks for the pointer to the Ace in San Dimas -- my next hardware-seeking excursion will be there.
I have definitely been giving plums away to anyone who can't outrun me! Speaking of which... need any plums?
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