The Apple Tree

His mother had a long life and then she died. She lived in a tiny town surrounded by farms. She had three children and many grandchildren. She was loved.

The man and his two siblings settled the estate and the man bought the house. Ten years passed and he noticed that the apple tree in the backyard was dying.

He took a grafting class and made six trees from the whips he harvested in the final year of the tree.

This was a wonderful crab apple tree that had given the family many pies and treats made by his mom. Her grandchildren had many fond memories of those apples and those pies.

He gave an apple tree to each sibling, one nephew, and a friend and then planted his own in the backyard of the house he shared with his wife and family.

One sibling/couple planted their tree in a public park but the city cut it down. One sibling/couple gave the tree to one of their children who planted the tree in her backyard. That house was later sold and the tree forgotten. The friend let his tree expire.

The nephew still has a living tree that was set to give him apples this year, until his neighbor picked them... and ate them... and told him how good they tasted. Hum... this is another post.

The man's apple tree is about 10-15 feet tall now.

A couple of years ago, he took a small crape myrtle from his backyard and planted it at the old house that he still owned.

A month or so ago he returned to the old homestead to find a deep hole where the crape myrtle had been. The mystery persisted. The wife wanted him to report it to the police. They could not figure out who would want to steal a poor little crepe myrtle that was failing to thrive.

This past weekend at the family reunion, a niece mentioned to him that her sister had gone to the old homestead and taken "the apple tree."

Ok, we are not talking about children here. The niece and her husband are in their mid-30s, college-educated and have a large income and two kids and a house of their own. The other sister is almost 30. Their parents are older than the man who still owns the house.

They all knew this occurred.

No one called and asked him about the apple tree, which he cut down about 5 years ago as it was a hazzard. It was about 25 feet tall and completely dead.

No one asked if they could dig up and take something from his yard. They didn't even put some dirt in to replace what they had taken.

Why did none of these FIVE ADULTS call him? And ASK him.

Would you go to a house your grandmother owned 18-20 years ago and just dig up a bush?

I mean, she doesn't own the house now. She's dead. I mean, like really!?

Where I stand this is STEALING.

What is worse is they stole from their UNCLE.

If they had wanted a crab apple tree, they have plenty of money to BUY ONE.

I mean, really, people. What is going on here? How can anyone do this, much less do this to their own family? I just don't get it.