The orchard

 We decided to wean the office missionaries from our help by not going into the office anymore.  We are still here if they need us, but they'll have to ask.
   So, that brings up the question of what are we going to do with ourselves?  We have a certain amount of things to do.  Auditing, chores, errands for President and Sister M., but there is more time in the day than that takes.  Normally this time would be filled with Branch support:  ministering, meetings, teaching English classes with the young elders, etc.  Senior missionaries normally get to find something to do that interests them and contributes in some way to missionary work.  Some teach language in schools, some work with handicapped people, or at hospitals.  Some do genealogy or family histories, or something like that.
   I've been thinking about the orchard at the Mission Home.  The home is on a ridgetop.  There is a small back yard that slopes down into the ravine, then below that is the tennis court, and below that is a fairly large slice of land with fruit trees.  They have been there a long time, and the trees have not been pruned and maintained.  They are overgrown, too tall in many cases, and the gophers are eating some of them to death.  But some of them are still decent trees.  In particular, there is a large plum tree just below the tennis court net that is very healthy looking.  Most of the trees are still in blossom, but the plum has little plums already set.  Lots of them!  Too many of them.  If they stay on the tree, it will be overburdened and the plums will all be small and hard.  So, I've been thinking about thinning them out so they will be better plums when they ripen.  It is too late to really prune the tree, though.
   The problems with me adopting the orchard are:

1. The area with the trees is very steep.  I can barely move across it and in many places I can't go up or down.  If I worked out there, I'd have to start by digging steps everywhere I'd need to go.
2.   The orchard hasn't been tended or harvested for a long time, so it isn't really needed, now.  If I coaxed some nice fruit out of it, we would take it to the branch meetings (if they get going by harvest time) and give them to the members there.
3. Taking old fruit trees and pruning and restoring them to productivity is a minimum three year project, and I will be here for a much shorter time than that.  We are here for 23 months in total, and the plan is still to go back to Osijek as soon as the quarantine is lifted.
4. Harvesting old, large trees requires using ladders, and that is out of the question on that steep hillside.

OK, so there is no way I can adopt the orchard.  I get it.  But it still haunts me.  I've decided that what I CAN do is thin the plums out on the branches I can reach from the ground, so the tree will be less overburdened.  Maybe I'll be able to harvest a few for the missionaries, President and Sister M., and myself.  Maybe even enough to dry or can.

OK, so now what do I do?   Answer:  write volume two of  my memoirs.