The crabapple tree polka dots the sidewalk.

The build up of arms in Watson-McCord neighborhood is sweet! Michael, my across the street neighbor has a glorious and prolific crabapple tree. He told me I could take all the crabapples I needed for making crabapple jelly.

Gordon Lightfoot has a line in his Wild Strawberry album:
'Deep as the sea and as wild as the weatherWe will go just you and me to gather crabapples together.'

Alone I may be, yet across the street stands a Crabapple tree.
I look at the rain-threatening skies and forego the idea of carrying the aluminum ladder across the street to reach crabapples.
I was standing on a green plastic chair, to reach the crabapples, when Michael, my next door neighbor, drove up in his truck and offered to park it in the driveway under the crabapple branches. Climbing into his truck and standing on the plywood-covered bed, I was now above some of the branches and the work was much easier then reaching overhead. With my right hand, I used a pruning shear to cut the stems of the crabapples allowing gravity to place the crabapples in the big plastic colander I held in my left hand. Now. I have a sink full of crabapples. The next step is cutting the stems and flowers off each little crabapple. This being my third batch of Crabapple Jelly; my arms remember the job. I am building my arms sans gym. I will leave that 'cutting each stem and each flower from each little hard crabapple' chore for later. I hope to sharpen my knife and/or learn the magic formula which will make that job easier. Rush hour traffic is over and the sun is no longer blazing overhead so I take the
red convertible to the grocery for pounds of sugar. The line of grey-haired wrinkled old-timers knows the words to a Diana Ross and the Supremes song playing overhead. We smile and acknowledge Motown's influence on our romantic hearts. I am playing, encouraging swaying in the line
when a gal who was over-heated and really looking forward to a coke the outside vending machine didn't deliver, came inside to yell at management with a vehemence in a vitriolic voice that was felt throughout the little grocery. I paid my bill and left the store. In my path, Storming Norma was clicking her seat belt and had her window down.
I leaned over and said: "You sound crabby. I just made some crabapple jelly, follow me for crabapple jelly; it may keep you from a jam." She laughed. Could crabapple jelly become a homepathic sweet to sweeten the inner 'crabby'? Pick, clean, boil, mash, strain, add sugar, boil again put into clean jars.
Take when feeling crabby. Don't get into a Jam cause yer crabby! Employ Enjoy Crabapple Jelly. Eat Crabapple Jelly and don't get in a Jam! June Ellen Noble http://www.geocities.com/junenoble.geo/
From Dr. Edward Bach's Original Flower Essences: The positive potential of Crab apple is acceptance of oneself and of other people's imperfections. Positive Crab Apple people are broadminded and able to control their thoughts and deal with their difficulties.