
DAYS
STAY SALTY ...... means column
DAYS / Reiko Takami Column
Walking and Walking
My Daredevil Challenge
from Tokyo / Japan

























7.1.2024
DAYS/ Reiko Takami Column
Walking and Walking
My Daredevil Challenge
Life span of apple trees

It is the last day of April, when the small pink blossoms of apples are in full bloom everywhere.
I was at an apple farmer's farm where I am always indebted to,
I happened to witness the cutting down of an old apple tree.
This was just in time for apple blossom picking.
Flower plucking is the process of plucking flowers and buds off a tree or a branch to allow it to produce the right amount of fruit.
It is an important process that determines the taste of apples.
A short while after a delicious lunch prepared by his mother, he said, "I'm going to pick flowers.
Mr. Nasuno got on a light truck parked on the property and headed for the apple orchard.
A little later, I headed to the field on foot.
By the time I arrived, the flower picking was finished.
Mr. Nasuno was standing in front of an apple tree with a thick trunk that looked long in age.
Mr. Nasuno was about to start the engine of his chainsaw in front of an apple tree with a thick trunk and long history.
Why are you going to cut it down when it's in full bloom? I asked him,
He said, "This tree won't produce any more delicious apples. I've been watching it for a long time, and I know a flower when I see one.
Mr. Nasuno replied without looking at me, perhaps because he was concentrating on the chainsaw in his hand.
This tree has been here since before I took over the apple farm from my mother's (wife's) parents, and it's almost 50 years old.
They worked a lot for me, so I'm cutting it down."
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
He climbed up on the stepladder with the chainsaw, which started up with a rumbling sound,
He climbed up on the stepladder with the chainsaw, which started up with a loud bang, and nimbly cut down from the thin branches of the apple tree.
It is said that the life span of an apple tree is about 30 to 40 years before it can be harvested,
Just like humans, apple trees go through stages of life.
Seedling stage (1 to 2 years)
Young tree stage (3-4 years)
Young tree stage (5 to 10 years)
Complete tree (11 to 15 years)
Mature stage (16 to 30 years)
Old-growth period (30 years or more)
Generally, a tree has a life span of about 60 years,
After 50 years, it is said that harvesting apples becomes difficult.
In order to keep the cycle of harvesting delicious apples in good order, it is important to plant trees even if they are still healthy.
Even if the trees are still healthy, they are replanted.
However, it is not easy to replace an apple tree that you have taken care of for many years like your own child.
I thought it might not be easy to replace it.
Mr. Nasuno used a chainsaw to cut down the tree without hesitation.
He didn't seem to have time for sentimentality.
I asked him what he was going to do with the wood,
He replied, "Someone wants to use it for a wood stove, so I'll give the thick part to him.
The thin part is for our bath.
Even though I have been coming here for a long time, there are still many things I didn't know, and it is really a lot of fun.
4.15.2024
DAYS/ Reiko Takami Column
Walking and Walking
My Daredevil Challenge
Hello, my incapable self.

At a local development event, Mr. Sashiide, editor-in-chief of Sotokoto magazine, had something interesting to say.
The words may not be accurate, but...,
A good community is one in which the entrance door is half-open.
The characteristic of a good community is that participants are free to come and go as they please.
The same is true for the "Whimsy Diner" activity.
I am conscious of the fact that it is a place that is open to the public.
One of our regular friends said something like this: "When you grow up, you don't want to meet friends regularly.
As an adult, you don't get to see your friends as often, so it's a lot of fun.
Takami's personality makes the people who gather there loose and comfortable.
In a way, it gives me courage to realize that things don't have to be perfect to be successful.
He once told me with a smile, "In a way, it gives me courage to know that it doesn't have to be perfect to be successful.
I can't help but wonder if the food is satisfying for the money,
"The food must be perfect," "We must not make people wait," "The food must be satisfactory for the price.
In addition, you may feel guilty if the meal did not go well.
In addition, there may be times when you feel guilty for not serving a good meal.
In the past, I used to give out the food with a lot of worry, but now I am not so worried.
But this year, we are going to accept what we can't do and what we don't know,
This year, I hope to be able to cook meals with a little more ease.
I think a comfortable place is a more relaxed state of mind.
I don't want to be so rigid that I feel I am no good if I can't do things properly.
Life is not something to be shown off to anyone, nor is it something to be evaluated.
In this country where it is important to read the atmosphere, it is actually quite difficult not to mind one's surroundings.
That is why I wrote this column as a declaration.
I would like to keep a happy feeling and change a little bit every year.