Pruning fruit trees is very important. It allows the sun to reach all areas of the tree so that the fruit will be better and the tree will live longer Swearing that I wouldn't call someone to do the job for me, I armed myself with my best sewing scissors and a ladder. I succeeded in opening the ladder and pinching my thumb in about 30 minutes. Then I climbed up this thing and had an idea of what Jack felt like when he climbed the beanstalk.

When I reached the first limb, I realized I knew nothing about pruning fruit trees but I figured it couldn't be that hard. I attempted to cut a smaller limb from my tree, and realized that the scissors wouldn't do the job. So I got my husband's chain saw.

It had to be more effective than scissors, after all. Except I didn't anticipate how loud it would be! It startled me. I flung it away on the ground and fell backwards off the ladder. Lucky for me that the grass is soft. I went back up the ladder with the chain saw (not before cursing the noisy thing) and started again. I was ready this time.

I was about to learn that chain saws are very sharp. I tried cutting that small limb again. The chain saw was aggressive and chomped into six and half limbs. Oh man, this really ticked me off. My precious tree! 1/4th of it was on the ground. Not to mention the fact that when those limbs fell, one of them hit me right in the forehead and left a big scratch. I would not give up.

How hard can pruning fruit trees possibly be? Getting the hedge shears, I climbed up in the tree this time. I accidentally kicked the ladder over on the way up.

My head was bleeding, there was dirt stuck to my butt, and now I was stuck in that bleeping fruit tree. I was boiling mad by the time my husband found me. I walked back to the house as my husband laughed, but as I did I gave that tree a withering look and muttering, "Until next year!"