Feeling Sad and Angry

Yesterday Rich and I drove around the countryside of our hometown, Medford Oregon. During the spring when we were growing up our families would drive around the countryside and see and smell the beautiful pear orchards. There was thousands and thousands of pear trees dotted all around the Rogue Valley. The smell was at times overpowering and could cause you to sneeze. We always knew that after the spring blossoms we would soon see the small pears forming. Then in late August and early September the harvest would start. Our families always canned Bartlett pears that would find there way to our tables during the cold, damp winter.

Yesterday, when we drove through the countryside around Medford........gone was our beloved pear orchards. Now there are vineyards where once the mighty pear trees grew. Or even worse........the subdivisions that cover the acreage where the mighty pear trees grew. Rich and I was both saddened and angry over what so-called progress has done to our beloved hometown.