Pears, Pears, and more Pears

The limbs on the pear trees are usually pointed upwards but this year the poor limbs are loaded and drooping.

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Both of our pear trees are loaded this year.

Big pears are hanging on the pear tree taking their time ripening.

In 2001. the first year that we moved here we tore out a fence to expand the backyard in order to plant fruit trees.  Just like the ark, we planted two of each kind of fruit tree.
2 apples
2 peachs
2 plums
2 pears
2 apricot
2 cherries
2 sweet cherries
A grape arbor and
a big bed of strawberries and a large watermelon patch.
We have lost a few trees and replanted.  The plum and peach trees have did well until this year and one plum tree died and the peach trees did not bloom.   This is the first year for a pear crop and the pear trees are making up for lost time.
My dream was to have lots of fruit to put by for the winter as we get older...I love fruit!
I wanted my family to be able to pick fruit and eat it fresh.  What I didn't think about was the kids live away from here and don't visit all that often. 
A wind had hit us a couple of weeks ago and a few of the pears fell to the ground.  I picked them up and laid them on the stainless steel table on the porch to ripen.  Today they felt softer and more yellow, sweet and juicy.  Of all things Danny wanted me to make pear butter, he had never had any and wanted to give it a try.  I used the recipe in the Ball canning book.  It cooked down and thicken nicely. 
The apple trees are also loaded and have some really nice fruit...we will make apple butter, cinnamon apple sauce, and pie filling when we harvest them.

We are truely blessed