Marilyn and Chuck Rowland: Hope the fruit you stole from our trees didn’t leave a bitter taste

My husband and I have lived in the same house in Modesto for over 40 years. Obviously we have been happy here. But in the last few weeks something has happened that makes us angry and disappointed in this lovely city. We have citrus trees in the front yard near the house which bear fruit well some years and not so well in others. We blame it on our fickle climate.

As this year’s bounteous crop began to ripen in early December, a few tangerines disappeared; they had been pulled off rather than clipped, so we could see exactly where they had been. When we returned from a family visit over Christmas, we were dismayed to find all the tangerines and oranges that were reachable had been removed – stolen.

Fruit at the rear of the trees and not so easily accessible was left. The lemons were not touched. We would have been happy to give some to neighbors and friends, but did not have the opportunity to do that. Doesn’t seem like there is much Christmas spirit in the air. I hope the fruit was enjoyed and didn’t leave a bitter taste for those who ate it.

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Marilyn and Chuck Rowland: Hope the fruit you stole from our trees didn’t leave a bitter taste."