Pineapples galore

Connie has grown pineapples in Florida since my kids were small, but after her wheelchair confinement, she upped her production. It lies at the base of the staircase between two condos where anyone going up or down can't miss it. And Connie does not want anyone to miss it.

Madison: "Excuse me, Daddy, but you must pay homage to the pineapples before you go up."

I have been her slave helper, watering, planting, and trimming, and earning more than a few scrapes and cuts for my effort. Those leaves are SHARP! It can take up to two years for pineapple plants to bear fruit, so it was exciting when two plants produced pineapples.

When I returned from my summer travels, Connie had her neighbor pick the ripened fruit. For his efforts, he got one pineapple to share with his wife, and Connie shared the other with Gigi, her evening caretaker, and us. The pineapple was SO sweet--much sweeter and juicier than a grocery store pineapple. The girls were excited to share this experience as it'd been years since their last taste of a Grammy pineapple.

Now Connie is holding classes in pineapple growing to her neighbors, and Madison planted her first pineapple--with the top from the one we ate. All very exciting.

And Connie says she never does anything interesting anymore...