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Jackpot!

Finally, after three weeks of talking about buckeyes and asking about buckeyes and looking for buckeyes, I have found them. And now I can move on to another subject.

the tree

I was getting my hair cut at a salon, and one of the stylists said she found a buckeye tree in the front yard of the local Salvation Army building. She makes wreaths out of them like some people use pine cones, and she had gathered a few just the other day.

the nut

So, yesterday morning I went to the Salvation Army, found the tree, and scoured the ground beneath. This is the time of year for these things to fall, so I was hit by several during the foraging. Buckeyes are encased in this spiky thing, which I suppose prevents animals from digging into them.

the box

I filled a bag with my jackpot load of buckeyes, and I'll ship them to the elderly man in California this morning. The family has offered to pay for the shipping, but I had an idea. Considering where I gathered these things, I'm going to suggest the family donate the cost of shipping to their own local Salvation Army.

If for some reason they aren't keen on the Salvation Army, then they can choose their own charity. What goes around, comes around as they say.

Comments

dive said…
Aha! NOW I know what buckeyes are!
That tree's a horse chestnut, Robyn (æsculus hippocastanum), the immortal conker tree, and the things you guys call buckeyes are conkers, weapon of choice for English schoolboys for millennia!
Had I known I could have shipped you tons of the things, though October/November is conker season here.
Kids drill (or carefully skewer) a hole vertically through them, thread a piece of string through, nestle the conker on the knot at the end of the string and do battle in a knightly fashion, each taking turns to smash the other's conker.
We have a World Conker Championship over here.
I hope the old guy enjoys his gift. I know I would!
8:21 AM
Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
I have these things all over my neighborhood. and all this time we called them chestnuts.

We use to have fights with these when I was a kid. they hurt like hell when you take one of the side of the head.
11:01 AM
Alifan said…
wow Rich hope you did not eat conkers.. chestnuts are something very different!!!!!!!but conkers was a fun game....
11:43 AM
Neponset River Bridge Dig said…
alifan - conkers??? is that where you try to bean someone on the head with one of those horse nuts
1:52 PM
Alifan said…
ha, if you do not move fast ..yes Rich.. you are supposed to just hit the conker, but you boys play rough...
5:53 PM
Maria said…
How wonderful that you found the buckeyes! We have a crab apple tree in our front yard and there are so many on our driveway that it looks a crime scene from all the splattering they do when they hit the ground.
3:57 PM
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