We have five pecan trees in our yard. They produce fruit every three years and it’s a lot of nuts. Certainly more nuts than two people and one dog can hope to use.

The last time, we gave away bagsful of nuts, invited the church members to come pick them up and still had plenty left over until they started falling from the trees this year.

I’ve collected about a half a bucket of nuts so far this year. But they are plentiful and there are still a whole bunch left on the tops of the trees.

Usually every day, I pick up nuts around the edges of our property to keep the would be pecan poachers honest. Today, I read a book all day and didn’t pick up any nuts.

I just watched a man go along the alley, on the empty lots (of which there are now five highly populated with both pecan trees and nuts) picking up nuts and putting them in his pocket like he thought no one was watching.

BooBoo and I watched out the window as he came around the house and started looking at our grass. As he bent down to pick up the first nut, I opened the door and I asked him, “Did you plan to ask if you could have those nuts?”

He dropped what he had in his hands. “Oh.”

Me: “So let me ask you, would you just take my car?”

Him: “What?”

Me: “Would you just take my car because you wanted it?”

Him: “Oh no, I wouldn’t take your car.”

Me: “Then why would you just take my nuts without asking?”

Him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I won’t take any.” And he hurried off down the sidewalk.

If anyone came up to the door and asked if they could have some of our pecans, I would say sure, thanks for asking and help yourself. As I said above, there are a LOT. Way more than we can use.

But something that is a huge irritant to me every three years is the people who will just come along and try and help themselves to my property unless I stop them.

I’m a generous person but I don’t like thieves and I really, truly want to understand why someone thinks that it’s okay to take pecans when it’s not okay to take cars?