I was driving on Ross Station Road, just north of Sebastopol, on New Year’s Day, when I noticed this lone apple hanging from a tree in an otherwise bare orchard. Why did this apple not go away for the winter like the others on this tree? This orchard was completely bare except for this one resident. Is this just another sign of how little rain we’ve had this winter? How long will it continue to hang there? Will it turn into a dark and hardened version of itself before it drops, or will a gust of wind or rainfall finish the task?