Anyway, I started blasting.
We tend to get a little overly enthusiastic when flexing our bear arms in America
Crazy when I read about people suggesting shooting someone over what amounts to $10, I guess that's the value of someone's life these days?
Stealing CA grown mangoes is certainly a travesty with how hard it is to grow them here... But at the same time, I kind of understand. Today's current reality is that very few people get to experience picking fruit right off the tree, maybe something they used to do in their home country where mango trees tower 50' tall and end up dropping thousands of pounds that end up rotting away. I couldn't believe the size of mango trees in El Salvador, they made even FL ones look small.
If I really had a yard to protect, I'd have a large fence / privacy hedge with a few choice trees on the outside for public consumption. I love when I get to share fruit, even with a stranger.
I one hundred percent agree...if it is on my terms. If I give it to them, it is a gift. If they take it is is a theft. Kids are kids for sure but I mean where does it end? Dave takes $10 worth, Carl takes $5 worth, Christy takes $40 for her "family", Dale takes a $1 worth. Old Carolina get none or just worst left behind. Other folks calling me stingy for my effort. "It's just some damn fruit!" Until..."it's just a damn pair of shoes, it's just a damn steak, it's just a damn basket of groceries, it's just little car." An old guy like me knows. There are limits and at some point Thieves are not different from bullies.