vol. 2, no. 16 | Harvest
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: Way back in the early days of our radio show, in episode 10, we talked about a peach tree that sits outside our studio here in Denver, growing out of the sidewalk.
One of the producers at our show had been asking questions about it, and It turned out that our landlord, a guy named John, had for years—years!—been laboring away at this tree. Tending to it, watering it, pruning it—and whatever else goes into tending trees (I don’t know things like that). But the fickle nature of Denver weather means that it is very rare for this tree to actually fruit. If things are too hot or too cold too early or too late, sometimes things just don’t work out.
And worse: in years when the peach tree has produced peaches, they’ve often been stolen before John gets to taste the literal fruit of his literal labor.
That episode is one of my very favorite shows we’ve ever produced here at Paperwork, and it includes one my favorite observations that our producer Norton has ever made. You can go back and listen to it on our website if you’d like, but I wanted to mention all of this because that year we had so much hope that the peaches would make it.
I’m going to play a clip for you here of a very young, very naive radio host:
A very young, very naive Ivan Ruiz-Knott: And I have to say that, here at our radio show, we’re feeling like John is right: this is going to be our year. And not just for peaches.
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: If you’re a longtime listener, and if you followed the peach saga, you know that that was in fact not our year for peaches. Like in years past, that year’s crop of street peaches were all stolen in the night.
John was crushed. We were crushed. We had plans to form a peach patrol, but we failed in our mission.
Beautifully, the peach tree fruited again this year, and this time we knew we had to do a better job protecting the peaches while they grew. So we decided to try something a little bit different.
One of our producers, Jessica Schneider, happens to be dating Ian Harvey—that’s right—the Ian Harvey!—and she asked him to make us some signs telling people to not pick the peaches. He did, and one day, a few weeks ago, our whole production team hung them in the branches of the tree.
It was a perfect plan. Our work was done. Surely, no thief could bear to see such a clear sign and still pick a peach they had no part in growing.
And in fact, it seemed like the signs were working.
Until:
Daniel Evan Quay: [out of breath] There’s a thief! I saw a thief!
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: This is Daniel Evan Quay, a contributor on our show.
Olivia Ruiz-Knott: A peach thief?!
Daniel Evan Quay: A peach thief!
Other voices: A peach thief?!?!
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: On Thursday, just this past week, Dan happened to be biking by The Company and saw a man brazenly picking peaches in the daytime.
Olivia Ruiz-Knott: Did you see where he went?
Daniel Evan Quay: All I know is that I saw a guy filling a bag with peaches and I ran inside to tell you and now I am here telling you what I saw!
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: [mic-handling sounds] Okay, so I’m outside The Company now, and I’m looking around, and I don’t really see anyone. There is a guy way ahead on the sidewalk walking in my direction toward the tree, and he’s got a bag, but he could just be walking? I’m going to walk past him and then turn around to see if he’s—oh my gosh, he’s standing right at the peach tree! His face is like directly in front of one of our signs! And he’s reaching—
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: Uhh—excuse me! Are you about to pick those peaches?
Peach Thief: I was going to—is there a problem?
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: Did you—uh—did you help take care of them at all?
Peach Thief: No, but these are public property.
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: But did you see our signs?
Peach Thief: You can’t—there are trees like this all over the city, they’re public property, if they’re on the sidewalk—who are you?
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: I’m Ivan, I’m a radio producer at Paperwork—I work here in this building. Umm—I’m trying to help our landlord, he’s been caring for these peaches for years and [dialogue ducks down]
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: I proceeded to thoroughly explain the whole situation to this guy, the thing about how difficult it is for peaches to grow, how in the past John hasn’t gotten any peaches, how does he remember that children’s book about the rooster—or was it a hen?—who asks for help making a cake and all the other farm animals don’t want to help, but then afterward they want to help eat it even though they didn’t help make it?
Peach Thief: [dialogue unducks] Well, okay, I won’t pick them because your landlord has been caring for them, but you should know that this is totally legal.
Ivan Ruiz-Knott: The man walked away—in a totally different direction than he had come from—and we texted John and Marcia to let them know about the situation. A few hours later we helped Marcia harvest most of the rest of the peaches, just to be safe. John and Marcia had already picked a handful earlier, but that afternoon a table in John’s studio was covered in peaches, and Marcia was talking with our producer Liz about all the peach desserts we were going to make and eat. Together.
We’re still waiting for them to ripen, but this week we’ll be taking our first few bites. And we’ll let you know how they are.
From The Company, this is Paperwork. I’m your host Ivan Ruiz-Knott, reporting to you, as always, from the East Half of Lots 16–19 in Block 11 of the Union Addition of Denver.
Every week on our show we pick a theme, and bring you happenings, nostalgia, and bureaucratic minutiae, rarely related to that theme. This week: Harvest.
Stay with us.
—Ivan
Happenings
This week:
Weekly Wednesday Worknight, Wednesday, September 3
The Company is about combining creative work with good friendships. Make an appointment with your side project this (or any) Wednesday at a Worknight, where we oscillate between enforced, focused, quiet time and optional chatty social time.
$5, or free for Company and Moonlight members
PowerPoint Party No. 30, Saturday, September 6
Twelve people giving 7-minute presentations about whatever they’re currently into. At past parties, people have presented about dogs, pipes, music, and ethics. It’s a wide mix.
It’s a nerdy and sincere crowd that cares a lot, and we’ve met some of our favorite people at these.
Want to present? We’ve got a waiting list. Want to just show up and meet interesting people and learn about what’s fascinating them lately? That’s great too. Bring a friend, or come alone and make a friend.
$10, or free for members and presenters
Future Weeks:
Mild Salsa Class, Sunday, September 7
A few months ago, it came to some of our attention that we didn’t know how to dance salsa and maybe we could hire an instructor. So began a biweekly salsa cadence. We’ve got space for more people to join, so we’re opening it up. If you’ve wanted to learn, but have been too scared to learn in front of strangers, learning in front of friends is definitely less scary.
$5
Cuppa Clothing Swap, Sunday, September 14
We’re doing another of these! The last one was a riot. People showed up a few hours later wearing each other’s recently swapped clothes. One Jessica in another’s dress. Sam in one of their shirts.
Free
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Also coming up: Glint: Unknown (September 16), Offsite: Make & Tell (September 18), Summery (September 22).
Nostalgia
Do you remember the talk of spending friend points? The dollar-to-friendship point conversion rates? The possibility of friendship tariffs?
Or the overcast recess?
The hanging out before the Moonlight Report? The oddly high failure rate this lunation? How impressed we all were at Alex’s German? The plans for the next moon, and the start of book club?
How it was the first book Jim read? How we ended with a rating?
The workday with Evan? How there were so few and then so many people in?
The recess with basketball? How we ran across Jeff and Rango, and hung out, and were held onto?
Do you remember the impromptu birthday lunch for Dan? How it turned into a very highly-produced pitch meeting for a film he’s decided to make?
Worknight, at which you discussed the merit of Alex’s six-word stories, because The Company is a place where we ruthlessly critique people’s art? How I officially racked up two counts of spontaneity and we unofficially racked up two counts of trespassing?
Do you remember the alert of peach thievery? Which led to an afternoon of harvesting with Marcia? How we picked so many peaches, and spread them across the table?
Or the late night, with your go-to coping response to bad news at work, and the big rainstorm? How it was your very first time seeing the splendor from the porch?
The Creative Mornings down the street? The one about tea and being an expressive nomad? The recess with the ghosts on the swings?
And do you remember that night we went to The Moth? The twenty of us, causing a seating puzzle, and then a ruckus, when both Allyson and Livvy got to tell stories?
How we took that big photo on the stage, and lingered inside, and then lingered outside, and then lingered at The Company, and then lingered at bartaco? How as the night went on, people slowly peeled off, and we sometimes forgot to where?
How we left Mark a voicemail?
Bureaucratic Minutiae
Mary Ann’s Book Club gave a collective rating of 4.8 stars to Station Eleven.
A meeting of an ad-hoc mountaineering committee at The Company has decided to rename the Rocky Mountains to the American Alps to provide a closer alignment with international mountain range naming conventions. Please use this terminology in corporate communication moving forward.
At Worknight: Ivan did a novel thing, and worked on PowerPoint Party and Summery outreach; Mike worked on exporting an earthship file; Jacob worked on making a subtitle file;, Alex wrote a journal entry; and Livvy identified 15 moments for Summery, and wrote out 7 memories.
We (Ivan) regret to inform you that we (Ivan) misspelled Kristi’s name in the last issue.
Some of the dialogue in today’s show was reconstructed from faulty memory, but with the exception of reviewing the children’s story with the thief, it is actually rather accurate.
Finally, a reminder that The Company is a member-supported gathering place, and if you know any of us, you’re welcome to pop in any time for free (outside of events). If you know that one of us is here and you’d like to come by, reach out and we can let you in.
Photos
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This issue of Paperwork was written by Ivan, and shot by Ivan, Mike, Lizzie, and a kind stranger at The Moth. Photo selection and editing by Ivan and Livvy. Editorial support was provided by Livvy. This issue, and The Company itself, was made possible by the support of our members, Halie, Drew, Justin, Mason, Lexi, José, Mary Ann B., Trevr, Allyson, Lizzie, Melissa, Elijah, Michelle, Jim, Jaime, Jacob, Mark, Sabrina, Beth, Dani, Chris, Will, Rebeca, Sarah, Mary Ann T., Alex, Jessica P., Jessica S., Mike, Ben, Sam, and Liz.
Do you know anyone in the Denver area who might be looking for creative community? Feel free to forward this email along to them. Everyone loves Paperwork.
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