Thanks Don for sharing your insight and experience with me. I am prepared to prune like it is going out of style. My back yard is not very challenging to me right now with not much to do in it vegetatively. Even my garden I expanded this year had been very maintenance-free. I think I only pulled half a dozen weeds out since April. I've worked on creating a compact garden and a berry bed in the inside-side of the fence. My back yard is small and only extends about 24' back from the corner of the house. I fenced most of it in. I left some space on the outside of the east side where these trees are going. The soil is especially murderous on that side of the yard. I suspect when this house was constructed a little less than 3 years ago that the access road for the neighborhood construction was through that area. I notice contractor people here like to spread heaps of plentiful limestone rocks around construction sites for their machinery/keep mud down. It gets compacted and pressed down with that heavy equipment as houses are built. Then after a house is built it appears topsoil is added on top for sod, but it is never spread evenly. This explains why the west side of the yard is much easier to put shovel in than the east side. All my neighbors complain about their yards being the same way. Here's an example of what happened to all the rocks dug up in my back yard: I dug the final hole for that Mcintosh this evening and the soil was considerably easier to dig in. I had watered the spot where I wanted the tree a couple times this week and notice before doing that.. that the grass was more lush there. I can visually see where I will have a chore digging and where it will be relatively easy with not nearly as much shovel aerobics to pry out boulders and stones 'glued' into the ground. I hope these trees, as close as they are grow like wildfire because I want more privacy in my little yard. Notice in my picture the houses at the top of the picture... There's always people staring down at my wife and I from those balconies/roadway. We'd much rather they stare at fruit trees. I hope they grow 20' tall. ;) I will be sure to let you know how my Mcintosh grows (or dies). Last winter it was always colder on that side of the house. The path between the houses adjacent to mine act as a wind shaft to convect cold air along that area. Maybe that will be beneficial to the Mcintosh. Time will tell I guess. I will plant the Mcintosh probably tomorrow. I want to mix in some of that fertilized tree/shrub mix with our limely clay soil as I had for the two other trees. I could cram one more tree along the fence, but I have a white pine in the inside that should complete the blocked view (someday). I say I don't mind pruning now, but I may be saying different in 3-5 years eh? :)

I second going down to only one vine for most indeterminate varieties, but I have found it is very easy to manage two vines when it comes to cherry varieties. I allow a sucker to grow at the first flower tier on my plants then keep them to these two vines from there on out. It increases your production pretty considerably and they do not end up crowding each other. I keep my larger varieties to only one per stake. You can see how i have it going this year. I put these in the garden around April. They are all spaced one per square foot.

Al and Beverly, you can have ALL of my pie crust, I don't care for it very much. Grandma used to bake the pumpkin filling in little custard cups so I didn't have to deal with the crust, LOL. Now I'll eat it, but I always leave that thick edge on my plate and like bumblebeez, I think tarts just have way too much crust. Ruthanna, that cherry pie looks perfect, and no top crust, just the way I like it. Joann, my Grandpa ate pie for breakfast every morning for as long as I remember, he said it wasn't really any different than toast with jam. He was right, although it's probably better for you than toast and jam... Rob, Elery is from Tennessee and he calls them "fried pies" too. My Grandma was from Ohio and she made "fried pies" but she filled them with applesauce and then deep fried them. So, I make pie without a top crust often, I use a crumbled topping like Ruthanna, or just don't put a top crust on at all, even things like blueberry or rhubarb. Actually, I usually like fruit crisps better than pies, they are all filling and no crust, except that crunchy topping! Grandma always put a top crust on mincemeat, but not on any of the custard type pies or the ones filled with cold fillings like chocolate. Most fruit pies got a top crust. Annie

doesnt look like pear to me either.. and congrats on that ... lol .. i dont think you are going to get a reason why one cluster of buds bloomed late ... trees do weird things.. when under intense scrutiny ... i wouldnt be surprised if there is a term for it ... but i dont know it .. compare at this link .. ken https://www.google.com/search?q=double+flowering+cherry&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=V3JsVai_HIO-sAXDkIDgDQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=856&bih=745&dpr=0.9