For some, when life hands them lemons, they make lemonade.

In Dr. Jack Tindall’s case, however, you make it a little house,then give the lemons to your friends.

“It froze year before last,” Tindall said of the Meyer lemontree in his yard, “so I built a house for it. Its supposed towithstand low temperatures, but it didn’t.”

The former dentist said recently that his tree held about 50lemons. But it has had as many as 70 or 80 at one time.

“I’ve given away about three dozen,” the retired dentistsaid.

Lemons aren’t the only vegetation growing at the Tindalls’ home,located on Tindall Lane off Highway 84. Currently, he has a fallgarden, in which he grows cauliflower, broccoli and greens.

He also has a yard full of fruit trees and flowers. “I even havea hickory nut tree,” he said.

Never staying idle for any length of time, Tindall has manyprojects in the works. Beside his pond, he has planted a double rowof day lilies about 200 feet long, along with a row of Gardenias herooted himself. He is also in the beginning stages of building aviolin.

“I’ve had this (violin) pattern for several years. After I sawthe story about Mr. (R.B.) Hutchinson, I had to find him and talkto him,” Tindall said.

The DAILY LEADER reported earlier in the year on Hutchinson, whomakes violins from his Brookhaven home.

Originally from Magee, Tindall, 91, retired in 1997 after 60years of operating a dental practice in Brookhaven. “I moved toBrookhaven in 1937 and opened my office in August. I closed it inAugust of 1997,” he said.

Tindall, who also takes care of his wife of 72 years, built hishome on Tindall Lane in 1991 and originally had 100 acres of land.”I’ve sold off about 30 acres,” he said, pointing to several otherhomes surrounding his.

It was Dale Carnegie who said, “When fate hands you a lemon,make lemonade.” But if you’re like Dr. Jack Tindall, you just maywant to build your lemon tree a home.