Spring!

Every year I await the first blossoms from the fruit trees. Growing up my parents had an apricot tree in the front yard and no matter what the calender said it was not spring until it bloomed.

Now I have apple trees which bloom even earlier, so when I started seeing the buds swell I was like a proud hen checking on them every day, talking to the tree, giving my husband "blossom reports" when he got home from work.

I bet he thinks I'm nutts, or sick of winter. I guess its a bit of both.

Not that we get ice and snow, theres plenty of green here even in the winter. Thing is I love fresh fruit, all the stuff in stores right now its bland and tasteless. Fruit trees in bloom are full of promise, that the sun will be out for months straight, I'll get some desperatly needed sunshine and this year I'll have the big vegetable garden I've always dreamed of having. Plus they are so beautiful, yet short lived. I try to enjoy them while they are there, I show the kids, explain what they are and why they are important not only to the tree but to the bees, butterflies, and other insects.





Yesterday I awoke to see the apple tree just covered in lots of beautiful blossoms. I had to get some pictures and fiddle with the digital macro option to try and get some nice desktop wallpapers. The ladybug on my blog header was taken on my apple tree last spring. I haven't seen any ladybugs yet, but there were a couple of bees, which is good. With the whole collony collapse disorder thing I was sad we might not have enough bees to pollinate much of the trees. I'm hoping as the weather brightens up more will come. I'm not an early morning person at all, but to see blossoms at their best I get up at sunrise to walk outside in the nippy morning chill to snap a few pictures. The apple tree isnt even fully blooming yet, more buds then anything, and the plum had 2 little early flowers, as did my peach. It was warm and sunny so hopefully tomorrow I'll have more photos to share.















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