What were you THINKING?

  As Mark and I wandered about the hillside early this morning, he brought a flower to my attention.  This was not a "cold weather" flower such as a Camellia or Paperwhite Narcissus.  It was on a tree that should not be blooming in the middle of February!  At first, I thought perhaps this was a fluke and the tree accidentally sent out one bloom to "test the waters", so to speak.  But NO!  The closer I looked, the more blooms I saw.  Buds and blooms were scattered all over the tree.  I turned to look at others.  Yep, every tree in the peach orchard had blooms.  Not good.  Not good at all by way of my thinking.  These trees should not be setting blooms until the end of next month.  Always before, late March saw the peach blooms not mid-February!

  In view of the recent ice/snow storms that have hit the Bayou, I am now worried about my trees.  Just because we have had a few days with temperatures in the forties, do these trees think spring has arrived? No, no, no!  Peach Trees...do not bloom!  Too late.....it seemed as if every droplet of golden sunshine was making another bud pop open.  This, indeed, is not good news.

  I am almost certain that we shall get at least one more bout of frigid weather. I do not think winter is finished with us, yet!   To be honest, I feel as if we are going get more ice.  Those peach blossoms will freeze for sure if they become coated in a layer of ice and that means no peaches again this year.  Last spring saw the deer munching the fruit after they tore down the fence.  Now, I have confused trees that are blooming in the wrong season!  Oh, what to do, what to do? I am seriously thinking of planting a persimmon tree in the midst of the peach orchard!  Perhaps that persimmon tree will snarl at the peach trees when they do not pay heed to the warnings that are put in the persimmon's seeds.  SNOW.....ICE...come on, Peach Trees, what were you thinking???  Listen to Persimmon Tree, it knows how to predict the weather!