The Termite and the Peach

   Back behind the canebrake, we had a small grove of peach trees.  The trees did well there as there was no competition from surrounding trees.  This was one of the only open spots on the whole place.  Ten peach trees stood proudly in their grove and bore tons of peaches.  Early spring saw the whole place a bright pink with blossoms then midsummer found us harvesting bushels of peaches.  Folks, I will tell you that there is nothing better than picking a peach from the tree and tasting that juicy goodness right there in the grove!  For years the trees did well...then....

  Well, then termites happened.  The entire Coast has been inundated by those dratted termites.  No place is safe.  We have been battling the critters in the house, shed, greenhouse, arbors...anything that is made of wood.  It has been heartbreaking to see the damage done by such a small critter. 

  But to beat all, those critters are now attacking live trees!  Yep, you guessed it.  My lovely peach trees have fallen to the tiny beasts!  Out of the ten trees, one still stands.  That one has been doctored with every concoction we can imagine.  It, at least, is still producing blooms.  That poor tree has been put through the worst things imaginable but still has the strength to try.  It breaks my heart to know that nothing is safe from those wretched termites and can only imagine what is next.  I am so very tired of termites and I will definitely miss my peaches!

It came, but no one noticed.

  Spring has slipped in almost unnoticed.  Folks have other things on their minds.  Some are worried as their pantries are running low, some are fretting that the sore throat could be the start of something much worse than a cold, others are concerned about their neighbors, their loved ones, themselves in this time of uncertainty.  And rightly so.  Still, Lady Spring came and no one noticed.  She spread her beauty out before us and waited but no one came to the party.

  As I was out and about today, I took in the beauty around me.  Every plant was bursting forth with new growth and blooms.  Birds were singing and bees were busy gathering pollen.  A fine breeze blew in off the water making the day a delight...so much so that I had to smile and literally give a big "thank you" to the lovely Lady Spring.  Her ability to adorn the world in loveliness after the drab winter is one to be admired.  Her ability to lift the spirits of those in despair is to be appreciated.

  One of my favorite things is to see the fruit trees in full bloom.  Hopefully, this means that in a few months, those same trees will be heavy laden with fruit.  The sight of the snow white pear blossoms and the rich pink peach blossoms gives hope that the world will survive this chaotic time.  Given time, things will heal.  We will heal.  Patience and time...patience and time.

Pink Accessories For Lady Spring!

  As rain pelts the rooftop of the Little Bayou House, one has to wonder if spring is already here.  The temperature sits right at 70 degrees and does not seem to want to make any slid downward tonight.  Perhaps later in the week, a cooler night or two may make an appearance but, for now, the weather is screaming "Spring!"  Not only are the temperatures higher than usual for February, our fruit trees have also decided that winter is over.  In fact, Old Man Winter never made it this far south and now Lady Spring is popping in for a visit.  Let's hope she brings a sweater or two just in case Old Man Winter is not through with us yet!

  This afternoon, a stroll about the gardens left me in awe that so many blossoms were on the fruit trees.  One in particular bothers me, however, as I was in hopes that the tree would have a nice crop this year.  In the east garden, a small peach tree is dotted with the dark, rich pink blossoms.  This tree produces the sweetest peaches that I have ever eaten.  Years ago, my uncle brought me a bag of peaches from Georgia and on a whim, I poked a seed in a flower pot.  (Now, I wish I had done the same with the whole dozen of seeds.)  The seed sprouted the next spring and grew quickly into a lovely tree.  After planting the sapling in the ground, it promptly made dozens of peaches that spring.  Last year, the tree was loaded but the squirrels and raccoons ate most of them so Son has promised to devise some system to keep the critters from raiding the tree if it makes this spring.  Now, I am not so sure that is going to happen.  If we get our late freeze that Mom used to call the "Easter Freeze", the tiny peaches will be ruined before they fully develop.  Mom always use to warn Pop about planting his crops too early because of this very reason.  He still planted and we wound up covering about sixty acres of small plants before nightfall.  At least, I am only worried about this one peach tree!  Yes, the rest of the fruit trees are blooming, as well, and, yes, they will freeze, too, but the pantry shelves have no peach jam.  I was in hopes that this tree would give me enough to remedy that situation!

  Even with the worries of losing the fruit, it was a pleasant surprise to see so many blooms on my walk today.  Usually, February is our grey month.  Grey skies, grey clouds, grey gardens...nothing has color but pink was the color today!  Lovely pink peach blossoms ruled the day!  The lovely Lady Spring chose to accessorize with pink blossoms!

Peach Trees, Garlic and Water Bottles

  With spring bursting at the seams with its floral display, one cannot help but be totally enchanted by the change that has taken place.  Just a couple of weeks ago, the place was that drab "winter" brown with dead leaves on the ground and bare trees.  Then, Lady Spring made her entrance and adorned every branch with either a blossom or a budding leaf.  The look is magnificent!

  Down near the canebrake, the old peach orchard still has a few trees struggling to flourish.  Tree borers killed a good many of the trees during an off season when we were not diligent about protecting them  Now a few linger and, perhaps with our efforts, can survive.  Lady Spring made sure we would not forget the trees again this year.   The few remaining trees are covered with the largest, healthiest blooms possible!  Maybe our efforts are succeeding.  Now, if I can only keep the squirrels, coons and deer out of the fruit trees, I will be happy!

  Speaking of peach tree borers, I am beginning to wonder if I should have heeded Pop's advice.  Back on the farm, he never had a problem after he began the "fix".  Pop did not mind trying unusual methods to remedy problems.  For the borers, he planted garlic around each tree.  Supposedly, the larvae do not like garlic.  When they make that trek from the soil to the tree trunk, they are hesitant to pass through the garlic cloves.  I figure this is worth a shot!  I have plenty of garlic to plant.  Also, to help with worms in the peaches, he used to hang a simple bottle of water in each tree. I am not sure how this helped but I never remember biting into a worm when eating a peach.  Again, this may be worth trying.  For now, I will enjoy the beauty.  Tomorrow, I plant garlic.

They are confused

  Things can get in a turmoil when get they get toppled.  A bit of discombobulation throws everything into a tizzy.  Our one day of winter, has the trees so confused that some are starting to bud.  Yep.  One day of winter is all it took.  The temperatures dipped to freezing overnight but by this afternoon, the bright sunshine made the trees think spring has sprung.  

  I was out clearing the garden space and pruning back some of the fruit trees but when I came to the peach trees, I was flabbergasted!  Those goofy things were setting buds and a few blooms had already opened.  Well, I have news for them!  According to the weather people, it is going to get cold here again in a couple of days.  I sure hope those peach blossoms have winter coats otherwise there will be no peaches come summertime.

  Weather here on the Bayou can go from one extreme to the other in a matter of hours.  While we do not have the frigid temperatures nor the mountains of snow, we do get "cold spells".  These, however, never last long and we go back to nigh on summertime.  I get confused so it is no wonder that the plants do the same.  Hang on there, peach trees!  Winter ain't over yet!  You are going to be shaking in your boots and there is nothing I can do to help you!

Peach Blossoms and Ticks

  Imagine my surprise when I found the peach trees in full bloom.  The goofy trees are thinking it is springtime and have burst forth with their lovely pink blossoms.  While this is encouraging in the fact that spring is near, it is disheartening to know that most of these are likely to be lost with a late freeze.  My meanderings, today, had taken me down behind the canebrake to where the peach orchard once stood.  Time, deer and wood borers have all taken their toll on the poor trees leaving only a few hearty enough to bloom.  With those blooming now, it is likely that we will not see any peaches this summer.  

  While back in that "neck of the woods", the old dog and I decided to venture a bit further down into the creek bed.  The recent rains made it soggy and slippery but I wanted to check for any unusual mosses that may have sprung up since my last visit.  I did not have the opportunity to even search for one moss due to what I did find.  A tick had creepy-crawled up my pants leg and made its way onto my hand.  Ok, time to get the dog out of the area!  Old Mr. PJ does not need ticks and surely does not need to cart any back into the Little Bayou House. 

  Once inside, I did a quick check on the dog but found nary a critter.  The monthly flea and tick medicines must be doing the trick for him but it was best to check him regardless.  Then, a nice hot bath and body-check led me to believe that the tick was an isolated incident and I had not been infested!  The tick that I found crawling on me, today, is a wake up call for me to be diligent when out traipsing the woods.  I will confiscate a pair of Son's long, white socks to wear with jeans tucked inside.  While this may not be a fashion statement, it will, at least, give me an easy way to do a quick check out in the field.  Ticks are no fun!  The dog, however, will most likely be banned to the yard for the duration of warmer weather.  There is no need to put him in the ticks' territory!

Wear your jacket!

    Son and I, once again, headed outside to throw blankets over the garden.  This seems to be the longest winter on record but that may just be my opinion.  Still, when I have to traipse outside night after night to toss blankets or rugs over top of plants, it gets a bit old. Although, I love winter and cold weather, there comes a point when enough is enough.  Just a couple of days ago, we were basking in sun with the temperatures reaching the low 80s now, we are in that deep freeze again!  The garden is suffering from a case of weather shock!...as am I.

   Some of the things suffering the hardest blows from the topsy-turvy winter are the peach trees.  When the weather was warm and balmy, they thought Old Man Winter had made his exit and so, they bloomed. Now that the icy clutch of Jack Frost has come into the picture, the blooms are shivering in their boots...well, maybe not since blooms do not wear boots.  Still, you get the picture.  I am so afraid that this might put a damper on our getting a good crop of peaches yet again this year. It seems that between the critters (coons, squirrels and deer) and the weather (high winds and freezing temperatures), our peach trees do not have a chance.  

  Hopefully, this will be the last really cold spell to hit the Bayou.  I know this is nothing compared to the snowy winter others have had but we are just not used to such weather.  Personally, if I would not be so antsy to get a garden in the ground, I could sit back and enjoy all of this!  Winter really is my favorite season.  I guess gardening just trumps any other activity in my book.  Hmmm?  Now where are those tomato seeds?

Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!

  While most of the country is being bombarded with yet another bout of frigid weather complete with ice and snow, here on the Bayou, we are experiencing a different type of weather.  One day will be warm and foggy, then comes the almost hot and rainy followed by more cold. Today was that drippy, warm day.  Although the rain held off until nighttime, it was still humid enough to feel downright muggy at times. A strong south wind warded off any idea that it was summer since any wind coming across cold water can chill to the bone.  So, we know winter is still capable of pulling a fast one on us and freezing any plants that have dared to poke out buds.

  The cold hardy camellias are in full bloom.  These blooms seem to thrive in thirty degree weather.  Anything below that will mar the gorgeous five inch blossoms but they do, indeed, love cool weather. Old Man Winter holds the lovely pinks, reds and whites of camellias. Old Man Winter, meet Lady Spring!  She gently caresses the sunny daffodils...those harbingers of springtime!  A few brave souls have dared to show the pretty, bright blooms around the hillside.  The buttercup-yellow heads nod gently in the winds and bring a smile to all who chance upon them.  Sadly, they will surely perish in the coming cold.  

  It  bothers me a bit to see so many springtime flowers already popping out.  Our peach trees have decided that it is warm enough to burst forth with their pink blossoms.  Two nights from now, we are due for some more harsh cold and that will put a damper on any peach crops for this year.  Daffodils and peach blossoms should wait for a bit!  Lady Spring, I hate to tell you this but Old Man Winter may still have a few more tricks up his sleeve!

Singing the Praises of Springtime!

  I am pushing spring.  I know it.  The seeds know it.   And, yet, here I am planting anything and everything in the garden.  With each seed I drop into the soil, I hear Mom warning me that there is going to be an "Easter freeze" that will kill all of my little seedlings.  Still, I plant.  Why?  Why am I so gullible to believe that winter has left us behind and spring sneaked in to replace all of the greyness with pops of color?  I cannot help it.  When I walk outside and see peach blossoms, pear blossoms and plum blossoms, I get the sudden feeling that spring is definitely here...I hope.

  Today, Mark and I headed to the back to check the peach trees and were excited to see the forward half of the orchard was in full bloom. The back half bloomed two weeks ago and now the rest of the trees are covered in pink!  Our two little plum trees are doing their very best to keep up with the other fruit trees in the yard.  They may be small but if the number of blooms means anything, we will be blessed with at least a few delicious fruits come midsummer.  

  All of this springlike happiness cannot come and go without me getting in on the act.  My seed trays are planted with tomato, pepper and assorted herb seeds and the hardier squash have already been sown directly in the ground.  Tomorrow, I shall attempt to build the raised garden beds which, hopefully, will thwart the voles at least for one season.  I have grand plans of having a most prolific garden this year.  Bring on spring!  I am ready, Easter freeze or not!

Is it spring yet?

  Working in the yard every day allows me to see things that might otherwise go unnoticed.  Today, the peach trees caught my attention.  I was transplanting Boysenberry vines into some ground I just cleared in hopes to create another producing row.  This will be the fourth row of the berries and should supply everybody in the family with jelly, cobblers and pies.  As I dug one large clump of vines, a bit of pink made me turn toward the north.  Ahhh, the peach trees were doing their thing!  Pink blooms filled the orchard!  Well, at least half of the trees were blooming.  The other half still looked dormant.  Still, if these trees bear and nothing raids the orchard, we should have plenty.  I stopped my happy thoughts and pondered.  The inevitable downer was to occur tonight.  A freeze is predicted to slam us once again.

  I understand that our "light" freeze is nothing compared to the rest of the nation's deep freeze conditions but here it is bad news.  We have had just enough warm, spring-like weather to make things bud and now the possible frigid weather might throw a kink in the formation of fruit.  Perhaps the other half of the orchard is a bit smarter than the back half where the trees are in full bloom.  Perhaps we planted a different type of peach tree in the front of the orchard and perhaps we should try to remember just what type we did.  If all the trees were "late bloomers", we would not have to worry about the "Easter Freeze" that earned Mom's well-deserved warning.  She would tell Pop that he was planting too early.  That "Easter Freeze" would damage his seedlings.  Usually, she was right and come late afternoon before the predicted cold weather, Pop would decide to cover his plants.  This meant that all of us would be out placing flowerpots, buckets, newspapers and anything else handy over the several hundred tomato plants and pepper plants.  Sometimes this was a futile effort.  If the temperatures dipped too low, the tiny plants would freeze anyway and our trouble was for naught.  

   My planting has been delayed this year since cleaning has taken up my time.  Maybe this is a good thing!  My instincts tell me that this is not the last cold spell of the season.  We have more winter in store for us.  This bit of warmer temperatures was just a taunt, a test of our patience, so to speak.  I will continue to clear the gardens and transplant berry vines.  Those do not seem to be harmed by a bit of chill!  Good things come to those who wait and, in my case, patience is the key.  Winter just won't leave!

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!

Rainy Mardi Gras!

Talking to myself and feeling old

Sometimes I'd like to quit

Nothing seems to fit

Hangin' around, nothing to do but frown

Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

~The Carpenters~

It has been raining..and blowing..a lot, but it is not Monday and this definitely does not have me down. I like the rain occasionally..as much as I would rather be outside, this does force me to accomplish things inside. Now tomorrow..that might be a different story..the weather is supposed to be doing the same thing as today and I might just be stir crazy by then.

I did manage to make one quick round in the gardens before the wind threatened to blow me to the next county. That run was enough to let me know that the plum blossoms may not fare so well with the storm. They look pretty ragged and with the rain..no bees so they may not have been pollinated before being blown to smithereens. The peach blossoms on the other hand seem to have set fruit before the high winds. We shall just have to wait and see on both accounts.

Back inside for the rest of the day, I thought of how the day's weather would affect the Mardi Gras Parades that would be rolling through town. Surely, people would not stand in the rain just to catch a few plastic beads..or would they? Yeah..I guess some diehards would..I wouldn't. I am just not that big of a fan of plastic beads! Now before someone decides to beleaguers me with the meaning of Mardi Gras..I know it and I admit that I used to love the parades, parties and balls..but none of this is the same anymore. There used to be a bit of chivalry or courtesy among the revelers but as I said this is a thing of the past. So I have decided that I am better off at home..besides..for some strange reason, I collect masses of Mardi Gras beads without ever setting foot at a parade. People..mainly young friends..bring me the trinkets. I imagine it all boils down to the fact that after all the hoopla of parades has passed, the allure of plastic beads, moonpies and plastic doubloons diminishes. The doodads become a nuisance so they are generously donated to little old ladies like me! Ummm..thanks..I think. Instead of beads..bring me a King Cake! Now there is something that might just cause me to revert back to being a Mardi Gras fanatic!