Thursday, February 24, 2011

blossoming


In our agricultural community, this is the most beautiful time of the year. Around the middle of February, the almond trees blossom. Every where you look is a sea of white. It is an incredible sight.

It is also a tense time of year for the ranchers. They say their prayers that there won't be a rain or wind storm. One heavy rain - knocking the blossoms off the trees - can greatly damage the harvest. A few years ago in early January we had a huge storm - huge. The trees weren't in blossom yet, but more than half the harvest was destroyed. It had been a wet season so the ground was already saturated when the storm hit - heavy rain and gale force winds. The almond trees are grafted onto shallow rooted but fast growing fruit trees. The winds uprooted a significant portion of the crop. It was such a horrible sight. These beautiful trees upended, roots in the air - acres and acres of trees on their sides.

Sadly for those who appreciate the glory of the trees in bloom, the blossoming time is very short. The trees are already beginning to leaf out.

The cyle continues. Life goes on.

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