Anticipating the Feast to Come

The feast before us is not just about eating. There is the feast for the eyes and the mind and the heart. And the greatest feast of all is having something to look forward to.

 From his perch on top of the bench in the outer pens, Bow surveys our property. He sees when the neighbors are mowing or when the cattle are grazing in an adjoining field. And he can smell the honeysuckle in the air and the blossoms on the trees, as flowers turn to fruit.

This spring has been full of strange weather, with snow that would not seem to leave, and torrential rain that flooded our ditches. But it has led to gigantic, unusually potent blossoms on all our fruit trees, and now the trees are laden with unripe yet ripening fruit.

We don't usually have this many pears

We have two different kinds of pear trees that bear two different kinds of pears.

the first pear tree is small and bent and bears purple pears

they are not ripe yet, but we anticipate the abundance

The second pear tree is taller and has greener fruit

We have two different types of cherry trees that bear two different kinds of cherries.

Some of the cherries are ripe already, though most have not yet ripened. You can compare and contrast the two types of cherries in the photos below:

The cherries on the left are from the larger cherry tree, but the small cherries on the right are from a tree that gives more fruit. Bit types of cherry are tart.

We also have several peach trees. Last year, there were no peaches on the trees, and a few peach trees died. There had been an unusually dry season. But this year the peach trees that remain are giving plenty of fruit.

In addition to these cultivated trees, which were planted in our orchard long before I bought the property, we are also anticipating the enjoyment of wild berries. The mulberry tree that sprang up in our ditch is giving fruit this year.

And, of course, there are always blackberries in our unmown pasture.

All flowers are beautiful, even the wild ones that spring up unbidden.

But the best flowers of all are those that become fruit. And when the fruit is free for the picking, then we are  living in a paradise meant just for us. Money may or may not grow on trees, but some of the best things in life definitely do. They grow on trees and vines and bushes.  And the less you have to work to make it grow, the sweeter the harvest.