There WIll Be Apricots

The apricot tree beside our garage has started to bloom.  The previous owners said that the tree was previously so productive that they used to string netting from the fence to the garage eves to catch all the fruit before it fell to the ground - they've left us the netting.  I think in a few months I'm going to have to start stringing it up, and harvesting daily.  That is, if the house finches stop raiding the blossoms, tearing each one off in quest of some tiny drop of nectar promised within perhaps.

Warblers and finches used to do the same thing in Phoenix with the yellow and orange blossoms on the trees around our house, but those were not fruit trees, so I never felt like I was being robbed of fruit.  I actually opened up the breakfast nook's sliding window this morning and growled at the finch raiders, who just looked at me like I was crazy, and went on tearing off blossom after blossom.  The tree has, if I had to guess (like a jelly bean jar), at least a 1000 buds and blossoms on it, so sacrificing a few dozen to adolescent male finches is not that big of a deal.

Supposedly apricot trees (or at least the variety planted beside our garage) are on a three year cycle, where they go two years without producing fruit, and then on the third year put out a massive crop.  From the looks of the blossoms, we are fortunate that our first spring in our new home will be blessed with apricots - and the oven even has drying racks, if we want to truly be "Californians".

I am really pleased with how the Panasonic Lumix macro feature automatically kicks in when zoomed in Up Close.  Again, my thanks to Ron.