The demise of the last Apricot Tree.

Many years ago, probably back in about 1994, Kenny and I had a trucking business.  At that time he was working for Clarence Garcia in a small town named Paonia.  To get to Paonia one needs to drive through the Black Canyon, which is near Gunnison.  It was not any place I would want to drive through in the winter, that is for sure.  The job was hauling gravel up to the BLM just out of Paonia.  We owned a park model camper which Kenny stayed in during the week while he worked.  I went a couple days every week because he got lonely.

The town of Paonia is a hippie heaven and there were quilt shops and lots of things for me to entertain myself with while he worked.  He did tell me that cattle roamed free on the BLM and that there were lots of fruit trees that were loaded and fruit was free for the taking.  Choke Cherry.  Peaches. Apricot.  I had no idea what a Choke Cherry was at the time and I did not like Apricots, so that was not a big draw for me.  However, he did like Apricots and proceeded to bring me home a big bag of them and requested that I make Apricot jam.  So when I came home that weekend, I gathered jars, sugar and all the fixings and make him Apricot jam.  The pits I tossed in the dirt over the septic tank.

Imagine my surprise when two weeks later, a million Apricot pits turned into tiny little trees.  Since winter was coming, I heeled them in and covered them with straw.  They survived the cold winter in fine shape and the next Spring I gave everyone I knew all the Apricots they could plant.  I planted 6 for myself which was exactly 6 more than I needed.  Over the years 5 of them died and the one behind the house survived and flourished.  It stood over the house as a memorial to our days in Paonia.   I had to keep the branches cut because it would damage the roof.   And then it got bores. It was time.

I called several tree service places, but no one returned my call.  Then my friend, Kay told me about her tree man.  Aaron Leal.  She would have him call me.  And he did.  And 3 days later this was the scene in my back yard.  2 guys.  One chain saw and no ladder.  Craig and Tony made short work of that big Apricot tree

And then they were done.  

And it was all thanks to this little card!

It was kind of sad to see the tree go and memories of how I got the seeds in the first place, kind of put a damper on my day, but that is what life is all about, isn't it?  I kept a tiny seed that made a big tree that shaded the back of my house from the hot evening sun.  Kenny is gone.  The tree is gone.  I am still here.  I guess there is something to be said for the circle of life.  It does go on, you know.  Whether I like it or not, the sun will come up tomorrow.  The tree will still be gone.  The birds will find somewhere else to nest, and I still do not like Apricots.

'Tis an ill wind that blows nobody good.

The wind was blowing all day and this is what happens when that happens.  This is just up the road from my house.  Sadly this is not the first time that this has happened at this same house.  Just the first time in landed on the house.

This is the same place up on South Road.  This was several years back.  That time I had been working with a family on Gale Road and when I came home down 25th to South Road I had to back track  and come up County Farm.  When I came in and turned on my computer, this picture was in an email from my son in Dallas, Texas.  Little a--hole never did tell me how he got that picture.  Kind of creeps me out to think he has spies up here in Colorado.  I must say that this man has some pretty bad luck.  I also must say, I am glad it was not my house.

That having been said I think I am going to call the tree company and have the Apricot tree behind the house taken down.  that tree is actually only about 15 feet from my head when I am in bed sleeping.  Sure there is a wall between it and me, but as you see, walls do not stop falling trees.  It isn't like the damn tree gives me any Apricots any way.  To take it a step further, I do not even like Apricots in case it did decide to give me some fruit.  Once it had lots of fruit and I fed it all to the geese.  So now I suppose you want to know why I planted the damn thing!  Ok, here is that tale.

Many years ago Kenneth was working on a job in Paonia, Colorado.  We had a park model camper that he pulled around to different jobs.  Park model is just a way of saying a small camper that is the equivalent of a tiny trailer house.  It had a small front room, kitchen, full size bath and a bedroom in the back.  When he parked in a trailer park, he hooked into the water and sewer which was better then having to store water and empty sewage.  His little home away from home.  I would travel over to the job a couple days a week and that way he and I kept in touch, so to speak.

Paonia was just a small town that attracted a lot of hippie sorts.  The job he was on was a BLM job so he was privy to all the amenities of the land.  Peaches and other fruit was plentiful on the site and Kenneth was always going to pick me some when he got time.  Sadly, he never got time, but Joe Fisher to the rescue.  He was another trucker.  One evening he was setting in the roadside park and just enjoying the evening when he noticed a tree loaded with Apricots!  He scrounged around under the seat and came up with an empty bread wrapper.  He then proceeded to fill it with plump, juicy Apricots which he presented to me with the stipulation that I would give him a jar of Apricot jam.  Sounded like a deal to me.

As soon as I got home I worked up the Apricots and made my jam.  The seeds I threw on top of the septic tank where I was sure they would rot and make compost.  Joe was pleased with the jam and began to tell me of other fruits on the BLM including Sarvis Berry trees.  Sadly they were dried up by then.  And can you imagine my surprise when I noticed little tiny trees coming up in the compost pile!  I moved them to a protected area and "heeled" them in to winter over.  The next Spring I had 40 Apricot trees.  Some of them I planted at my mother-in-laws house.  Several I planted in the front yard and several out back.  One I planted behind the house and there it stands today!  The Bores have about killed it, but still it tries.  Usually it blooms and then a freeze comes and the flowers fall off, or it may actually go ahead and set fruit, but then comes the "June drop" and there goes my crop.

I keep thinking I would like to have fruit just one more time so I can have some more Apricot trees so I can sell the house and leave them, I guess.  But that is the tale of the Apricot tree.  I know I should have it taken down, but that is just something I can not bring myself to do.  When the Apricot tree goes I am afraid my heart may follow.

Just the musing of a silly old woman.

My bleeding heart.

There was one thing my mother always had growing in a shady part of her yard and that was a Bleeding Heart plant.  I never quite figured out how that worked, but I know I bought her several over the years.  Every time I wanted to get her something she expressed a desire for a Bleeding Heart.  The preschool at our church was having a plant sale a couple weeks back and I just could not resist.  One Bleeding Heart.  Right now it is residing in the refrigerator because it is not quite planting time.  Over  the years I have planted a couple in my yard, but they are no longer there whether it is because I neglected to water them or mowed them off or what, but I shall try again.  I seem to have the same luck as my mother on keeping things alive!

I do not know how many years my mother has been gone, but I never see a Bleeding Heart that I do not think of her.   I know my fascination with the plant is tied to her, but what was it that drew her to the plant?  I do not remember grandma having one in her yard.  She had Spearmint.  Lots of Spearmint.  I remember that because it was right under the window of the room where they slept and there were big spiders that lived in the Spearmint patch.  I used to live in fear of the spiders coming in, walking across the grandma's and coming into the room where I slept.

I had Catnip growing here over the septic tank.  That stuff really spreads.  I never really seen the cat in it, but some times Charmin or Boots would act very weird.  I planted Poppy's there once.  They were double and they were lavender.  Those were nice, but when they reseeded themselves they came back as single red Poppy's and then they died out.  Once when we were in Grand Junction Joe Fisher picked me a bread sack full of Apricots from a tree up on the BLM land.  I made jam out of them and threw the seeds out over the septic tank and they all came up next Spring.  I planted several in the yard and planted 12 over at Kenny's  mom's house.  Now 25 years later those are all died out except one behind my house.  It has bores and I have to trim it on the side closest to the house every summer so it does not rub the roof.  I am thinking at the rate I am trimming this side that soon it will be hanging over in the field next door and I will not have a tree anymore.  I am hoping I can get one more harvest so I can grow more trees and next time plant them away from the house.

Of course there was a time when I had 68 Hybrid Tea Roses growing in my yard.  The kids used to give me a bush every Mother's Day and when I had 10 kids total it did not take long to fill up the yard.  Course roses need fed every month and pruned every time they bloom and I am basically lazy, so here I now set with 5 that I do nothing with and they just refuse to die.  So I am going to plant a Bleeding Heart.  Not sure if I will do that before I go to Texas or wait.  I can hear the weather lady down on the television yapping about a coming snow storm.  I hate to pay $14.00 for something just to let it freeze.

Well, the sun is up now and it is time to get around and do something constructive.  Or not.

And the Apricot out back is in full bloom.

Well, yesterday I bit the bullet and cleaned the goose house.  I am sure the little feathered friends apprectiate my efforts if no one else does.  That is one very dirty job.  It took 5 wheel barrow loads in the garden and one up front on the herb garden.  Today I am going to start the sprinlers.  I am sure that will entail a trip to the local hardware to replace one or two of them.  I just love Spring.  With a little luck I will remember to get gas and such so I can rototill tomorrow or Saturday.  And during a stroll through my kingdom, I happened to see that the Apricot out back is in full bloom.  I did not take a picture of it because I take one every year and it looks the same, so here is a picture of it.

The strange part of this whole thing is that the tree in the back is in full bloom and the one in front is not.  Now I bet you are thinking that the front is further North, but it is not.  It is actually East.  I know what it is though.  This one is West of the house and the sun reflect on the stucco and warms it up more.  For many years I maintained Rose Gardens in the back, front , far front and side yards.  The kids always gave me roses for Mother's Day and at one time I had 64 and they were absolutely beautiful.  I love roses!  I used to have a favorite, but then I broke it into categories.  Favorite red, was Chrysler Imperial because it smelled best.  Favorite multi-color was Double Delight because it smelled best.  Favorite orange was Tropicana.  I could point at each one and tell you what it was, but then I got a little lax on the pruning and the feeding and the roses got a little scraggly and then real scraggly and then one by one they went to the big rose garden in the sky.  I still have a few, but those are on their way out.
This year I am going to work on turning my back yards into natural habitats for the little furry creatures and I do not mean the foxes, but I am sure they will drink from the pond if the dogs let them.  Oh, yeah and then there is that skunk thing.  Maybe I will try to just attract birds.  That would be best, I think.  I will keep the grass in the front and on the North side because I just love to mow that stuff!  That and the dogs and I like to set out front in the evening and early morning and survey our kingdom.  I have tried to get the geese to join us but I can not get them to leave the back.  Scary world out there!
So, just wanted to pop in here and let you know that Spring is here at my house.  This is not to say that we will not get a foot of snow next week.  It is just to say that it is looking good here yesterday and today and I am going to take full advantage of this little spurt of good weather!

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I love Spring and I love my Spring Fever!!

Here is a close up of my Apple tree and on the other side is my humble abode.  On the center left is the pooch and a few sprigs of the Red Bud tree.  On the lower left is the lid to the septic tank.  All is well there, also. I will put a pot of Geraniums on it when they are in season, which will be pretty soon.  It is about to quit freezing at night, for which I shall be very happy!

Right now, blooming in my yard are the Lilacs.  The Apple tree is about done, as is the Red Bud and the Cherry.  Flowering Pink Almond  is all done. Forsythia never bloomed at all.  The Apple tree will have green apples. They will have bugs, cause I do not spray.  I throw them over the fence to the fowl and they like bugs.  Apricots are going to be prolific and buggy as well.  The Cherry tree has never had even one cherry.

But anyway, I am trying to tell you about my Spring Fever!  Did you ever hear that saying, "In Spring a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love?"  Well, in Spring, this old ladies thoughts turns to thoughts of naps!  I think I could completely sleep all the way through Spring if it were not for that wretched phone!  I know we get that urge to dig in the dirt and plant stuff, but the more I look around at what needs to me done in the yard, the sleepier I get.

Hey!  Maybe I am secretly a bear!  I could sleep all winter and then kind of start stirring the end of the Winter, which is the beginning of Spring.  Oh, oh!  Gotta go to church.  We will continue my sleeping habits at a different time! 

It snowed last night. We need 6 more!

Here is my rose bush all mashed out by the snow!  Of course that was this morning and now it is evening and all of the snow is melted.  This is what is known as Spring Time in the Rockies!  This is the time of year when, no matter how much you are tempted you do not plan anything that entails getting in the car and driving somewhere.  There is a very good chance that, despite the fact that I just shaved my legs and wore my shorts all day today, I may very well be snowed in tomorrow morning, like today.

I had planned on going to Colorado Springs this morning to have lunch with a friend, but when I woke up in the middle of the night last night and chanced to look out my window, I knew I would be staying here doing the at home thing today.  So I did.  Life throws me lots of curves. Like I just uploaded 3 pictures of the snow, but 2 of them are out in cyberville somewhere and I will probably never see them again. But there is always the chance that when I hit the publish button, they will miraculously appear.  Or not.

According to the Indian Lore, we still have 6 more snows coming. Kind of hate that because the buds on the Apricot Tree are just ready to open.  Maybe they will bloom really fast before the next snow gets here.  We usually get a fruit crop about once seven years.  Since I don't care for Apricots, they do better than the Peach Trees which got bores and died early.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!