Monday, April 5, 2010

Blossoms They Are A Comin'

DHS 145



Last year i cried for months when my Weeping Cherry tree (Shidarezakura) in the front yard went on strike and refused to show more than about 6 blossoms. I still think the gods of Personal Development were furious with me for quitting my job, but my sister is an PD god atheist and says it had something to do with a late hard freeze, or some nonsense like that. This year, barring unforeseen weather, things should be much, much better. Those gods are well known to have short memories. The tree is covered with blossoms in waiting and i found the first ones popping open when i got back from my bike ride this afternoon.

It's not a good picture (no pictures i take are good; it's a skill i'm woefully deficient in), but here is the tree. It started out 10 years ago with a trunk about 2 inches in diameter and about 6 feet tall. The trunk is now about 10 inches in diameter and it is about 35 feet tall. They told me when i bought it that it would get about 20 feet tall and the branches would spread about 6 feet. The branches now spread about 20 feet. When it blooms, i'm in Japanophile heaven!


(Click to enlarge)


And these are the first few blossoms that have poked their beautiful heads out.


(Click to enlarge)

As soon as it comes to full bloom in about two or three weeks (?) i'll sneak out late some night and sprinkle a bottle of beer around the trunk while dancing naked and chanting a very special, and secret, mantra that an old and wise monk taught me long ago in order to show the PD gods that i do take them seriously.

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