Kansas blooms
By PAT WICK
© Another Day in the Country
It always seems to me that we have a killing frost around these parts just about the time the fruit trees are blooming. I had my little cherry tree covered for at least a week this past month and then a couple of nights ago the frost sneaked up on Ramona. I'm wondering if it's worth it to plant fruit trees. "What's the deal?" I'm mumbling to myself. "This is the month of MAY!"
For the past month, the regiments of flowers have been marching through my yard. First the yellow daffodils, then the pink and red tulips, and the lilacs. Now the iris are in command. The juxtaposition of orange tulips (late blooming — I planted them on purpose because tulips are too soon gone) and purple iris is breathtaking.
My sister was out last week with the camera trying to capture the awesome scene behind Cousin's Corner. "I took a bunch of shots," she said, "trying to get down low to just fill the lens — I shot almost the whole roll so you can get them developed."
My mother, who has been reveling in our mild Kansas winters — especially when her friends from Oregon call with weather horror stories of snow and ice — remembers the days when "it was even colder in Kansas than it is these days. I think the weather has gotten more mild here," she said.
She may be right, but even in those colder days, her family had an orchard and they got fruit from those trees. I think of this as I inspect the tiny cherries forming on my backyard tree for frost damage.
"We had a little bit of everything," Mom recalls, "Peach, apricot, apples, plums. I can remember sitting up on a branch in the plum tree and just feasting on the fruit in the summertime. Weren't we lucky to have a father who planned ahead and planted fruit trees?"
Now, I'm about to plant fruit trees in Kansas soil and I hope that generations to come will benefit from my endeavor in my Mom's backyard. We've got grapes that are begging to be planted in the ground and blueberries and blackberries. Following in Grandpa Schubert's footsteps, soon to come, will be apple, plum, and cherry trees.
"Do you ever get fruit from your orchard?" I asked Kathy, our postmaster who lives on the edge of town and has an impressive bunch of fruit trees in her back yard.
"Lots and lots," she answered, "This year I'm expecting a bumper crop of apples because I sprayed the trees. You want some?" I put my name on the list.
Our new trees are arriving Thursday. We hope the sub-contractor in charge of supplying water eventually shows up so we aren't hauling water to our new orchard by hand. We dream of next spring when our trees will be in bloom, adding another phalanx of color marching through the yard.
On the weekend I headed to Salina for a truckload of last-minute supplies. (You know how it is when you are doing finishing touches? You have a to-do list as long as your arm). "I'd better take that film and get it developed," I said to Tooltime Tim as I emptied the camera.
"What? This is black and white film in here! Jess was taking pictures of all that glorious color with black and white film!" Ah, well! There'll be another day in the country and we'll just have to remember the sight of orange tulips and purple iris in the late afternoon sun until next spring!
