Thursday, May 10, 2007

Cherry Blossoms!


My cherry tree is in full bloom. I couldn't be more excited! Since we have been hosting girls from Japan over the past few summers, I have come to really love cherry blossoms. Mine are white! Most of the cherry blossoms in Japan are pink. Or so I have heard. If all goes well, in a couple of months my tree should be loaded with fruit. The cherries from my tree are sour. Very sour! But that is alright with me! I like the odd cherry when the season is upon us, but whole tree full - even that would be too much of a good thing! So I just use my cherries for making jam. It is delicious! I will probably make two batches with all those cherries. And if there are any left over, I will leave them for the birds. They like them too.

Before we started to host students from Japan, I had not thought much about cherry blossoms. Now I have come to look forward to the cherry rituals of the Japanese. Cherry trees signify the beginning of a new season! It is like a re-awakening of nature. They have picnics and sit under the trees and take photos. Mount Fuji in the background! Beautiful! When their new school year starts, they hope that the cherry trees are still in bloom since they bring good luck for the new year. But for me the blossoms only signify a crop of cherries! And some delicious jam!

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