We have this huge Sweet Almond Tree in our front yard that we love. Here at home, it is the first tree to flower after Winter followed by Saucer Magnolia and Purpleleaf Cherry Plum. For the past three years, the Almond Tree started flowering as early as January (lasting only two weeks, thanks to our high winds).
The White flowers are so beautiful and it’s always a delight watching them bloom indoors in a vase. In just a few days, honeybees will be heading towards the blossom, collecting pollen.
The tree produces Sweet Almonds during Summer and we had a good harvest in 2007. During the following years, the crows eat almost everything before we got a chance to harvest any. Sometimes we are lucky to find a few and other times all we find are scattered shells on the ground, waiting for us to dispose of.
At times during the cooler Summer evenings we pull out extra chairs, gather underneath the tree as it provides shade and we admire Nature while having interesting conversations.
With great weather and Spring rapidly approaching, the weeds are coming on strong. Have you noticed how bold weeds stand in a garden? They literally rob a yard of its natural beauty. I love Spring because it reminds me of new beginnings. It’s always the perfect time to start something and for us, it’s the best time to start weeding and ridding the yard of ‘bad seeds’ as well as getting it ready for fun Summer entertainment, gatherings and activities.
My beautiful bouquet of Almond Blossoms now sits pretty on my Fireplace Mantel. I love those delicate white and pink flowers. The Jug is one I bought from the 99¢ Only Stores ten years ago (along with a matching Sugar Set). Just in case you are wondering, what you see above the Almond Arrangement is a 1975 Vintage Kitchen Book Holder, movable thanks to some springs on each side. We spray painted it white from its original Honey Oak color.
Thanks to the awesome weather today, we made good progress hand wedding early in the afternoon around a few garden beds in the backyard. We are allowing weeds to grow on a designated area to give a chance to the kids to go Ladybug hunting, which are often found around grassy fields.
Since my dear husband has been craving some Mongolian Grill, we went to The Mall of Victor Valley, which is the closest location to us (the Restaurant is located in the Food Court). I love the fact that they make it easy for individuals to create their own stir-fry. We also spent a few hours at Barnes and Noble, reading books with the kids and looking around for some great Human Anatomy books for Children. I purchased a few books prior to leaving. We all had a marvelous time today and I hope to remember to set the clocks forward for daylight saving time.
By JM Perez
