Is it Spring Again, yet?

We each have an internal timetable that may or may not match objective reality. Cicero warns us that we have to act our age, or we will appear foolish. For every thing there is a season, the Old Testament intones. But what if you don't feel like the season you are allotted?

Yesterday was the first of October. The air was a bit chilly in the morning when I went for a walk. But I was amazed by the blossoms that greeted me! The honeysuckle flowers were not that surprising.

Honeysuckle on the First of October

 They had not bloomed that day, and soon they would be gone.  After all, two days earlier there were still plenty of yellow butterflies fluttering about.

But the lily white blossoms that I spotted in the serviceberry bush were brand new!

Serviceberry blossoms on the first of October

How did they suddenly decide to bloom forth when the weather turned cooler?

A closer look at the serviceberry blooming

And then I saw the cherry blossoms trembling in the cold breeze! So much bigger and more splendid than the serviceberry blooms, they seemed to proclaim that spring had finally sprung!

These fresh, newly opened blossoms had sprung forth on only one spot on the otherwise bare tree.

Cherry Blossoms on the First of October

What did they know that everyone else did not know? Were they answering a call of nature at odds with the nip of frost in the air?

Not to be outdone, the tiny, baby apple tree that we planted only last fall was suddenly showing a big pink blossom. This tree has yet to give fruit, and I don't believe it even bloomed this spring.

What makes flowers burst forth out of season?

 Is it foolish to want to give fruit when everything else is preparing for a long winter?

Blackberry blossom trying to bring forth fruit on the first of October

 Or do each of us  live by a different timetable, so that those who did not bloom in the spring get a second chance in the fall?

Adapting to the Cold

Colder weather means dressing more warmly, or in Bow's case, wrapping up.

Bow refuses to wear clothes, but he does appreciate the value of a good blanket.

Colder weather also means more home-cooked midday meals.

I don't have a lot of time to spend on cooking, so it's usually something I can whip up fast. Yesterday it was this low prep time pork dish.

http://thefeastbeforeus.blogspot.com/2015/10/low-prep-time-family-meals.html

Today, it's oatmeal.

Every time we get whole milk, with the cream included, the oatmeal is especially good.

Outside, some of the fruit trees have not yet decided whether it is autumn or spring.

Nile the cat climbs the tree in order to make a closer inspection. He also complains a lot while hawks circle, looking for their own dinner.

The purple milkweed pods are letting their seeds go loose.

And the Weigela bush, which had such beautiful blossoms to attract the bees this spring, is now sporting red fruit, as big as cherries.

I am almost tempted to try them, but they are not meant for humans.Or chimps. Yet I am sure somebody finds them tasty, or they would not have taken the bother of growing to be so attractive. The customer knows best.

Should we do things only because they pay? Do the trees and the flowers reckon with a return? Is every blossom an investment in a future that may or may not pay off?  What if the ultimate currency of life is calories, and staying warm on the inside is what it is all about?