Although the first wave of apple flowers is now fading to what we call “petal-fall,” the later cultivars are beginning to open up. The bloom this year continues to be spectacular. We could be thinning a lot of fruit come July. Let’s hope.
The Fothergilla (Witch-alder) is in bloom now, and the Aronia (Chokeberry) is just opening up. Even as the apples fade, we’re still in for some major color yet to come. Speaking of color, the lilacs (Syringa spp) are also full right now. They look and smell great. Although sometimes disparaged, the lilacs are real troopers. We still have the good old Common Purple Lilacs up at the cellar hole on Finley Lane. Those plants were likely planted before Abraham Lincoln was elected. The stems age-out and die once a generation or so, but the root system continually regenerates and lives on for decades, or centuries, sending up new stems that signal to us all that once upon a time, there were farmers here, tending chickens and oxen, scything the fields and picking apples—of course.
Marshall Allen and the pyramids, 1999
The Late-May iconic-birthday parade continues. Today is the 102nd birthday of Marshall Allen. In November 1999 Cammy and I went to see him perform, and he signed a postcard I had brought along of the pyramids at Giza. He chuckled as he signed the card. Amazingly, he’s still leading the Sun Ra Arkestra and playing on his alto sax. He was born in 1924, the year my Mom was born. Happy Birthday Marshall!