MindSpinner

By late July, another of the crabapples in my back yard looked as if it would have to go. The Japanese beetles had devoured most of the leaves, leaving only a few scattered bleakly across its branches. Whether the beetles or last year’s deer damage were to blame, the tree looked mostly done for, despite the fact that I had watered it through the summer’s drought. But this week, with beetles scarce, water sufficient, and temperatures moderated into the 80’s, the crabapple bloomed. The whole tree is covered in the delicate pink and white flowers of spring, unfurling right beside the fruit of this season - the nickel-sized blushing apples. Those out-of-season blooms and new green leaves suggest simple joy at the opportunity to thrive after a long season of pestilence and duress. It made me think that life’s springs can come anytime, quite out of season, whenever one finds opportunity and the sense to make the best of it and bloom.