My cherry tree has become undressed of her leaves with the exception of eight leaves that waft gently in the slight breeze of the morning.
She has over the last month slowly unclothed herself of the other ten thousand or so relatives of the eight remaining leaves, these relatives one by one fell gently to the lawn below.
Her sturdy trunk supports nine gnarled branches, each reaching out horizontally, some to the south west, some to the north east, others to all points of the yard. Each of these branches now bare of their summer foliage glaringly show nodules that appear in areas where pruning has taken place over this trees long life; looking much like the swollen knuckles of a hand with arthritis.
The new branches from this last year’s growing season poke out every direction, slim hopeful spikes that want to add to the tree they call home. These new spikes of growth are similar in appearance to the thorns on a cactus, growing out and up, striving to reach the sky on the warm summer days. Sadly most of these spiky new branches will not feel the sun of next summer, they will fall this next spring to the pruning that must happen, to better allow the growth of a new crop of cherries. Cannot deplete the energy of the tree to save this new growth, must be harsh, the blossoms that will come in the spring will need all of the tree’s life energy to grow to the sweet, succulent cherries that will become the trees gift to all.
Today it is snowing and the sturdy gnarled limbs of the tree on the upside of their arms are cradling and holding the flakes that are falling. She is coating herself in a new set of clothes for the winter months, white this season. She will once again dress in green when spring arrives, she will add shades of pink and white as her blossoms mature, then in the summer flaming red will appear as the cherries ripen; lastly as fall returns next year she will turn shades of orange and red as her leaves change before she sheds again.
She is a majestic tree, no matter what season she is in!
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