Day 30, with beautiful blossoms

Back to school schedule this morning.  And it seemed too early, still in the dark of night, with the time change. 

After picking Noah up from Kindergarten at 11:30, we drove down to the ranch to show Annie the apricots in bloom. 

my camera was only 1 inch from this happy worker bee

 I took this shot from the safety of my closed van window.  Many of these hives are placed throughout the orchard.  They are rented just for the time the trees are in bloom.

This unpruned apricot tree displays beautiful long branches of blossoms.

Noah thought Annie should have blossoms in her hair.  She is patiently letting him decorate her.  Notice the purple wildflowers all around the headband.  He has an eye for these things.

There she is, all decorated.  Gus came over for some love and affection when she knelt down.

The hill ranch has the earliest apricots.  It is several degrees warmer up here than down in the flat of the valley

There are a lot of apricots in  bloom.

Noah likes to pretend they are rockets, but really these are smudge pots, which heat the orchard on frosty nights, so we don't lose the apricots.

When the wind machines are on, it sounds like a helicopter invasion.  They are interspersed throughout the orchards in the area.  Stirring up the air on chilly nights keeps cold pockets from settling into the low dips of the orchards, which would freeze the blossoms.

If only I could keep some of the lovely fragrance which enveloped us in the orchard today.  The sight was beautiful, made more so by the magnificence of the smell.

Gus came over again to be near me as I posed with Noah by the blossoming tree.

I'll continue this post after I pick up Annie at the dentist.  Stay tuned.

Well, I didn't get to it after the dentist, but here are this day's eating adventures...It does seem that peanut butter is the choice when a fast lunch is needed, doesn't it?

 breakfast menu:  standard fare, cold cereal and milk

Cost:  $2.80

cold cereal servings for 12, with Peter's larger:  1.30

half gallon plus 2 cups milk:  1.50

lunch menu:  peanut butter sandwiches, oranges, carrot sticks, pretzels

Cost:  $2.84

3 boules of honey oat bread:  1.14

5 oz peanut butter:  .30

6 oz jam:  .30

9 oranges, leftover from baking day:  no charge

22 oz carrots:  .38

12 baggies of pretzels, 16 each person:  .72

snack:  bananas with milk and sugar

Cost:  $1.91

12 bananas:  1.28

milk:  .60

sugar:  .03

supper:  chicken gravy and mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen corn, frozen peas

Cost:  $6.12

12 oz chicken tenders:  2.13

10 lbs potatoes, mashed: 1.00

gravy mix:  .45

flour for thickening, 3/4 cup:  .08

2 tsp soup flavor:  .10

12 dinner rolls:  .40

1 lb frozen corn:  .98

1 lb frozen peas:  .98

Today's total bill:  $13.67, over by 1.67!  Ouch! (remember we're on 12 for $12 this week)