My Persimmon Tree

The Persimmon tree came home with us as a plant from Home Depot when it was a year old. We planted it on my son's first birthday. They are both nine now.

It grew fast, by itself. It did not need any attention at all. The fruit came early, within 2-3 years. Since then, every Fall I have had a basket of beautiful, sweet Persimmons to distribute. “I love Persimmons!” is the usual response I get. 
But once when I decorated Halloween muffins with an orange Persimmon topping instead of the icing, the children in my son's school did not fancy it. I in turn, learned a lesson.

Persimmons

My co-workers had introduced me to the fruit, it is only found in California in the US, they said. Some of them had trees in their homes and had brought the fruit to work. I was hooked to the fruit. There are two kinds of Persimmons- soft or firm in flesh. We have the latter.

About two years ago I fell in love with our tree. Just like that. I was walking past it on a hot summer day and felt the coolness that a only the full shade of a tree can give. Tranquility and stillness. The tree wasn't just a tree anymore, it seemed to exude a character. Sturdy, faithful, forgiving and ever giving.

The tree is right outside my bedroom window, so every season brings a different hue, mood and meaning into the room.

Spring 2011

Summer 2011

Fall 2011

Winter 2011

Spring 2012

Summer 2012

This cycle is quietly repeated every year. Everything is on time but graceful, like a ballerina in a dance act.

This year the tree has a problem. 

Falling buds

The buds are falling off. I wonder if it is a pollination issue what with the honeybees dying off or an infestation striking at the seat of the bud. It is systematic. I need to find out more.

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Spot the Difference!

Tomato and Basil were part of our summer science project. The baby tomato plant (~4 inches in height) wilted for a couple of days after re-planting before getting comfortable in the new soil and pot. The basil was quicker to adjust.

The wilting started as summer began to end. The plants dried and died as weather got cooler.

A life as long as one summer, sprouting buds and leaves with vigor, under the sun and sky as if each summer day was ever so timeless.

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Daisy Day

(This post was originally published in June.  Editing of picture sizes caused reposting by blogger at this later date).

(Reading Time: ~5-10 minutes)

In our backyard is a small rectangular bed cut into the brick floor. It is home to a low shrub of daisies. The bed erupts with flowers every April. Late spring it is. For a whole month, the daisies become the life of the backyard.

The daisies have a short season. Within weeks the flower density falls. This repeats every year.  Daisies are part of the Asteraceae family. These flowers show different moods depending on the time of the day. Here they are, all in the course of one day.

                           

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Dawn
Daisies are beginning to open their petals. Wake up, wake up, it is time.

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Morning, around 8 AM

Feeling the sun's rays. (The sunlight takes a while to stream into our valley).

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Mid Morning, around 11 AM

The daisies are fully open and smiling at the sun. 

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Post Noon, around 2 PM

Looking tired. Notice some of the petals bending backwards, perhaps because of the living and working in the strenuous heat. 

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Around 4 PM

By this time we start losing sunlight in this north-east corner of the yard. These pictures show the bed at a demarcation between sunlight and shade from different two angles. It appears as if the daisies in the shade are finished for the day, letting relaxation set in and the ones in the light are still working on their photo-chemistries.

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Around 5 PM and 6 PM

Closing shop.

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Dusk

Good Night.

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The weather in our area on the day I took these photos was-
Saturday, Sunny with Partial Clouds
Humidity: 24%
Wind:  N at 12 mph 

Temperature : 56F - 73F
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Genetic coding in the daisies enables them orchestrate their movements with the sun. While the family of asteraceae move in a dramatic manner with sunlight; other species of plants and animals, and sea-life that dwells in water layers that sunlight penetrates have evolved to synchronize their food procurement and rest patterns with the sun's energy in less obvious ways.

Technological advancement and the thrust of civilization has put us in a place now where we can eat and sleep, have light or darkness whenever we wish. How this gradual change in behavior manifests in our biological systems is a personal curiosity. 

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