The last few weeks have broken me. Few things are going as planned, yet that is somewhat normal. What broke me is what is breaking the patterns I have come to live by.

The Red Delicious apple tree blossomed last week… in September. Even if bees pollinate the flowers, there is not enough time for fruit to mature before winter.

I wrote about this tree recently. I had been hoping it would survive until spring, flower, and produce a crop next year. Blooming in September uses the buds that formed in this last season of dormancy. They won’t be available to bloom again in seven or eight months.

I resist the temptation to give up and cut the tree down. The applesauce, apple butter, and apple cider vinegar I made from it will only last so long, though. I should likely just cut it down and plant another apple tree. When you’ve grown a tree from a sapling, that is hard to do.

I am dealing with it as best I can.