Just Peachy

Look at this guy, isn't he beautiful?  For the first time in many years peaches on our tree started to mature and ripen.  There were easily 3, maybe 4 dozen sizeable peaches out there.  I started to think we might actually get to each some this year.  Then I started seeing all these peach pits on the ground.  But there were still many many peaches on the tree so I wasn't too concerned.  That is until I walked out one morning and found 12 half eaten peaches on the ground.  Now, I was mad.  Darn squirrels.  Step number one in the war was to hang lots of pretty shiny things in the tree. Enter the old stack of RevealNet CDs.  An hour later on a very steamy afternoon, officially covered in bug bites, dirt, and tree debris, the tree now looked like something that would earn reprimands from every neighborhood association group in existence.  Keeping a close eye on the tree for the next several days and I am happy to say that the shiny CDs and aluminum foil seemed to work.  For about a week.  More peach pits on the ground.  And just to taunt me, a half eaten peach on my front porch.  That may not mean much except that the peach tree is in the backyard behind a fence and no one else in the neighborhood has a peach tree.  Time for more peach protection measures.  Out comes the nylon net and plastic tarp and more bug bites, peach debris, etc.  Now the tree REALLY would get us neighborhood fines.  At this time, there are about 2 dozen peaches left that are promising.  By this time Mike is in New Orleans - it's Monday evening and I tell him to entertain his clients with my ongoing peach saga.  Keeping a close eye on the tree and making sure to let all 3 dogs out every chance I get, we seem to once again be doing OK and saving the peaches.  Along comes Wednesday and I find that the squirrels have once again gotten over their fears of the new stuff in the tree and have gone after the peaches. The ripest ones, the ones that probably only needed one or two more days on the tree were of course the first to go.  That beautiful one up in the corner?  I found it on the ground.  There was one tiny squirrel tooth mark in it and it wasn't quite ripe - very close.  So I took it inside, washed it, cut off the bit the squirrel tasted and shared it with the boys.  It was hard and not quite ripe but it tasted good and would have been amazing if it had stayed on the tree for just a couple more days.

The rest of the peaches... Well, I went to meet Mike in New Orleans and the dogs went to stay with a neighbor.  Left unattended the squirrels had a field day.  When we got home just a few days later all but two of the peaches had been eaten. The last two are still hanging on, so maybe, just maybe I'll get those at least.

One final note to this little story.  The other half of the tree is covered in tiny peaches that may or may not develop into a "second" crop.  I have no idea if I'll fight for them or not.  Darn squirrels.