Scribbling

The last few days have caused considerable damage to the fruit crops here in North Carolina –apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapes. My dogwoods have already surrendered the pink and white pastel of their blooms to the searing breath of unseasonably cold nights; azaleas with their nascent buds withered and brown; the milk white blueberry bells so shriveled that not even a quarter of the plants will bear fruit; only my thornless blackberries and raspberries escaped with minor damage.