Pods & Tentacles

Those are date tree buds. I'm not sure of the real scientific term. But I saw these pods exploding at the tops of all the date trees in my yard. First, my wild imagination ran away with me and I was a little creeped out. Pod things growing from my trees & growing bigger than thought possible? Yikes.
If you'll look at the photo above, on the left hand side are those fin-like pod things. They were getting fatter & fatter this past week. Yes, I have nothing better to do with my time than stare at palm tree pods. When I was pulling into the driveway last week, I noticed that they had burst open! Those little tiny flowers will soon look like this.


The flowery parts mature, and most fall off, leaving fluttery little piles of petals at the base of the palm trees and the stems with the buds that will become dates! Then our groundskeepers come around and take care of the trees.

No, I don't usually have that vase sitting by the window. When I first pulled out my camera, the other dude (there are two up there) looked straight at me. I guess he could see the crazy white lady with a camera in her kitchen taking pictures of the poor hard-working schmucks in her yard. It took me another 20 minutes just to go back to the window and nonchalantly wash some glasses, pretend to wipe clean the vase and set it in the sun to dry. Then take a picture of it. I'm sure I looked very innocent & covert. But it was very cool, the maintenance they were doing on the trees. See the white parts at the top of the trunk? That's where the took their hook-like machetes and hacked off the dead, pointy parts of the bark. And they also did this.

Apparently you have to tie the tentacles together so that it produces an abundance of dates! I can't wait for my dates to grow in my very own backyard. Oh, and another reason I think the pods broke open, the weather. It has been quietly, but steadily, getting warmer. I don't mind putting a cardi on to go outside, I've loved the "winter" weather. (winter weather = 66F-72F average temp=happy Lydia) Now it is starting out at 66F at 9am and is 82F by afternoon. And the cars are heating up, too. Getting into the car after it's been parked all day and needing the AC so I don't suffocate is not something I expect in February. But hey, at least we've got the malls to go hang out in. Oh wait, those are down by the "unrest". 'Nuff said.